It's no secret that I prefer to purchase whole chickens and cut from them the pieces I need. It's much less expensive, but what I like best is that the pieces are cut the way I want them, not the way it's easiest for the Chicken Company/Processor to get them out the door.
Early February I'd picked up some chicken leg quarters and used the thighs for the Chicken Fricassee. I didn't rant and rave about it, but the fact that the chicken was sawed down the middle resulting in backbone (and yes, oysters) adding to the weight and that none of the excess fat or skin was trimmed was a burr under my saddle. Paying a higher price for specific pieces left me paying higher price for the stuff I would've cut off. Half the mass was junk (I don't know yet what to do with chicken skin).
So that leaves me obsessed with better processing of the birds in my kitchen. I gave it a try: deboning a chicken like Pepin does in this video. I kept the legs intact though since I have a plan for those and the bones are necessary. Besides, I already know how to bone out thighs; it's just a matter of getting quicker.
The whole chicken was removed from packaging, the giblets and neck removed from the cavity, the body and cavity rinsed with cool water before drying well with paper towel.
Early February I'd picked up some chicken leg quarters and used the thighs for the Chicken Fricassee. I didn't rant and rave about it, but the fact that the chicken was sawed down the middle resulting in backbone (and yes, oysters) adding to the weight and that none of the excess fat or skin was trimmed was a burr under my saddle. Paying a higher price for specific pieces left me paying higher price for the stuff I would've cut off. Half the mass was junk (I don't know yet what to do with chicken skin).
So that leaves me obsessed with better processing of the birds in my kitchen. I gave it a try: deboning a chicken like Pepin does in this video. I kept the legs intact though since I have a plan for those and the bones are necessary. Besides, I already know how to bone out thighs; it's just a matter of getting quicker.
The whole chicken was removed from packaging, the giblets and neck removed from the cavity, the body and cavity rinsed with cool water before drying well with paper towel.
The wings were removed from the body at the second joint, leaving the drumettes attached to the body. The removed flatwing and wingtip sections were set aside.
The skin at the neck was pulled back a little bit. Feeling around in the flesh opposite the neck bone, I identified where the wishbone was and cut along both sides of the wishbone before wrestling the it out intact.
The chicken was flipped so the breast side was down and the back was facing me. I sliced along the backbone before turning the bird on a side, pulling the skin up to find the articulation of the wing joint. I sliced through the joint, freeing the drumette.
And then I did the same thing on the other side.
Grabbing the drumettes one at a time, I pulled them out from the body and then down along the body until I could see the oysters at the thighs.
Flipping the bird so the breast side was facing me, I could see that the tenderloins were fully exposed.
Grasping the entire mass of breast flesh, I pulled it down past the tip of the breast/keel bone.
Turning the bird back over so the breast side was down and the back side up, I cut out an oyster.
The thigh joint was popped out of the socket and the articulate material cut through freeing the entire leg from the frame though connected via skin. And then I did the other side.
The breast and legs were pulled from the frame, all of the skin going with the meat. Turning the meat inside out, skin-side up, the bird looked like it had been butterflied and deflated.
Just as Pepin said, it was easy work to slide a thumb under the tenderloins on each side of the keel and freeing them.
The drumettes were removed and the bird quartered yielding two whole legs (aka Marylands) and two breast halves. The skin was removed from the boneless breasts in anticipation of a recipe.
The flatwing and wingtip sections I'd set aside earlier were separated. I bagged the drumette and flatwing portions to make a wings recipe later. The skin from the bird was disposed of. The rest, wingtips and frame, was bagged for stock.
While it took me many more minutes than Pepin (my 40 vs his 3) to accomplish this, the work itself was pretty easy. Of course, Pepin didn't stop to wash his hands after every step to take a photo, then review a video before proceeding. Instead he casually took care of that bird while slowing to discuss and point out key details. I would call Pepin a stud, but he deserves more respect than that. I plan to use this technique regularly in the future and of course, I'll get it down to three minutes.
The trickiest part was after the breasts are pulled down from the frame since it was a little hairy keeping track of what was what. Having that loose mass of breast/drumette flesh flopping around was definitely odd. Surprisingly, the breast meat stuck to the skin while I worked; I was sort of wondering if the membrane between meat and skin would gradually give way as I wrestled and flipped the bird.
It should be noted that when you cut through the joint dividing the drumette and body, care should be taken where you're cutting. If you cut into the breast, it might tear when you use the drumette as a handle to peel the breast from the frame. If done correctly, the breast halves peel away fully intact, which results in beautiful pieces.
Overall, I'm delighted with the way this worked out. I look forward to doing it again.
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