JOINTING A CHICKEN

1. Lay the chicken on its back.

2. Hold the leg and thigh and pull away from the body.

3. Cut The skin between the two pull leg away, cutting all the way to the hip joint.

4. Bend the leg backwards and joint will come out of its socket.

5. Cut through any remaining flesh and skin.

Repeat on the other side.

To separate into thighs and drumsticks

1. Bend the leg in half at the joint.

2. Using a very sharp knife or poultry scissors, cut straight through the knee joint.

Repeat with other leg.

To separate breast with backbone

1. Use poultry shears to cut through the ribs.

2. Cut along the bottom and beneath the wing.

Repeat on the other side.

(Throw away the backbone or keep for making stock)

To produce two individual breast portions

1. Cut through the soft breastbone that runs down the centre of the two breast.

To remove the wing

1. Hold the wing away from the breast.

2. Cut beneath the wing and then through the joint.

Repeat on the other side.

For boneless breast portions

1. Cut the skin down the centre of the breast.

2. Run a sharp knife down both sides of the breastbone. (Keeping the knife as close to the bone as possible)

3. Gently ease out the bone from the flesh.

Repeat on the other side.