Pro Butcher HOW TO Cut Up A CHICKEN 

The look on Glen's face when he discovered the effectiveness of the "drum-side of the fat line" and his profound gratefulness! Excellent instructional vid, too!

Great video! I just wish there were longer close up shots while he is describing, pointing a cutting.

Can we just take a minute to appreciate how sharp that knife is?

My husband and I raise meat birds for our family. We've always struggled with breaking them down. After tons of videos we've finally found THE BEST one! This video made all the difference. We just had our harvest and didn't struggle. Thank you!

This vid may be years old...but as a novice, I find very relatable. Saved to watch every time I break-down a chicken. Appreciate these key sections: 8:01 Jaime's "drum side of the fat line" mentioned below. Brilliant revelation! 9:40-9:50 - capturing "the oyster" w/ the thigh 10:23-11:03 - cleanly clearing skin-on breasts Thank you!

this video is a gem 4 years later! buying a full bird soon and trying these new tips , that drum side tip is pure wisdom .

That leg/thigh cut is something I've been fighting my whole life, and I used to be a butcher (was very poorly trained).

"drum side of the fat line" snip silence silence silence "That didn't… Why am I fighting with that?" I am still chuckling.

Dude the drum/thigh cut literally blew my mind. "we go from the drum side of the line, we're gonna hit that joint every single time."

I've watched 7 different videos on how to butcher a chicken and this one by far covers the most information!

Wow!! I'm in New Brunswick and can't believe Jamie popped on my screen! I used to get meat from him when he delivered to pubs! Fantastic to know how well he's doing with his bricks n mortar now. I just got a half dozen meat kings from a farm and no clue what I'm doing. Thank you for this!!

This is amazing! The supermarket just made a mistake and sent me 4 chickens instead of 2. They told me to keep the other 2 so bonus! But I have no room in my freezer for 4 whole chickens! This will help me to make a heap of chicken stock and get the rest cut up to fit better. Very grateful 🙂

I cleaned my first roosters today. Has not done that or been a part if it in over 50 years. Wish I had seen this first. First bird in 4 parts second in more parts left third one whole because I was buthering birds that I just butchered. Lol. This was an incredible tutorial. Saved and to be rewatched as well as watched when whole bird comes out freezer. Simply fantastic instruction.

Wow, that drum side of the fat line is a life changer. Loved your face

WOW. He made that look so easy. I've been struggling with that for years. Can you have him back to do a whole turkey?

seen this done by dozens of butchers, but learned more from watching him. very good. thanks

ok I am a professional meat cutter, & there is 1 other cut, old country cut, to get 3 breast from a whole chicken, take both lobes, cut the triangle off bottom of both sides before you split, then you split the 2 lobes, & if you size it right you get 3 breasts. not seen much anymore, but older customers occasionally ask for it. just figured you might like to hear about old way

In french the oysters are called "Sot l'y laisse" which literally means "the moron leaves it behind". The last 2:30 are quite mesmerising to watch!

I was Today years old when I found out that you cut on the drum side of the fat line. omg. eureka!!

"Drum-side of the fat-line"... thank you master.

8:26 - I empathize with Glen on the chicken leg/thigh separation. It was always a crap shoot for me when I break down those bulk club size packages of legs and thighs. "Drum side of the fat line" will forever be etched in my brain.

Glen's face after that cut was hilarious!

You should do more collabs with professionals and local businesses!

A fantastic video with fantastic close-up views on the cutting process. I learnt quite a lot (and I have removed my other comment, apologies I had a bad day and was an idiot).

Thankyou for starting w another whole chicken at END OF VIDEO showing AGAIN W closeups 55 yrs old and first whole chicken cutting into pieces.

I struggled with that same cut with the drumstick and thigh!!! He made it look so easy!!

Fat line, drum side: Love it when you show you're not a 'know it all personality chef' that look down to your viewers! I learned also - will try with my next bird.

Thanks….I was here trying to cut the thigh from the drumstick and couldn’t so I found your video. I need practice but I’ll get it !

I share Glen's shock with that drumstick cut. Mind blowing.

Thanks to you and Jaime for this video! Using it as a guide, I was able to cut up a chicken for the very first time and didn’t massacre it too badly. Now wish me luck cooking the first dinner on my brand new oven!

8.26. one of the best moments in this channels history :D

8:26 That look on Glen's face when he comes to the realization that the cut he has been frustrated by for so many years should actually be pretty easy.

This is definitely the most effective, informative, and simple way I've seen someone do this! You don't over complicate it for us beginners while also showing how to be quick and effective. Love how you added a close up at the end too, a very nice touch!

I got this knife I wished I could send you a photo of. It's strange. But the way it's designed I can disassemble a chicken in less than 2 minutes perfectly. It's amazing. I went to a gun and knife show in Alabama. This show had alot of knife makers. My eyes saw this one knife and I knew right from the start this was going to be my chicken knife.

This was the best tutorial I have seen on how to do this. You see close up where Jamie is cutting but he also describes really clearly what he is looking for and feeling for. It always seemed to me that a lot of this process is tactile rather than visual, so it really helps that he describes that part of it.

I agree with Glen, I love the crunchy tip of wing in fried chicken.

Crucial, when on a budget! 1 adult can stretch this 7 days by doing legs/ wings potatoe brocolli, then fettaccini alfredo w/ mushrooms & lastly, stew!

You can’t make a better video than that. Thank you

Drum stick cut wow. I learnt somen new too.✌

Thank you! I literally just cut my whole chicken 🐓 as I am watching this video! 🔥🔥🔥

Just cut up my first chicken. Watch this video 5 times, and it took me less than 5 minutes. Easy!

Thanks for watching everyone! I'll be making Chicken stock with these bones this week, and Jamie will be back next week with a Whole hog that we'll be butchering. So keep a lookout for those videos. Here's our Chicken Stock Recipe: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-VjuetadNtBo.html *Close ups of cutting up the chicken at **9:07** to the end of the video*

Wow! Great video! I taught myself how to butcher a chicken and until now have never seen a better way. This video shows is the best way I've ever seen of butchering a chicken for the pan! I deliberately leave a big chunk of breast meat on the wing so that the person choosing the wing to eat also gets some breast meat. I'm getting a fresh chicken tomorrow just to practice this method! What a great way to save freezer space too. Maybe I'll buy 2 chickens tomorrow.

Close up at the end is helpful. Thanks for the lesson.

I've watched a lot of these videos of breaking down a chicken...this is by far the best of them.

Drum side of the fat line just changed my life!!

The tip about how to separate the leg from the thigh is worth the video. I always followed the advice of a certain food-related channel that told me to bend the joint and feel for the two bumps.

OMG - the fat line! Genius! Thank you :)

I am thankful that my mom showed me how to do this at a young age. I prefer to cut up chickens myself. Thanks for having him on your show, Glen. I always pop the joint between leg and thigh and then cut around. Cutting around the fat line looks easier. I will try that.

Just cut up my first two whole chickens and because of your GREAT video, it was pretty simple! Thanks so much!!

This video came in handy this week with full chickens on sale I bought 5 and cut into pieces and froze them in groups according to parts. SWEET! I saved a bundle. Thanks guys for the fat line clue for cuts.

“Drum Side Fat Line” Good T-shirt.

this will be saved short list of videos that i refer to time and again this is a skill i've yet to master... Thanks, Glen

I'm a huge fan of Gordon Ramsay, but I gotta say, this vid to break down a chicken is WAY better than his. Concise and clear. I plan on buying whole chickens from now on. Wish you guys showed where we could locate the oyster and remove it as well, but I can always do another search for that. Thank you for this vid. 😁

Thank you so much for the confidence you gave me !!! I will always buy whole chicken from now on. I tested my skills 3 times . Tonight I made from 2 chickens, chicken picatta from the breasts with skin on. Stock. Curry chicken from the thighs and legs. Saved the wings to bbq. Put it all in freezer for future meals. ❤

Glen thank you for publishing this video, and, great job explaining things Jamie..!! I particularly liked the idea of putting two hands under the thighs after the skin has been cut to pop both joints at the same time. That was an efficient and effective move. Thanks again for the very helpful video. Now... I’m going to watch it again! Oops! I just realized I didn’t watch the closeups! Excellent job!!! Now... I’m going to watch again. 😄

Brilliant! Not just the "drum side of the fat line" trick, but removing the breast from the bottom up instead of the top (breastbone) down. Thanks!!

I really like the butcher's voice for some reason

The best video on cutting a chicken. Definitely learnt something new.

Jamie is a great teacher! Hopefully we'll see more content of this kind with him showing up :D

That’s the best demonstration of cutting up a chicken I’ve ever seen thanks for this video!

Thank you! The cut separating breast from carcass and the leg and thigh cut are genius. Thank you.

Besides for learning about eggs, and cooking the chicken, this is one of the more important things to understand for an omnivore. Don’t forget to use the best knife for the task at hand. That being said, I’m going out for some General Tso’s chicken, the general out ranks the Colonel in my world.

wonderful very informative to the point amazing presentation thank you for not talking for 10 minutes about nothing important you guys are great. we have 22 meat birds to process and our meat cutter seems to have backed out and i have never cut up an entire chicken before and really didn't want to make a mess of them thank you thank you so much for taking the time to make this video!!!

I love how Tony Hawk was able to transition into a new career as a cook after skateboarding.

Never knew Tobey Maguire was a master at butchering

Thank-You so so much great video. Will be buying whole from now on. I always roast my chicken parts that I’m using for soup just like if I was roasting the whole chicken. It brings out so much flavour I know people that just stick raw chicken parts into a pot an boil it but roasting the chicken parts is just so much better. But enough of me babbling on. Great great vid.

Wow! I just followed along and kept pace with it. First time butchering anything and I can’t believe how easy it was! Growing up, I always heard adults complaining about having to butcher and automatically assumed it was so hard to do. Thank you Glen and friend!!

I really appreciate Glen's questions throughout. They come from the point of view of someone who wants to learn to do this himself, so he's asking the questions that we in the kitchen would want to ask but wouldn't have anyone there to answer.

That look in his face when he saw how easy to separate the thigh from the drum 😅 I have not lived as long as this guy but I feel the same

I appreciate your channel you are inspiring so many people specially during this lockdown, The statement you are throwing money in the garbage is gold, I feed anything thats not used ir bones i just feed it to my dog, Nothing in my home is wasted anything organic is just composted uf not consumed.

Every since I learned how to break down a chicken, I no longer buy pieces. I just buy 4-5 chickens when I shop and break then down. I also make my own stock as well and cooking with homemade stock makes a noticable difference.

thank you :) today i processed a chicken for the first time! it was really heavy bringing it back from the store with the rest of my groceries, because i have to walk, so next time i might make it two trips where i bring the chicken back separately, and my arms hurt a lot still, but on the bright side, the extra work made it taste twice as good!! i cooked a half of a breast on the pan and ate it with rice tonight for dinner, and it was so good :)) when i get a job finally soon, it'll be harder to do this, because i'll be more tired more often, but for now i think its fun and good, and it'll probably make me stronger. and then when i get a job i'll have to find some other silver lining, cause i cant afford anything else! LOL. anyways, sorry for rambling into your comments section. the explanation in this video was thorough and clear, making it easier. the leftover parts of the chicken are cooking in a stock right now, and i will keep this video in my playlist forever :)

I've now watched more than a half-dozen videos, some from celebrity chefs, on how to cut up a whole chicken, and this one is by far the best instruction I've found so far. Very clear instruction (be sure to check the closeups at the end of the video) on how to cut the "oysters" to be included with the thighs, and great tip on separating the thigh from the drumstick. THANK YOU.

Awesome!!!! Talk about a humble pro!!!!! Thank you for sharing your knowledge. 😘

Please make a video showing how exactly to use the whole chicken? what type of soup/stock to make etc.

Now this is a worthwhile video. Frikken Awesome!

Makes it look so easy. He's not hacking the meat like my previous amateur attempts. 😅

One thing this video shows is that there's always more to learn and the value of seeing how other people do things to help you with your own cooking. Even Glen who has a huge amount of experience in the kitchen had something to learn from this pro demonstrating what is a fairly popular and important technique.

This knife is awesomely sharp .. I remember knife i use at work is qiute different, i need to chant "damn!" Or "Die!" Inside my heart before it can cut through bone like that 😂

Awesome - it’s great having guest appearances like James who have a ton of knowledge!

drum-side of the fat line 😍😍😍😍

Thanks Glen and Jamie. I buy chickens on sale and cut them up. I don't buy them often so I always refer back to this vid. In my local tiny fb group for people getting the best prices on groceries... I tell them I do this... then share the link. I always say the first step... I sharpen my knife. LOL. Now that I have bought 10 chickens... I have some boneless skinless thighs... breasts, breast cubes, strips, tenders, drumsticks, quarters and wings. I also have 2 gallons of bones to make then can stock with later. Cutting up a chicken is intimidating for lots of people... vids like this brush that away. $2lb!!! Yayyyy!!! (Best I can afford... I don't mind covering the lower end stuff. )

The close up shots of him cutting into the chicken were the most helpful. Was hoping for a top, down view of the entire demonstration.[edit] just watched the last few minutes of him breaking down a chicken in silence. Thank you.

I have struggled so much to properly butcher a chicken, and this is the first video I found that I could easily follow and it worked amazingly! Drum side of the fat line

Also, watch this video every single time, right before you do it, because you'll feel like you forgot and then realize that Glen already showed you LOL!

This video will be saved in my "How to video". Thanks so much Glen for providing us with this type of video. As always, you provide your viewers with the best videos. Cannot wait for the next.

the best chicken quartering vid i seen and had to sub for more! Thumbs Up!!!

I have to say, I appreciate all your videos. Always simple instructions, simple ingredients, no fluff or fanfare. Quick, honest and pleasant. Great recipes, easy to follow, with just enough pleasantries. Thank-you

Hello friends! Glen and Jamie, thank you, thank you, thank you. I will NEVER buy chicken breasts from the store again. I watched the whole video twice and the clip at the end where Jamie motors through the chicken about five times then went straight at two whole chickens I had in the fridge. Five and a half minutes and I was done. This is the yield from two whole FreshCo chickens. 3.43kg @ $4.39/kg ($1.99/lb) $15.18 907g of boneless skinless chicken breasts. At $8.79/kg ($3.99/lb) would be $7.97 993g of drums/thighs bone in skin on. At $4.39/kg ($1.99/lb) would be $4.35 293g of wings. No idea what wings go for. 849g of nice chicken carcasses for stock. 388g water weight lost since weighed/packaged and or skin/fat I threw out. While fun this experiment was flawed. Regrettably, I did not weigh the chickens before starting so have to take the weight on the package labels as accurate. Not advertised nor labeled as air chilled so YMMV. I did not weigh the off cuts/waste, they went in the bin as I worked and I'm not digging them out. Suffice to say thighs and drums were cleaned up suitable for cooking in a nice cacciatore. Top drawer as always Glen. I would love a video breaking down a beef clod or shoulder from Costco.

Folks I just tried this and it's as easy as it looks! Give it a go

Thank you for this. I have been doing this for years, but I definitely learned some tricks. I'd love to see more butchering demonstrations. Especially breaking down some of the bulk buy beef and pork from Costco that's not fully butchered. Thanks,

most helpful video on cutting a chicken

That was brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Thank you, Glen. Thank you, Jamie.

I wonder how many people are seeing chicken being cut for the first time and are realizing they are eating an animal lol, yes this was a bird. Cool vid, thank you for the fundamentals, that's what is missing more than not.

Thanks! Like you, Glen, I learned something new today. (A number of things, actually)

Glen is the “Mister Rogers” of cooking show hosts.

One of my favorite videos

The brave man who keeps putting his pointing finger in the line of a butchers knife