Earthly Eating

Fryers are usually cut into quarters or smaller pieces for frying. Broilers may be left whole for open-pit roasting or cut into halves or quarters for barbecuing. Roasts are generally left whole. Always practice safe food handling, especially with chicken. To cut up a chicken, use a sharp, heavy knife and follow these steps:

1. Cut the skin between the thighs and the body.

2. Grasp a leg in each hand, left the bird and behind the legs back until the hip joints pop free.

3. Cut each leg away by slicing from the back to the front at the hip, as close as possible to the backbones,.

4. Leave the leg in once piece or, if you wish, separate the thigh from the drumstick by cutting through the joint between them. You can find the joint by flexing the leg and thigh to locate the being point.

5. One the same side, remove the wing by cutting along the joint inside the “wing-pit”, over the joint and down around it. Turn the bird over and remove the other leg and wing. To create mini-drumsticks (aka: buffalo wings), separate the upper, meatier portion of each wing from the lower tow bony sections.

6. To divide the body, stand the bird on its neck and cut the tail toward the neck, along the end of the ribs on one side. Cut along the other side to free the back. Bend the back until it snaps in half, and cut along the line of least resistance to separate the ribs from the lower back.

7. Place the breast on the cutting board, skin side down, and cut through white cartilage at the V of the neck.

8. Grasp the breast firmly in both hands and bend back each side, pushing with your fingers to snap the breastbone. Cut the breast in half lengthwise alongside the bone. For boned breasts, place the skin side up on the cutting board. Insert the knife along one side of the bird and cut the meat away from the bone. Repeat on the other side of the bird.
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Earthly Eating Recipe

Crunchy Onion Chicken
Serves: 4

Bake 20 minutes at 400°F until cooked thoroughly. Pair this mean with some baked sweet potatoes and mexi-corn.

Happy Eating!