Poultry Breakdown — 8-Piece & 10-Piece

A standard 1.5–2 kg (3.5–4.5 lb) whole broiler chicken. Breakdown removes all four limbs (two legs, two wings) and splits the torso. The backbone and keel bone remain with the breast halves in the 8-piece format; some butchers remove the backbone entirely first (spatchcock-style) before splitting the breast. The 10-piece format further crosscuts each breast half — the upper portion retains the wing joint area, the lower portion is a boneless-adjacent block.

1. 1STEP 1 — Remove legs: lay bird breast-side up, pull leg away from body, slice through the skin between thigh and breast. Flex the thigh back until the hip joint pops, then cut through the joint. Repeat on other side.
2. 2STEP 2 — Separate thigh and drumstick: locate the fat line on the inner thigh that runs directly over the knee joint. Cut through the joint following that line — no sawing required if you hit the cartilage.
3. 3STEP 3 — Remove wings: fold wing away from breast, cut down through the shoulder socket. The joint is just inside the breast edge.
4. 4STEP 4 — Split the carcass: use kitchen shears to cut along both sides of the backbone (reserve for stock). Open the carcass flat. Score along the sternum (keel bone) with a knife, then press firmly to split, or cut with shears.
5. 5STEP 5 (for 10-piece): crosscut each breast half in two approximately at the midpoint of the breast, keeping a portion of rib on each section.
6. 6Dry-brine the pieces uncovered in the refrigerator 4–24 hours for superior seasoning penetration and crisper skin.

• Pat bird thoroughly dry with paper towels before breaking down — wet skin is slippery and risky
• Use a sharp boning knife for joints and kitchen shears for the backbone; a chef's knife is too wide for precise joint work
• Flex each joint to identify the gap before cutting — poultry joints cut through cartilage not bone
• Keep a clean damp cloth nearby; frequent wiping of the knife keeps cuts precise and safe

• Pre-cut mixed chicken pieces (supermarket)

  Convenient but often unevenly sized; breasts are frequently too large relative to thighs

• Bone-in chicken thighs (4-pack)

  If only dark meat is needed; more cost-effective than a whole bird for dark-meat dishes

• Spatchcocked whole chicken

  Alternative to piece breakdown when roasting whole — achieves faster, more even cooking without separating into pieces

• Chicken Suprême

  Skin-on airline breast with drumette attached — the premium version of the breast half

• Chicken Thigh (bone-in, skin-on)

  The dark-meat yield from the same breakdown

• Spatchcock / Butterfly

  Alternative whole-bird technique using the same backbone removal as step one of the 8-piece breakdown

1. 1.Thomas Keller — The French Laundry Cookbook
2. 2.Jacques Pépin — La Technique
3. 3.James Peterson — Glorious French Food
4. 4.USDA Institutional Meat Purchase Specifications (IMPS) for Poultry, Series 1000

Confidence: high