Cookaholics Bulletin Board

Where'd they go?
Around here it's rare to see cut-up chickens in the meat case.
Where I used to live, in a large city, there were more cut-up chickens than whole. Now I can only find whole and parts.
Don't grocers sell these anymore, or is it just my small city?
I have to admit that I'm not good at cutting up a chicken and ending up with recognizable parts.

I don't think I've ever seen a cut up chicken for sale. Around there they definitely seem to figure that if you want parts, you might as well just buy the parts you want. As a result, legs and thighs are extremely cheap, as the demand is very low.

Watch Pepin's video of cutting up and deboning a chicken (you can stop when the deboning starts...). Follow that video a few times, and you'll get to be serious expert, and as a bonus you'll get better parts then I've ever seen in a store (here the chicken butchering is typically pretty sloppy)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfY0lrdXar8

added: Putting some muscle into is the trick. He is forcing things more then he looks in the video.. that is one strong old guy!

I ask my butcher tlo cut them up for me. He always complies.

fitzie

Whole chickens are pretty cheap here. I lay the chicken on it's breast, then cut up either side of the backbone with the kitchen shears -- like I'm going to spatchcock it. Next, I set the blade of my chef's knife down the center of the breastbone (The chicken is still on it's breast.), then press against the back of the knife until it cuts through the breastbone. Now I take each of the half-chickens and cut between the thigh and the breast. There is nothing but meat and skin holding them together at this point, but it can be a little tricky making sure that each one gets its share of skin. Next I cut between the leg and thigh, slicing through the meat all around the joint until I get to the bone, then pop the joint loose. It's pretty much the same operation to remove the wings. You can further trim the breasts by removing the wish bones. I also will sometime remove the rib plates if space is at a premium -- just slip your knife between the ribs and the meat until they are free, then cut them out.

I'm pretty pokey, and I can get it done in under 15 minutes.

It is weird, though, that there are never any whole, cut up chickens in the market anymore.

Many stores are now getting their meats and poultry already cut and wrapped. That limits what they sell. If you ask at the meat counter they should be happy to break down the chicken for you. Small ethnic markets often have a broader choice of meats and cuts.
Seriously, learn how to do it yourself. It really isn't hard and then you can do what you want with the pieces.

We can still buy whole, cut-up chickens in our supermarket, Price Chopper, in upstate NY, FWIW.

Yep Jesbelle. Learning to spatchcock a chicken taught me how to cut one up. Very valuable skill and really quite easy... You won't catch me attempting to debone a whole chicken though!

Americans to Eat 1.25 Billion Chicken Wings for Super Bowl XLVIII. Affects supply and price of all other parts of the chicken and may contribute to the scarcity of cut up chickens in some markets. I can buy BSCB's for thirty cents less per pound than I can buy chicken wings nearly any day of the year. GO PATRIOTS. SAY YES TO SOFTBALLS.

Fun and interesting article!! Also, gave this important factoid:

Off topic, but really disappointed in Patriots. May have to change my allegiance of 30 plus years - cheating is cheating.