15:46
Stop Wasting Money on Chicken
TriggTube
Overview
This video demonstrates how to significantly save money by purchasing and breaking down whole chickens instead of buying pre-cut pieces. It provides a step-by-step guide to efficiently butcher a chicken, yielding various cuts like breasts, thighs, drums, and wings. The tutorial also emphasizes utilizing all chicken scraps, including bones and fat, to make nutrient-rich homemade chicken stock and flavorful schmaltz (rendered chicken fat). The presenter argues that this practice not only cuts costs by an average of 56% but also results in higher quality, fresher meat and healthier, more delicious meals.
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Chapters
- Buying whole chickens is significantly cheaper than purchasing individual cuts like boneless, skinless breasts.
- The cost savings can be as high as 72% when utilizing the bones for stock.
- Even if bones are discarded, breaking down a whole chicken still offers a 34% saving on meat alone.
- Pre-cut chicken meat can be of lower quality, containing more connective tissue and tendons.
Understanding the economic benefits and quality differences provides a strong motivation to learn the skill of breaking down a whole chicken.
For the same price as two boneless, skinless breasts, you can buy an entire whole chicken yielding multiple cuts and still have money left over.
- Gather necessary tools: a sharp knife, fork, paper towel, small bowl, and stock pot.
- Prioritize safety by ensuring a firm grip on the knife, wiping off grease before repositioning, and cutting along fat lines.
- Familiarize yourself with basic chicken anatomy (wings, legs, breasts, back) before starting.
Having the right tools and practicing safe techniques makes the butchering process easier, more efficient, and less prone to injury.
Wipe your knife hand clean of grease before grabbing the knife again if you need to reposition the bird with two hands.
- Start by separating the legs from the body by cutting through the hip joint along the fat line.
- Remove the 'oyster' meat from the back near the hip joint, as it's very flavorful.
- Separate the drumstick from the thigh by cutting along the fat line between them.
- Debone the thighs by carefully slicing around the bone, or leave the skin on if preferred.
Mastering the technique for separating legs and thighs allows you to efficiently obtain these popular cuts and learn the pattern for other parts.
To remove the leg, slice along the fat line of the hip joint, pop open the hip, and trim the ligaments connecting the two bones.
- Remove the breasts by cutting along the fat line from the shoulder down towards the sternum, separating the meat from the wishbone.
- Slice between the breast and the wing to detach the wing.
- To prepare wings for cooking, cut through the elbow and wrist joints without cutting bone, separating tips from flats and drums.
Learning to detach breasts and wings efficiently provides more versatile meat cuts and prepares them for specific recipes like buffalo wings.
Cut vertically through the gaps at the wing's elbow and wrist to separate the wing into sections without hitting bone.
- The tenderloin (filet mignon) is located under the breast and can be removed by slicing along the rib cage.
- A trick for removing tenders involves slicing partially up the back, then pulling the tender away using a tendon as a grip.
- Remove the tough tendon from the tender by gripping it with a paper towel and sliding it through fork tines.
- Collect all bones, carcass, and excess fat/skin for making chicken stock and schmaltz.
This step ensures you get the most valuable cuts and maximizes savings by preparing to use every part of the chicken.
After slicing the tender from the ribs, grab the tendon with a paper towel, then pull down and back to detach the tender.
- Homemade chicken stock is healthier, tastes better, and is more cost-effective than store-bought versions.
- To make stock, simmer bones and vegetable scraps in water for 3-4 hours, then strain.
- Skim impurities (foam) from the stock during the first 30 minutes for a clearer product.
- Schmaltz is made by slowly heating chicken skin and fat scraps until crispy, yielding rendered fat and flavorful bits.
Utilizing all parts of the chicken for stock and schmaltz dramatically increases the overall value and health benefits derived from a single purchase.
Render chicken skin and fat scraps slowly in a pan until the skin is crispy and the fat is liquid gold (schmaltz).
- The video provides links to recipes utilizing all the chicken parts and homemade stock.
- Examples include chicken adobo, chicken parm, chicken pot pie, and chicken noodle soup.
- Breaking down a whole chicken and using all its components offers substantial financial savings and culinary versatility.
Seeing the variety of dishes that can be made reinforces the value proposition and encourages learners to apply their new skills.
Use drumsticks for chicken adobo, breasts for chicken parm, and any leftover meat for a hearty chicken noodle soup.
Key takeaways
- Purchasing whole chickens and breaking them down yourself offers significant cost savings compared to buying pre-portioned cuts.
- The process of breaking down a chicken is straightforward and becomes quicker with practice, requiring minimal tools.
- Every part of the chicken, including bones and fat, can be utilized to create nutrient-rich homemade chicken stock and flavorful schmaltz.
- Homemade chicken stock is superior in taste, health benefits, and cost-effectiveness to commercially produced stock.
- Learning to butcher a whole chicken empowers you to control the quality of your meat and reduce food waste.
- The financial savings from buying whole chickens can amount to over 50% of your usual chicken expenditure.
- Practicing on a roasted chicken can be a good starting point for beginners before attempting to butcher a raw bird.
Key terms
Whole chicken breakdownBoneless, skinless breastsChicken thighsChicken drumsChicken wingsChicken stockSchmaltzHip jointOyster meatWishboneTenderloin (filet mignon)Rendered fat
Test your understanding
- What is the primary financial advantage of buying whole chickens over pre-cut pieces?
- Describe the basic steps involved in separating a chicken leg from the body.
- How can you maximize savings and reduce waste when breaking down a whole chicken?
- What are the key benefits of making homemade chicken stock compared to buying it from a store?
- Explain the process of making schmaltz and its culinary uses.