How to: Butcher your own chicken
It’s the New Year, you’re looking to eat healthy but that new gym membership has tightened up the budget. You can eat healthier and save some money in the process by butchering your own chicken. Butcher shops and supermarkets have to charge more for chickens that have already been cut up because of the labor involved. As a butcher I see customers purchasing a couple items in the shop they could save a good deal of money on if they did a small amount of work at home. The first is pre-made burger patties. The second is buying pre-cut chicken. I know there are some of you reading this saying, “Come on man the two aren’t comparable.” I’m here to tell you that if you can patty a burger you can break down a chicken. In fact, I’ll wager it takes more time to weigh out the beef and then form a couple of patties than it does to break the whole chicken down. Along with saving money you get the pride and feeling of accomplishment of taking more control of the food you eat. As an added bonus you get the wing tips, bones, and carcass to make that fancy bone broth aka “stock” that you’ve always wanted. Many people are a bit intimidated by the whole process but I can assure you that after you get a few chickens finished you will start to gain confidence and carving up those yardbirds will become second nature.
The only tool you need is a sharp boning or filet knife. I made the video below to walk you through the process. Don’t worry if you mangle a few pieces on your first try. I promise you it still takes like chicken. If you are squeamish about the actual butchering I would encourage you to give it a try despite your reservations. As a society we’ve become conditioned to believe our food comes on styrofoam trays wrapped in plastic. Taking more control over your diet and connecting with your food is liberating.
