10 Easy Steps to Cutting Up a Whole Chicken

Cooking Matters is a 6-week nutrition education and cooking program that empowers clients and their families with the skills, knowledge and confidence to prepare healthy and affordable meals. This week’s Cooking Matters Cooking Class focused on cooking lean and low-fat products while maximizing your food dollars.

A great way to save money is to buy an entire chicken and break it down. For only $5.54 we purchased a 5.59 lb chicken (we got an extra discount with our grocery store membership card). With just one whole chicken, we made 10 cups of chicken broth and a chicken dinner for 9 with leftovers to store in the freezer for next week. 

You can save some money next time you’re looking to serve up a delicious dinner by following these steps for cutting up a whole chicken.

1. Set the chicken breast side up on a cutting board and grab a sharp knife.
2. Pull the wing away from body and cut top down through the joint.
3. Cut the skin (not the meat) between the leg and body to see where the leg connects.
4. Break the hip by holding a leg in each hand and bend the legs backwards until the joint pops.
5. Lay chicken on its side and cut the leg away from the body.
6. Separate the leg and thigh by bending the leg and cutting through the joint. Repeat on the other side.
7. Make a shallow cut along the breastbone and loosen the meat from the bone using your fingers.
8. Cut the breast away from ribs by making small cuts with your knife tip and pulling the meat away from bone.
9. Repeat steps 7 & 8 for the other breast.
10. Sanitize, Sanitize, Sanitize…your cutting board, knife, and hands!

Brittany Lawrance, RD, CNSC, LDN, Community Dietitian

Brittany is a registered dietitian and has been with Food & Friends since October 2012. Her previous experience was working as a clinical dietitian on the pediatric hematology and oncology unit at Children’s National Medical Center. Brittany completed her dietetic internship in Baltimore, Maryland through Sodexo-Mid Atlantic and is a graduate of Bluffton University in Ohio. She enjoys traveling, playing tennis and softball, making crafts, and has a new found love for leading cooking classes. Learn more about Food & Friends' nutrition services.

From Our Kitchen to Yours: Light Chicken Pot Pie

Nutrition is a critical weapon in fighting life-challenging illnesses. To better arm our clients, we offer Cooking Matters Cooking Classes to clients, and their family members and caregivers. These classes teach them how to select nutritious, low-cost ingredients and prepare healthy meals on a budget.

Cooking Matters Cooking Class participants
chopping vegetables for a Chicken Pot Pie.

Each Cooking Matters Cooking Class Series consists of six interactive classes. Participants learn from a professional chef and our registered dietitians, while practicing their kitchen skills hands-on. Graduates of the course walk away with improved knife skills, knowledge to read nutrition and ingredient labels and the ability to plan meals around their personal budget.

Below is the recipe for Light Chicken Pot Pie, a favorite during the most recent Cooking Matters Class.

Ingredients for 8 Servings: 

3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups frozen green peas, thawed
1 cup (1/2-inch) cubed peeled baking potato
1 cup (1/2-inch) cubed peeled sweet potato
3 cups diced vegetables
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
2/3 cup all-purpose flour (about 3 ounces), divided
1 1/2 cups fat-free milk
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray
1 pre-made pie crust

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400°. 
• Bring broth to a boil in a large Dutch oven. Add peas and next 5 ingredients to pan; cover, reduce heat and simmer for 6 minutes. Add chicken; cook for 5 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove chicken and vegetables from broth with a slotted spoon; place in a large bowl. 
• Increase heat to medium. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Place all but 1 tablespoon flour in a medium bowl; gradually add milk to bowl, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Add milk mixture to broth; cook for 5 minutes or until thickened, stirring frequently. Stir in chicken mixture, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper. Spoon mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. 
• Sprinkle remaining 1 tablespoon flour on a work surface; roll dough into a 13 x 9-inch rectangle. Place dough over chicken mixture, pressing to seal at edges of dish. Cut small slits into dough to allow steam to escape; coat dough lightly with cooking spray. 
• Place dish on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 16 minutes or until pastry is browned and filling is bubbly.

To learn more about these free cooking classes, contact Janell Walker, Nutrition Services Manager, at jwalker@foodandfriends.org.