How to Joint a Whole Chicken

Place the chicken on a board. Hold one wing out away from the body and bend it back. Cut off the end of the wings. Repeat with the other side.

Cut between the joint of the wing and the breast, trying to include some of the breast meat with the wing, to make a meatier portion.

Smooth the skin over the breast. Feel for the wishbone and pull out. Cut along the breast bone and remove the breast in one piece.

Bend each side back firmly to crack the breastbone -it should detach itself and easily pop out. Carefully remove the bone with the knife and cut the breast in half lengthways.

Pull the legs slightly away from the body. Cut through the skin and twist the leg slightly to remove the leg bone from the socket joint. Cut the leg away from the body through the skin between the breast and leg. Run your finger along the thigh bone until you can feel the joint between the thigh and the drumstick. Feel and bend the joint joining the thigh to the drumstick to locate the gap in the bone. Press down hard and cut through the leg joint to separate the thigh from the drumstick. Cut through to split the leg into two. Repeat with the other leg and thigh.