How to butcher a chicken. How to cut chicken into portions How to cut chicken legs

The good thing is that now it takes less time to cut, the pieces have become neater, the breast is obtained as a separate whole piece, much less physical effort when cutting.

So I decided to write an article with detailed instructions for beginners, so that they start right away and do not have to relearn later 😉, and not only for beginners. Probably a lot of housewives butcher the chicken as they are used to, do not think about how to make this process more convenient and faster.

What is required

• whole chicken
• sharp knife
• cutting board
• PATIENCE)))

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Photos are clickable, click on them to enlarge

How to properly cut a chicken step by step photo

1. By butchering the chicken in this way, we get 8 pieces. The first step, of course, is to wash it thoroughly, dry it slightly with a towel.

2. First, we'll get chicken legs... Put the carcass on the board, back down, take it by the leg and pull it in the opposite direction from the carcass, cut the skin.

3 We hold on to the leg and thigh with one hand - the other - for the carcass. We begin to separate, for this we tear off the thigh from the carcass, slightly turning it up. The joints should separate - the femur should come out of the joint.

4. The joints are no longer connected, so now you can easily cut off the leg with the thigh, cut, twisting the thigh and turning the carcass on the back, breast up. We finish separating the leg, cut to the tail.

5. Cut off the second leg in the same way. Now we will separate the wings. We determine by touch where the shoulder joint is located, which connects the wing to the carcass, cut along the joint.

6. It remains to separate the breast from the back. Take a close look at the photo, it shows the direction in which you should cut.

The direction can be determined by the fat line white, they are connected by ribs and cartilage, it is easy to cut them. We cut strictly in the indicated direction in order to divide correctly.

7. We cut off the breast only on one side, we cut on the other.

8. This was the most difficult moment for me. But he is already over, we are glad if everything worked out well for us and we are not upset, if not very much. ;-). Everyone knows that in any business you need to fill your hand, the next time it will turn out for sure!

In the middle of the breast, along its entire length, there is a cartilage on the bone, you need to remove it. Slightly cut the upper part of the breast, where there are two bones, cut just between these bones until we come across a bone from the cartilage, which has a dark color.

9. To pull out the bone with the cartilage, you need to pry this bone with your thumbs, for this we begin to break the breast into two parts, making slight efforts, push the bone up and push the fingers under it.

11. We got the cartilage from chicken meat almost completely, it is kept only on the bone and a little in the middle. We take hold of the cartilaginous bone and carefully, but with an effort, pull it, after it the cartilage will be removed.

12. We removed the cartilaginous bone and the cartilage itself.

We all often cook dishes from chicken. Moreover, the meat of this bird is suitable for the first and second courses, and for salads, and for baking, and for kebabs. Just let your imagination run wild, using different pieces. But few people risk buying whole carcasses. And in vain. Having learned how to cut them correctly, everyone can easily get the ingredients for cooking various different dishes... We will tell you how to cut a carcass below.

How to choose a chicken carcass

It is best to choose chilled carcasses. In this case, you will pay only for the meat itself: negligent suppliers pump the bird with water before freezing to increase its weight. In addition, the quality of chilled meat is easier to establish.

Did you know? Chicken is the main type of meat consumed in Israel (67.9 kg per person), Antigua (58 kg per person) and Saint Lucia (56.9 kg per person).

Express diagnostics of the chilled product:

1. Consider the carcass. If wounds or bruises are visible on it, there are injuries or dark yellow spots on the skin, it is better not to buy such a chicken.
2. Focus on the shade. The age of a bird is determined by its skin color. In young chickens, it is pale pink, with clear veins. Adult chickens have thick, yellowish skin.
3. Feel the chicken. After pressing with your finger on the breast, the pulp will quickly return to its original shape. If, as a result of touching, a hole remains, this is an indicator of a poor-quality product.
4. Sniff. Fresh chicken smells ordinary raw meat... Those carcasses that emit the aroma of medicines or other side odors should not be chosen.

Video: how to choose a chicken carcass

How to cut up a chicken

To quickly and easily cut the carcass into parts, you should adhere to this plan:

1. The wings are cut off first. The carcass is placed with the brisket upwards and the wing attachment is probed. This is where an incision is made with a knife and the cartilage that connects the bones is located. Knowing this secret, it will be much easier to butcher the chicken. The other winglet is detached in the same way. If this part of the chicken is going to be fried, then the tips of the wing are cut off and used for broths. And the wings themselves are divided along the membranes.
   
2. When the wings are separated, you can proceed to the legs. To do this, it is easy, without pressing, the skin is cut in the area where the leg is connected to the brisket.
   
3. Putting the knife aside, turn the leg inside out with your hands and break it. This is done only until the tip of the thigh bone appears. As soon as the bone is separated from the breast, cut the meat to the end with a knife.
   
4. The same manipulation is done with the second leg. We now have individual pieces for preparing delicious meals.

   Did you know? For the first time, a chicken was domesticated about three thousand years ago in the territory of modern Ethiopia.

5. If desired, the leg can be divided into lower leg and thigh. To do this correctly, the leg is placed in such a way that its front side (it has more skin) is turned downwards. On the inner side of the leg, a shallow depression is noticeable, which divides the two muscles of the leg - the calf and the femur. It is along this line that the incision is made - the bones are connected there.
   
6. Next, the breast is cut. An incision is made along the sternum, pressing the knife to the frame. Using your fingers, carefully cut the meat from the bones. First on one side, and then on the other.
   
7. The frame can be broken into pieces for easy storage.

Important! When you get your hand filled, the process of cutting the carcass will take 5-10 minutes.

As a result, we get the components for various dishes:

• fillets, thighs, drumsticks, wings - for cooking, frying, baking, stewing;
• ribs, back, wing tips - for soups;
• fat - can be left for frying.

How to cut chicken fillet

Fillet is the best part of chicken. At first glance, the separation process seems complicated. Many people think that getting a beautiful piece is quite difficult. However, the instructions for fillet separation will help in this difficult task. And if you fill your hand, then the process itself will take a little time.

So, take the breast and perform the following actions:

If fillet is needed for stuffing, cut off excess pieces of meat, leaving only smooth pulp.

How to separate chicken from bones

Chicken roll is rightfully considered a real decoration festive table... By adding branded ingredients to this dish, you can amaze guests and loved ones with culinary talents. However, many inexperienced housewives are afraid of the separation of the chicken from the bones. Indeed, in order to leave the carcass intact, you need to have skills, make a lot of effort and show dexterity.

An important condition for obtaining the desired result is a sharp knife. When cutting, you will have to make numerous cuts, therefore, with an insufficiently sharpened instrument, a lot of strength and nerves will be spent.

So, the process of separating bones is as follows:

The frame can be left for broths, and the cut chicken can be stuffed or put on rolls.

Video: cutting chicken into roll

Every poultry farmer has to deal with the question: how to cut a chicken carcass. For many, only the speed of the unpleasant process is important. Few people think about the correctness of actions. Meanwhile, competent processing has many advantages.

Before hitting store shelves and tables, a chicken carcass goes through several stages of preparation. Sequentially produced:

Why is it so important to learn how to cut a chicken properly?

The quality of the carcass processing directly affects the taste of the meat. If you touch the intestines or spleen during gutting, the organ fluid will drain and be absorbed into the pulp. Such chicken will have an unpleasant odor, bitter taste.

In addition, professional cutting skills allow you to use parts of the carcass as economically as possible. Knowing the nuances, it is easy to make preparations for a soup set, meat for frying, baking, salads, separate fillets for minced meat and pieces for feeding animals. For farmers, this is also an indisputable plus, since semi-finished products are sold better than whole chickens.

Correct cutting is also rational from the point of view of the distribution of space in the refrigerator-freezer. The carcass takes up a lot of space, while straight pieces can be easily laid out according to the "tetris" principle.

Finally, an organized, orderly process takes less time and nerves. Perfected movements are made quickly, a minimum of waste eliminates long cleaning.

Preparation for cutting

Before starting work, you need to prepare tools and space. Evisceration is a rather messy process, so it is preferable to cover the table surface surrounding equipment and furniture with oilcloth. It is advisable to protect your clothes with an apron, and wear cellophane or rubber gloves on your hands.

The operation will require:

• board. Better to use a flexible or hard plastic option. Wood absorbs all odors and juices, and glass may not withstand pressure. If the wooden option is chosen, it is worth wrapping the device in cellophane or determining the board taken exclusively for cutting meat;

  

• dish or pot. The removed offal or ready-made pieces will be added to the container. To facilitate washing, they can be immediately lined with cellophane;
• knives. There are special knives for gutting and cutting with a curved end. If this is not available, you can get by with wide and narrow knives made of thick steel and with a strong handle;

  

• chopping fork. Allows you to remove the heart, lungs, liver, intestines, goiter, stomach from the carcass without damage. The action takes place with a minimum of effort, unnecessary movements and dirt;

  

• kitchen scissors. Good for cutting the tendons of the wings, legs. Replaced with a knife.

Such a set is considered ideal, but you can get by with a pair of knives of different sizes. Tools must be well sharpened and washed before starting work.

When the instruments are collected, the final stage of carcass preparation is carried out:

Evisceration

The preliminary operations have been completed. You can proceed to direct gutting. It is desirable to carry out the process as soon as possible after plucking. So it will be possible to avoid rotting and fermentation of the remains of vital activity in the gastrointestinal tract. Step by step given processing chicken looks like this:

This is where the evisceration ends. Food giblets are being processed. Fat and arteries are cut off from the heart and lungs. The liver is freed from the spleen. The stomach is incised, turned inside out, and the contents, the inner layer of rough skin, are removed. The resulting products are washed with running water.

A lighter version of evisceration can be done with a chopping fork. After removing the anus, goiter and intestine, it is inserted into the carcass. In this case, it is important not to damage the organs. All connections will be cut off with the sharp edges of the device, the insides will remain in it, they will be easy to remove. With good dexterity, all films and "fasteners" can be cut with a thin sharp knife. Then turn the chicken over the dish and shake slightly. The offal will fall out on its own.

There is a trick for situations where the poultry is not originally intended to be cooked or sold whole. In this case, the process is accelerated by cutting off the legs and opening the abdomen immediately after the amputation of the anus. The body will open completely and it will be easier to remove the insides.

Video - Gutting a chicken or rooster in 8 minutes at home

Butchering chicken at home

The term "cutting" refers to the final processing of the carcass by cutting into pieces. This operation can be performed different ways depending on the purpose.

What is the best way to disassemble the bird?

The method of parsing the carcass depends on the meat plans. Whole chicken can be sent to the grill, oven or boiled. For other cooking methods, cut options are used. Different parts are suitable for different dishes, so choosing the type of parsing is a crucial step:

How to cut up chicken without waste

First of all, the carcass is washed under water and dried so that it does not slip in the hands. Then they are placed on the cutting surface with the breast up. Further actions take place step by step:

Step 1. Make incisions at the junction of the thighs and torso. Holding on to the leg, the leg is pulled back to separate the joint, slightly turned inside out and the final cut is made from the body. This stage can be completed by separating the thigh and lower leg. The joint is groped with fingers and cut with a knife.

Step 2. Cut off the wings. Pull them back and turn them out in the same way as for legs. When the shoulder cartilage comes out, chop off the carcass. The final sharp element can be cut off along the cartilage or left.

Step 3. Slit the breast lengthwise. Remove the fillet from the bone, picking it up with a blade. You will get two pieces of pulp and a back connected to the ribs.

Step 4. Cut the spine in the middle. Cut off the ribs from the back. The step is optional, it is made if necessary to get smaller parts.

Step 5. Remove excess fat from the resulting chicken elements. Also done at personal discretion.

The result is:

• fillets of breast, thighs, drumsticks and wings - for frying, boiling, stewing, baking;
• back, ribs, ends of the wings - for cooking broth;
• fat for frying.

Video - How to cut a chicken without waste

How to cut a chicken into 8 pieces

This cut includes 8 pieces. It is considered classic. It can be modified by cutting the breast up to 10 pieces. The ideal tools are a sharp knife and culinary scissors.

Step 1. Find the hip joint on the carcass lying on the back, carefully cut through the flesh. Then stick the knife into the joint of the cartilage and cut it. Or pull the thigh with your hands until the bone pops out of the joint.

Step 2. Turn the chicken over on its stomach. Make an incision along the flesh of the thigh along the back. He should go around the entire perimeter of the thigh.

Step 3. Divide the lower leg and thigh along the knee joint. A strip of fat on the border serves as a clue to the correct incision site.

Step 4. Cut off the wings. Feel under the breast for the joint between the carcass and the wing. Aim the knife directly at the joint. The separation will take place effortlessly.

Step 5. Remove the breast. It is better to use scissors for this operation. So the cut will come out as neat as possible. Lay the carcass on its side. Cut through the border of the back and breast along the strip of fat from start to finish. Repeat on the second side.

Step 6. Remove the sternum bone. Turn the breast skin side down. Make longitudinal incisions on both sides of the cartilage. The meat will move away from him. Through the incisions obtained, grab the bone just above the junction with the cartilage with your fingers. Pull with an effort. The hard elements will leave the soft fillet.

Step 7. Cut the resulting breast in two vertically. It is most convenient to do this from the side of the skin.

The result is 8 chunks:

• 2 breasts;
• 2 hips;
• 2 legs;
• 2 wings.

Back in this option considered a waste, but it is quite possible to use it for cooking broth.

How to cut chicken into equal portions

For such a cut, you will need to fill your hand. It may not work the first time. Only persistent training will allow, in the end, to achieve even, beautiful pieces.

Step 1. Place the carcass on the back. Cut off the legs at the cartilage joints. The process will become easier if the leg is pressed against the working surface, an incision is made in the pulp and the thigh is slightly twisted. The cartilage will open and find the joint easier.

Step 2. Cut the lower leg from the thigh at the fold.

Step 3. Divide the remaining carcass into 2 halves. You will need a couple of vertical incisions along the spine and sternum (on either side of them).

Step 4. Cut the pieces obtained at the third stage horizontally in the center into 2 pieces each.

As a result, you get 8 pieces, almost the same in size:

• 2 legs;
• 2 hips;
• 2 lower breast halves;
• 2 upper breast halves with wings.

This treatment looks especially impressive when grilling or frying in a pan. The remaining bones with pieces of meat in the waste will fit into the broth.

Separating meat from bones comes in handy when cooking minced meat, meat rolls, semi-finished products from pulp (breast and thigh fillets). It is important not only to be able to cut meat, but to keep the pieces presentable. Aerobatics is the removal of bones from the entire carcass without damaging the skin. Farmers supplying chicken preforms to restaurants may be faced with such an unusual order. Such skill is appreciated and is an indisputable plus of the seller.

For such processing, the knife should be as sharp as possible. It is advisable to sharpen it specifically for this purpose. The tip needs a thin one. Scissors are also useful.

Open method

Description	Photo
Cut the skin vertically along the entire back. You can start in the same way with the breast, but this increases the risk of tearing the carcass. The bones in the dorsum are very close to the skin and can easily damage the skin when pressed.
With gentle movements of the knife, begin to peel off the meat from the skeleton. The direction of movement is from the tail from bottom to top. Break the ischial bone, hip and wing joints. Expose ribs. Help yourself to move the pulp with your hands.
Release the femur to the end. To do this, cut the veins in a circle, move the meat with your fingers.
Keeping the connection of the thigh and body, peel off the pulp with a "stocking" to the extreme cartilage. After reaching the bottom point, sever the upper joint.
Turn out the resulting stocking. Repeat all steps on the second side.
Cut off the ribs with scissors. Remove the fork and keel bones, trimming away any remaining joints.
The wings remain on the carcass directly with the bones or are cut from the skin in an even strip. The process is complete.

Private method

Description	Photo
Through the lower hole in the carcass (gutting is carried out through it), incise the tail, expose the ischial skeleton.
Make an incision with abrupt movements up to the upper femoral cartilage. For convenience, turn the skin with pulp a little in the process. Sever the joint with a blade at the junction.
Trim the veins around the entire circumference of the leg bone. Break the joint of the maple in contact with the lower leg. Repeat the above on the other side of the mascara.
Trim the meat on the ribs to the neck, continuing to tuck the skin with the already dressed flesh.
If there is a neck, pull it out with a sharp movement of the hand. Cut off breast fillet from the skeleton, break off the joints of the wings. Remove the fork bone.
Clean the shin pulp around the circumference, undercutting the ligaments. Chop off the bone in front of the cartilage.
Take out the skeleton. Turn out the skin with meat.

The closed version is ideal for stuffing carcasses. The following scheme can be used to peel meat from chopped pieces. The only difference is that you don't have to worry about the integrity of the skin.

Video - Extracting Bones from Chicken

Video - How to remove bone from a chicken leg

Secrets of Successful Chefs

All chefs have their own tricks for cutting poultry. According to world-famous masters, it is useful to pay attention to the following details:

Many of us are used to not paying due attention to butchering chicken. Therefore, as a result, it turns out that the process is lengthy, moreover, inconvenient. However, if you follow a number of rules, you can spend much less of your time, and the pieces of the carcass will turn out to be more accurate. At the same time, much less effort is spent on cutting, and the breast remains a whole piece, which is very valuable.

There are two methods of cutting... Both methods are good, but just for your dish. In other words, the size of the chicken pieces depends on the cutting. The first method is small pieces, its feature is economical cutting, popularly this method is also called “wasteless.” Another method involves cutting into equal pieces.

How to save up to 15% on buying chicken in the supermarket

We all go for groceries, and most often the nearest store. And every day on supermarket shelves we see chicken in different versions. So let's take a closer look at what we are offered. On the shelf with chicken meat we can find:

• Hips
• Wings
• Brisket
• Soup sets
• Whole chickens.

And surely everyone noticed that whole chicken is much cheaper (by 15-20%). How so? And the fact is that supermarkets earn extra money on our lack of desire and skills for cutting chicken. Although our mothers and grandmothers did it as quickly as we brew tea. But all is not lost... Today we will learn how to properly butcher a chicken. So, we remember that for cutting we need:

• Hen;
• Board;
• Bowls for finished products.

Step 1 - wash the chicken

There are many recommendations on the net that you do not need to wash chickens. The main argument- with splashes everything that is on the chicken will spread throughout the kitchen. Believe it or not, it's up to you. If you bake chicken in the oven, then for sure everything bad will be fried on it. But what if you cook or stew it? In general, the decision is yours.

Step 2 - legs

Put the chicken on your back... Move the foot to the side and cut the skin with a knife. You will immediately see where the leg is attached to the carcass. Feel free to cut between the leg and the chicken - there is a joint. It separates perfectly with a sharp knife. We also easily cut off the second leg. Bottom line: here they are chicken legs... You can cut the legs in half - you get the usual shins and thighs.

Step 3 - wings

The wings are quick to cook due to the fact that there is little meat on them, and it is thin. But there is a trick here. It depends on you how much tender meat remains on the wings. Undercut the skin as you did with the legs. There is a joint there too. Now carefully cut the meat, but do not cut it all the way. Try to twist it with your hand. As a result, you will get a wing., with a nice piece of shoulder meat.

Step 4 - chest and back

Now we have the chest, back and sometimes the neck. Lay the chicken on its side and cut diagonally to separate the breast from the ribs. You will have a whole brisket (you can cut it into two portions if you like), and a soup set with a ridge, back and neck.

I want to draw your attention to the skin. Many do not like it and therefore just throw it away. Do not hurry. You don't have to eat it to get the benefit. Add it to any dish chicken and rich broth are guaranteed to you.

This completes the cutting of the chicken. As a result, we get from eight to ten pieces of chicken. Plus, as a nice bonus, we get it with a soup set. Namely, the back of the chicken and bones. For their safety, we put them in the freezer.

How to cut chicken into portions?

Let's also consider separately the concept of " portioned pieces ". Step-by-step instruction portioning the carcass will help you learn how to perform this procedure correctly. This experience will be needed primarily for those who avoided chilled chicken, and always chose sets of carcass parts.

For proper cutting, a sharp knife and kitchen scissors are useful, the sharpness of which should also be taken care of in advance. What is most interesting, but, at first glance, difficult - cutting will seem to you long, however, when you know and take into account all the features, then this procedure will not take you more than 5 minutes. At home the chicken is best cut into eight equal parts. In addition, the back will remain.

Are you thinking about the same thing as we are? You can spend the money once, rather than go for a set of semi-finished products every time. As a result, with one or even three chickens, you will get six drumsticks, six thighs, and the same number of wings. In addition, if you compare with the portions in the store, you will gain a whole packaging chicken fillet , three backrests for rich broth... We freeze and store all semi-finished products until they are cooked in the refrigerator. Experts assure that it is much more economical, practical and safer.

Yes, we often have to cook chicken dishes. And not only the first and second courses. After all, there are a lot of recipes for salads and pastries with fillets. And kebabs from wings or chicken legs? Just have time to come up with recipes and cut pieces of different sizes and designs.

What, do you get them different and uneven? No problem. Once you learn how to properly cut a chicken carcass, the problem will go away. There are no special secrets. But there are rules - both generally accepted (that is, the classic cutting into eight fragments), and those that in practice, in the process of cooking different dishes, are already in stock for everyone who loves to cook.

Why is it so important to learn how to cut a chicken properly?

Having learned how to properly cut a chicken carcass, we save a lot of time and nerves (after all, we do not make our family wait long). Well, we get a lot of amenities.

1. Chicken blanks are made very quickly with knowledge.
2. You can immediately cook food from them, or you can stock up for later. Let's say take several carcasses at once. Then cut them up accordingly (you can schedule them for a week at meals) and send them to the freezer.
3. In the freezer, if you sign each set and expand it conveniently, it will be easy to find the desired type of product. For example, fold soup sets on the left, blanks in the middle, and for baked goods, salads, etc. on the right.

So, we have at our disposal:

• Chicken carcass (gutted)
• Sharp knives and scissors
• Cutting board
• Approximate action plan

The carcass and everything else is there. No plan? Let's make up. From one chicken (it would be better from several!) You can make a different number of pieces.

And each will be involved in a different way:

• - from it and besf stroganov you can cook, and cutlets, dumplings, zrazy, meatballs - if you grind the meat, and chic chops, and, and puree soup, and much more.
• - and the soup will come out excellent, and fried, and steamed, and boiled, and delicious crispy kebabs.
• Chicken legs (whole and divided into thigh and drumstick) - can also go for soup, for various main courses.
• Soup set - these are necks (and they can also be used as a separate meat dish), part of the wings, the skeleton itself with ribs and trimmings.

Detailed instructions for cutting a chicken carcass with a photo

This instruction, especially given my experience, I think, will be useful to many. Especially for novice hostesses. Indeed, after two or three such procedures, they will get the hang of, and then the process will be convenient and more efficient. So, let's make an incision between the leg and the body.

Step 1. Make an incision between the leg and the body

Then you can do this - turning the lower part upwards, separate it, and cut it off at the break. Or so - holding the leg, pull it back slightly. Make a neat cut in this place, reaching the joints.

Step 2. Pull back the leg

After a neat circular cut to the very tail, we will get such two legs.

Step 3. Two legs

If the task is not to use a whole leg, an incision must be made along the line of its joint. We carefully cut and get two parts of the leg - the thigh and the lower leg.

Step 4. Thigh

Then you can take away the wings. There are also several ways. Separate the wing by grabbing some meat from the fillet. Or, having found the shoulder joint connecting the wings to the carcass, cut off in this place under the root. Or so - turn the wing out at the joint, and cut along the joint line, removing the tip of the winglet.

Step 5. Wings

Fillet is an excellent part of the carcass. How to separate it? The process is complicated, especially if you need to get a beautiful piece. But you can fill your hand! And here, too, there are several tricks. The first is to cut the flesh along the cartilage, press gently on the meat with your fingers and carefully separate it from the bone and ribs.

Step 6. Incision along the breast

Or, after removing the skin, make an incision in front (as in the photo) along the cartilaginous part of the breast. Then move the knife along the ribs and the entire skeleton. And cut in half. You can generally give it the desired shape, if required by the recipe (with a steak, for example).

Step 7. Fillet

You can do it differently. With the breast facing up, cut off the side (along the ribs) on both sides with scissors. Having cut off from the back, we will continue to separate the fillet itself with a knife - going from the cartilaginous part, along the ribs. In addition, we will get a wonderful soup set of bone with cartilage, parts of the wings and rump.

Step 8. Soup set

That's all. We got 2 fillets (they can also be cut in half, or additionally divided into slices, stripes, etc.), 2 thighs, drumsticks and wings each), as well as a soup set. And I suggest a few more ways ...

2 easy and quick ways to cut up a chicken carcass

Method number 1 ... Suitable for immediately cooking something, say, just a chicken leg. We put the carcass, washed and thoroughly dried with a towel, belly up (it is easier to cut here, since the cartilage). First, break it in half, making a cut in the middle across (if along, you get two blanks for a tobacco chicken). Cut the upper part with a knife along the breast, reaching the back. Here are 2 more parts. After removing excess fat, we also divide the lower one in half - from top to bottom. You will get 2 legs. Everything, you can cook.