Some foodies and food editors seem obsessed by large-animal butchery, and have spread the word. Classes are sold out, even when priced at $10,000 a pop. Butchers are rock stars.

But I wonder: How many people can even carve up a simple chicken? I made a total hash of it the other night when I brought home a beautiful organic chicken. Not the kind with breasts the size of tissue boxes, but a sleeker bird altogether.

Eventually the job was done and the chicken pieces were browning in some lovely Indian spices. But getting there wasn’t pretty.

That’s why I was relieved to see that Moon in the Pond Farm of Sheffield Massachusetts recently provided step-by-step guidelines to cutting up a whole chicken. As they note
“the most important reason to learn how to cut up a whole chicken is that it will save you money. Buying a whole chicken is cheaper than buying pieces, and the leftover parts are perfect for soup stocks.” Any chef would agree.

When you’ve worked hard cutting up a whole chicken you want to use every bit of the bird. Leftovers get eaten. Stocks made. It’s definitely cheaper, but there’s another benefit too: it changes how you think about meat. The chicken is no longer a package of protein in a cellophane-wrapped family 12-pack. You appreciate that the animal was once walking and pecking at grubs and grain in a barnyard. And that it is feeding your family.

Nine Steps to Cut Up a Whole Chicken

1. Place the chicken backbone down (breast up) on a clean, flat cutting surface.
2. Use a standard, sharp kitchen knife to slice off the wing joints. The wings can be set aside and reserved for stock. One breast and leg is removed at a time. Follow Steps 3 through 9 to remove the first breast and leg. You will repeat these steps to on the other side of the bird.
3. Make a shallow incision running along one side of the breastplate.
4. Deepen the incision by slicing into the chicken toward the rib cage. Pull the meat away from the rib cage as you slice down. As you progress further into the bird, slide the knife off of the rib cage repeatedly to ensure that you are removing any meat attached to the rib cage.
5. Your knife will come to a point, just underneath the wishbone, where the wing joint meets the rib cage. The wing joint cartilage is soft enough to slice through easily. Slice completely through the joint, stopping only when your knife reaches the cutting surface. At this point, the breast is almost completely off the bird.
6. Slice through the skin that runs from the tail end of the bird to the point where the leg meets the breast.
7. The breast should come off of the bird with little effort. Pull the breast outwards, away from the bird being careful not to rip or tear the flesh. Some minor slicing through still-attached skin may still be required to remove the breast.
8. Cut through the leg joint until you reach the point where the leg bone meets the body. Keep in mind that this joint can be difficult to cut through and stop cutting when you reach bone. Do not attempt to cut through the leg bone.
9. Grasp the leg and pull it behind the bird, pressing your fingers into the back of the joint until the joint pops loose. You will feel the bone pop out of the socket. Remove the leg by cutting in and around the joint. Keep cutting until you have freed the leg from the body. Now, turn the bird around and remove the other breast and leg using the same method explained in steps 3 through 9.

The remaining carcass, along with the wings, can be used for making soup stock.  The final cuts of meat can be deboned further (if you prefer) and used in your favorite chicken recipes.

Recipe: Spanish Chicken with Red Peppers and Tomotoes