ALL CUT-UP: Your Chicken Cut & Cook Guide

Includes delicious, quick and simple recipes, so you don’t waste a single bite!

Now you’ve got your chicken all cut-up.

What are all these pieces?

How should I cook them?

Don’t waste any of these cuts which are packed with flavor and essential nutrients.

We’ll lay it all out for you.

• Where the pieces are located on the chicken.
• What type or recipes they are commonly used in,
• as well as how to cook them, so you can savor every bite.

Boneless Chicken Breast

Chicken breasts are probably the most known and used part of a chicken. The breast is a lean cut of white meat that comes from the bird’s chest and is packed with protein. Chicken breast works in a variety of recipes with its mild taste and quick cooking time.

• Common uses: Salads, dishes with a sauce, sandwiches, stir-fries 
• How to cook: Oven bake, grill, poach, sauté or barbecued
• Recipes:
  • Quick Chicken Piccata
  • Crunchy French Onion Chicken
  •  Pan-Fried Lemon Garlic Chicken

Chicken Thigh

If you want a juicy, tender cut of meat, cook with chicken thighs. The thigh is a dark meat that comes from the upper part of the chicken’s leg.They are fattier than breasts, making them juicy and flavorful when cooked correctly.

Chicken thighs work wonderfully in slow cooker recipes, but you can also marinate them overnight then grill, saute with veggies, or bake them in the oven. 

• Common uses: Casseroles, sheet pan dinners, barbecues
• How to cook: Smoking, frying, barbequing
• Recipes:
  • Creamy Mushroom Chicken Skillet with Bacon
  •  Grilled Chicken Fajitas
  •  Sheet-Pan Honey Chili Chicken with Veggies

Chicken Drumsticks

Drumsticks are a dark cut of meat that comes on the bone and is from the lower part of the chicken’s leg. Chicken drumsticks are easy to cook. They are a favorite for barbequing on the grill. Unleash your creativity, try different herbs, spices and marinades.

• Common uses: Barbecues, sheet pan dinners
• How to cook: Grill, oven bake
• Recipes:
  • Oven-Baked Chicken Drumsticks in Honey Soy
  • Air Fryer Chicken Legs
  • Grilled Chicken Drumsticks

Chicken Wings

The wings are a white cut of meat and is best cooked in the oven or on the grill drenched in your favorite marinade. There are three sections to the wing: the wing tip (the outermost section that is typically thrown away), the drumette (this looks like a small drumstick), and the wingette. 

Chicken wings are most commonly baked or fried and eaten as a finger food and are popular served as an appetizer or an entree.

Chicken wings can be messy to eat, but they’re delicious: crispy on the outside and soft and tender on the inside. Brine and/or marinate your chicken wings overnight to infuse them with flavor before you cook.

• Common uses: Barbecues, sharing platters, 
• How to cook: Grill, oven bake, deep fry, air fry
• Recipes:
  • Crispy Baked Chicken Wings
  • Amazing and Easy Chicken Wings
  • Fried Chicken Wings

Chicken Tenderloin

The tenderloin is a tender, long, thin muscle of meat hidden between the breast and the ribs. Chicken tenders are a kid favorite.

The tenderloin and breast meat can be swapped for each other in most recipes. Chicken tenderloins are a great option if you own an air fryer because they’re small and quick to cook.

• Common uses: Salads, dishes with a sauce, sandwiches, stir-fries 
• How to cook: Oven bake, grill, poach, sauté, air fryer
• Recipes:
  • Healthy Baked Chicken Tenders
  • Cracker Barrel Chicken Tenders
  • Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Tenders

Just about every bit of the chicken has a use.

Did you know even the rib cage can be made into something delicious and full of nutrients?

Next time, we’ll show you how to boil your rib cage to make chicken stock and  soup.

So, save that rib cage!  Don’t throw it out!

Stick it in a Ziplock bag and toss it in the freezer.  We’ll get to that next!

What’s New on the Farm?

Baby Turkeys!!  Or poults as they are called.

Last year, we purchased a heritage breed of turkey called Holland Whites.  Our hopes were they would produce their own offspring, thus our farm being a step closer to having a sustainable source for turkeys.  

Well….after many eggs and months of waiting on setting turkeys, they have yet to produce any offspring.

Thankfully, there are still some great semi-local sources for turkeys and they were not sold out.

Today, they arrived!

We’ve brought home raised turkeys to Thanksgiving for the last 3 years.  My father-in-law can’t eat commercially raised turkey.  Whatever they feed them or however they process them, it makes him sick.  BUT our home raised turkeys don’t affect him other than a stretched tummy from eating too much.

Have you ever had a home grown turkey?

Give them a try, you’ll never go back. 

CLICK HERE and you can place your deposit on one now for your family for this November.