A Pictorial Guide To Chopping A Chicken

[hzrt8w]

A Pictorial Guide To Chopping A Chicken, Cantonese Style

This is a demonstration of how to chop a cooked chicken, Cantonese style. This technique is practiced by many masters in Cantonese BBQ restaurants.

For the demonstration, I bought a Cantonese soya sauce chicken whole. If you do not eat any Cantonese BBQ item until the follow day (or longer), it is better to store the BBQ item whole in the refrigerator and chop it up just before serving.

The tools: I use a round Chinese chopping block, and a Chinese "bone chopper" cleaver.

What's a "bone chopper"? The knife is heavier than regular cleavers. It gathers momentum from your swinging motion. With a sharp edge, the pressure is extremely high. Major benefit: it cuts chicken bones (leg bones, wings, ribs) into halves without causing broken bones - which is a major nuisance eating chicken Chinese style, as we don't use knifes at the dinner table - nothing but a pair of chopsticks (and a porcelain spoon). The cut surface should be straight and smooth. You also should have a soft (relatively) chopping block to hold the chicken while chopping. The block can absorb most of the momentum from the cleaver and not damage its sharp edge - a little bit like a shock absorber.

Here is a small soya sauce chicken bought whole. The chopping technique is the same for chickens large or small.

I am right-handed. I use my left hand to hold down the chicken and the right hand to chop it.

First you need to cut the chicken into two halves, then work with each half separately. Place the chicken with the breast side facing up. Slide the cleaver on the stomach.

Apply pressure on the right hand. Use the left hand to assist. Push down the cleaver to cut through the rib cage and sever the chicken into two halves. If this is not enough, swing up the cleaver and chop down.

Place half the chicken on the plate while chopping the other half on the block. If you only want to consume half a chicken, store the other half in the refrigerator in one piece.

First, cut off the chicken wing. Slide the cleaver from behind the shoulder and make the cut at the shoulder joint.

Cut off the wing. Set it aside.

Next, cut off the thigh and leg. Slide the cleaver right above the thigh. Set it aside.

Now the breast and back are in one big piece. Typically, first make one cut parallel to the back bone. Then a few cuts across. You should swing the cleaver high and swing hard. Let the momentum of the cleaver, along with the sharp edge to create extremely high pressure to make the cut. This way, the cut edges - including meat and bone - will be straight and not jagged.

Like this. Observe the straight cut. If you chop it fast enough, the chicken skin will not get pushed off.

Slide the cleaver under the chicken pieces to transfer them to the serving plate.

Next, work with the thigh and leg. First make one quick chop across the joint to separate the drum stick. Typically we leave the drum stick whole and do not make further cuts.

Lay the thigh flat on the block. Make 2 to 3 quick cuts (depending on the size of the chicken).

Transfer the thigh pieces and drum stick to the serving plate.

Lastly, work with the chicken wing. Make one cut at the joint between the mid-wing and the arm. Leave the wing-tip attached to the mid-wing. Make 1 or 2 cuts on the arm and shoulder. Transfer the pieces to the serving plate.

Repeat the above steps on the second half of the chicken.

When you lay the chopped pieces on the serving plate, try to re-assemble the pieces to form the shape of a chicken. Place the chicken breast and back pieces at the center. Place the thigh/leg pieces along the rim. Place the wing pieces on the opposite side, with the wing laid on top.

[torakris]

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I have never been able to do this right...

[jo-mel]

You are a pro with that cleaver, Xial Leung! A good knife and good wrist action -- and bones are a piece of cake!

Do you plan to have a dip with your chicken?

I use a plain wooden cutting board, but after seeing that chopping block --- I WANT ONE! I've never seen one with a metal handle. Is that for hanging it up?

[hzrt8w]

Do you plan to have a dip with your chicken?

I use a plain wooden cutting board, but after seeing that chopping block --- I WANT ONE!  I've never seen one with a metal handle. Is that for hanging it up?

←

They gave me some soya sauce on the side for this chicken.

The metal handle is not for hanging the block, just for making the block easier to grab and lift. I store my chopping block on the side inside the cabinet underneath the sink. And I reserve this block for chopping action only.

For the day to day cutting, I still like to use the French chef knife and the rectangular chopping board.