Poultry Meat Cuts

Here is a guide to the available cuts of poultry available from your local butcher.

Halves
The bird is split from front to back through the backbone and keel to produce 2 halves of approximately equal weight.

Breast Quarters
Halves may be further cut into which include the wing. A breast quarter, including portions of the back, is all white meat.

Split Breast
A breast quarter with the wing removed.

Split Breast without Back
A breast quarter with wing and back portion removed.

Boneless Skinless Breast
Split breast that has been skinned and deboned.

8-Piece Cut
The whole bird is cut into 2 breast halves with ribs and back portion, 2 wings, 2 thighs with back portion and 2 drumsticks. The parts may be packaged together and labelled as whole cut-up chicken. These are usually sold without giblets.

Whole Chicken Wing
The Whole Chicken Wing is an all white meat portion composed of three sections; the drumette, mid-section and tip.

Wing Drummettes
The first section between the shoulder and the elbow.

Wing Mid Section with Tip
The flat centre section and the flipper (wing tip).

Wing Mid Section
The section between the elbow and the tip, sometimes called the wing flat or mid-joint.

Whole Chicken Leg
The Whole Chicken Leg is the drumstick-thigh combination. The whole leg differs from the leg quarter in that id does not contain a portion of the back.

Boneless Skinless Leg
Whole chicken leg with skin and bone removed.

Thigh
The thigh is the portion of the leg above the knee joint.

Boneless Skinless Thigh
Thigh with skin and bone removed.

Drumsticks
Drumsticks include the lower portion of the leg quarter (the portion between the knee joint and the hock).

Giblets
Includes heart, liver and neck.

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