Cut-up Chicken or Bone-in Parts

A few years ago a milestone was reached in the sale of chicken: chicken parts outsold whole chickens. Though cutting up a whole chicken is about the easiest of all butchering chores to master—and is also economical and provides you with parts for making stock—most people no longer bother with it because chicken parts are readily available.

In most dishes calling for bone-in chicken parts, you have a choice between breasts and legs, just breasts, and just legs. You can use the whole leg (with thighs) or the drumstick or thigh alone. At home I choose to cook thighs alone more often than not—they are simply the tastiest part of the bird (and, as a bonus, they’re the least expensive). But you can use any combination you like in most of these recipes.