Meat Cuts & Butchery Academy
Chicken cuts
White meat (breast, wings) is lean and dries out if overcooked; dark meat (thighs, drumsticks) has more fat and connective tissue and stays juicy. Buying whole and jointing it yourself is cheaper, and the carcass makes stock.
Primal cuts diagram
Select a region — or Tab to it and press Enter — to see the cuts from it.
Stylised outline, not to anatomical scale.
Primal cut
Breast
Lean white meat; includes the small inner fillet.
- UK
- Breast
- US
- Breast (white meat)
- India
- Breast / boneless
- Breast fillet
Tender — cook fast · Grill, sear or pan-fry (fast), Stir-fry (thin strips), Fry crisp (crumbed or battered), Soup, broth or poach
Cook quickly and stop at 74 °C; brine or marinate to keep juicy; beat thin to cook evenly.
Try: Shish tawook, Chicken Kyiv, Chicken and Vegetable Stir-Fry
- Inner fillet
Tender — cook fast · Grill, sear or pan-fry (fast), Fry crisp (crumbed or battered)
Quick frying or grilling; pull out the white tendon first.
All cuts
Breast
Lean white meat; includes the small inner fillet.
Breast fillet
Tender · Grill, sear or pan-fry (fast), Stir-fry (thin strips), Fry crisp (crumbed or battered), Soup, broth or poach
Cook quickly and stop at 74 °C; brine or marinate to keep juicy; beat thin to cook evenly.
- UK
- Chicken breast fillet
- US
- Boneless skinless breast
- India
- Boneless breast
Inner fillet
Tender · Grill, sear or pan-fry (fast), Fry crisp (crumbed or battered)
Quick frying or grilling; pull out the white tendon first.
- UK
- Mini fillet
- US
- Tenderloin, tender
Back / carcass
Bones and trim: the base of stock and broth.
Carcass and back
Tough — low and slow · Soup, broth or poach
Simmer for stock 2–4 hours.
- UK
- Chicken carcass
- US
- Chicken backs, frames
Thigh
The cook's favourite: juicy, flavourful, forgiving.
Thigh (bone-in or boneless)
Medium · Grill, sear or pan-fry (fast), Braise, stew or curry, Fry crisp (crumbed or battered), Roast, Stir-fry (thin strips)
Grill, fry, braise or curry; stays moist even a little past 74 °C.
- UK
- Chicken thighs
- US
- Chicken thighs
- India
- Boneless thigh / curry cut
Curry cut (bone-in pieces)
Medium · Braise, stew or curry
Whole bird cut into 10–16 bone-in pieces; bones flavour the gravy.
- UK
- Chicken pieces on the bone
- US
- Cut-up chicken pieces
- India
- Curry cut
Wing
Skin-rich and gelatinous: crisp when fried or grilled.
Wings
Medium · Fry crisp (crumbed or battered), Grill, sear or pan-fry (fast), Roast
Fry, grill or roast until the skin is crisp; tips go into stock.
- UK
- Wings
- US
- Wings, drumettes, flats
- India
- Wings, chicken lollipop (frenched drumette)
Drumstick
Lower leg: dark, juicy meat on one bone.
Drumsticks and whole legs
Medium · Roast, Grill, sear or pan-fry (fast), Fry crisp (crumbed or battered), Braise, stew or curry
Tandoor, oven or grill; slash to the bone so marinade and heat get in.
- UK
- Drumsticks, whole legs
- US
- Drumsticks, leg quarters
- India
- Leg piece
Names around the world
- 'Curry cut' in India and South Asia means a whole bird cut into small bone-in pieces.
- In Australia, a whole leg (thigh + drumstick) is called a Maryland.
- A 'spatchcocked' or 'butterflied' chicken has the backbone removed so it lies flat and cooks evenly.
Safe internal temperatures
- All chicken and poultry — whole, pieces, mince, stuffing
- US: 165 °F (74 °C)
- UK: Cook all the way through: no pink meat, juices run clear, steaming hot. UK advice for meat that must be cooked through: the centre should reach 70 °C for 2 minutes (or 65 °C for 10 minutes, 75 °C for 30 seconds, 80 °C for 6 seconds).
Sources
- Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart — USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service
- Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart for Cooking — FoodSafety.gov (US Department of Health and Human Services)
- Cooking your food — Food Standards Agency (UK), on GOV.UK