Cutting up a whole chicken with a sharp knife involves separating it at the joints without cutting through the bones. The 8 pieces are 2 wings, 2 thighs, 2 drumsticks, and 2 breast halves. The order is always the same: thighs first, then wings, and finally the breast. Save the remaining carcass for stock instead of discarding it. Once you are familiar with the process, it takes no more than 5 minutes, and a whole chicken costs less than buying it in pieces.
Start with the right tool. You need a sharp, medium-size knife, not a large cleaver; there is no need for a heavy tool because you will not cut through bones. Dry the chicken thoroughly with paper towels, since a wet chicken can slip and make the knife harder to control. Place a nonslip cutting board underneath; if possible, use one reserved for raw meat. Set out 2 containers: put the pieces in one and the carcass and scraps in the other to keep the work surface organized. Cut up the chicken as soon as you take it out of the refrigerator; leaving it at room temperature makes it soft and slippery and uses up safe holding time.
Remove the legs first. Place the chicken on its back, pull one leg outward, and cut through the skin stretched between the leg and body. Press the leg farther outward until the hip joint pops with a click. Insert the knife into the opening and separate the leg from the body. Repeat the same steps for the second leg. Split each leg into the thigh and drumstick at the joint between them; the joint aligns with a thin line of fat on the inside of the leg, where the knife should pass through without resistance.
Next, remove the wings using the same method. Pull a wing away from the body, feel for the shoulder joint with your finger, and cut through that joint. If you like, leave the meaty part of the wing nearest the body attached to the breast to make the breast portion a little larger. The wing tips are usually separated and placed in the carcass container; they have little meat but add gelatin to stock. Repeat on the other wing. The body will then consist of the breast and back.
The final step is to separate the breast from the body. Turn the body onto its side and cut along the soft rib line connecting the breast to the back, using kitchen shears or a knife on the 2 sides; when you feel this line by hand, it should feel like cartilage rather than bone. Separate the breast into 2 halves by pressing the knife along one side of the breastbone. If you want boneless breast, keep the knife against the bone and slice the meat away. The remaining back and rib cage are the stock itself and should never be thrown away.
Clean the kitchen when you finish; do not skip this step. Wash the cutting board, knife, countertop, and sink with hot, soapy water. Do not put other food on any surface that has touched raw chicken. Do not rinse chicken under running water, because splashing can spread droplets around the kitchen instead of cleaning the chicken. If you will not cook the pieces right away, store them in covered containers on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator or wrap them flat and freeze them. The cooking temperature remains the same: bring poultry to 74°C / 165°F.