How to butcher and cut chicken wings

Once you’ve mastered the process of cutting chicken wings, it’s painless. Here’s how to separate them into flats and drummettes.

Seperating the parts of chicken wings can be a great way to serve them at your next cook, making them easier to eat without requiring your guests to (perhaps, inelegantly) pull them apart themselves.

The chicken wing is compromised of the wing tip, flat, and drummette. What we want to do is to separate the flat and drumette, but you can clean up the wing by removing the wing tip, if you wish, for extra uniformity.

All you need is a cutting board, a sharp knife, or a pair of kitchen shears if you have them.

• Stretch the chicken wing to make a V shape.
• Ensure that it’s been stretched enough to give you easy access to the central joint, which you can find simply by using your finger. As shown in the image below, spot the natural “V” lines of the wing — these are where we will be cutting. (Rotate the wing so the inner skin is closest to you.)

• Position your knife and cut down vertically – let the knife do the work for you. It takes some practice but you should be able to find the point of least resistance (the cartilage) that doesn’t cut through bone.  
• If it feels too hard, change the position of your knife and try again. You can also slice through the skin first to take a good look at where the joint is first if you’re unsure.
• Press your knife with your palm for a clean cut.
• You’ve now removed the drumette! If you’ve cut through bone, don’t worry — just feel with your hand and clean up any fragments.
• Repeat the same process for the remainder of the wing – stretching out the joint into a V and cutting through.
• You can also remove the tip if you wish.

And that’s it! With your clean wings, you can now apply the rub of your choice. Happy smoking!