Best Knife For Cutting Raw Chicken

There are so many pieces of raw chicken that require different attention when cutting them that it makes this cut of meat difficult to get right. No matter how you slice or break down a raw chicken – whether it’s cutting a whole bird, cut thighs, or slicing up the breast – you should use the same kind of knife for every task.

In order to make the process of cutting raw chicken quick and easy, you should use a boning knife that has been sharpened for longer life, which will also help you make more precise and clean cuts for a higher quality end result.

The following are some tips on how to cut raw chicken with knives, how you can do it effectively, and which of the available boning knives is your best option currently.

To Cut Raw Chicken, What Knife Should I Use?

Depending on what you intend to do with the raw chicken, you can use a variety of knives. Nevertheless, using the right knife will reduce the amount of effort required by a significant amount, as well as increase safety, efficiency, and comfort.

Getting ready to break down a whole chicken is a much nicer experience, especially when you are just starting. It’s also important to use a tool that will enable you to slice through the chicken easily and precisely, even if you are just dicing up the chicken thigh or breast.

Boning Knife

Boning knives might be small, but they possess the right amount of weight, flexibility, sharpness, and curve to easily and precisely cut raw chicken. I do not know about you, but I’ve always been fascinated by how to debone and cut whole chickens into pieces, whether it’s to cut around joints, or to just slice a chicken breast or to dice a chicken thigh.

There are two kinds of boning knives: ones with stiff blades and ones with flexible blades. In spite of the fact that both types of knives are suitable for most applications, if you are filleting fish you will need a flexible boneing knife and if you are cutting chicken you will need a more rigid blade – as it allows a bit more force.

Chef’s Knife

In addition to the Santoku knife and the Gyuto knife, the chef’s knife is arguably the most versatile knife in the kitchen. The chef’s knife’s ability to cut raw chicken with ease is no surprise, since it has been designed with that purpose in mind. 

Although the chef’s knife doesn’t get into and around bones and joints as precisely as a smaller knife, it comes with enough weight and heft to easily chop up a whole chicken. Due to the length of this tool, it can also be used to slice chicken breasts or thighs, score chicken legs to marinate, or to dice up chicken for stir-frying.

The chef’s knife will usually be your next best option if you do not have a specialized knife for the job. Look at the best Japanese knives for cutting vegetables if you are looking for more versatile knives.

How to cut raw chicken with the best knife

DALSTRONG Phantom Series Boning Knife: Best Overall!

Pros

• Sharp, powerful, and stiff blade
• Handle with stunning beauty and comfort
• Handle that is stunning, yet comfortabless Real Aus-8 Steel.
• Real Japanese Aus-8 steel with a Rockwell Hardness of 58+.ntee

Cons

• Right-handed people will find it more convenient to use because it is slightly asymmetrical
• A Japanese steel that is not as tough as other Japanese steels does not hold its edge retention as well

In almost every category, Dalstrong knives are masterfully crafted and feature top-quality performance. DALSTRONG Phantom Series Boning Knife is the ideal tool for home chefs who need to debone and break down raw chicken, or make easy and precise cuts.

This knife has a slightly thicker blade and is more rigid than some of the flexible boning knives. When cutting raw chicken, this makes the cut stronger and allows you to apply more force if needed. The knife is as sharp as it gets, and has no trouble resharpening to maintain its edge.

The handle of this knife fits perfectly in the palm, and its weight makes it easy to use for nearly any task in the kitchen. This tool can be used not only to cut or debone raw chicken, but also to fillet fish, cut meats, and trim fat off other cuts.

The Japanese Steel knives usually measure up to about 60 Rockwell Hardness, which gives them the ability to remain sharp for a longer period of time, but this particular knife does lose its edge about as much as its German steel counterpart.

In addition, the ‘D’ shaped handle tends to fit more comfortably in the right hand, as it has been designed so that it fits in the palm of the hand. Those with left-handed grips will probably find this a bit uncomfortable.

At such an affordable price point, it’s hard to criticize this knife. I am sure that it will work well for any cut of chicken, as well as a whole lot more!

Mercer Culinary Genesis Boning Knife: Most Affordable

Pros

• Affordably priced
• Durable, stiff blade
• Germany’s real high carbon steel

Cons

• A screw is at the bottom of the handle and the handle is basic
• Nothing extraordinary

This new 6-Inch Mercer Culinary Genesis Boning Knife is a classic, well-known brand that offers the most affordable and quality options for the chef of the future. It will have the ability to perform all the required duties of a boning knife for cutting raw chicken, which means that it will not need any fancy features.

While its handle doesn’t look very nice, it is made of German high carbon steel and is stiff, sharp, and durable even though it has a screw at the bottom. It can handle any type of chicken cut and still perform better than a basic chef’s knife for chopping meat.

When you’re looking for a knife you can use for an everyday chicken and meat prepare, Mercer Culinary has you covered. Their range of boning knives will help you do that without a price tag.

Kyoku Damascus Boning Knife: Best Japanese Steel

Pros

• Steel core real VG10 Japanese
• With a 7-inch blade, it is slightly longer and more beautiful
• Handle with ergonomics
• Hardness of 58-60+ Rockwell

Cons

• Steel from Japan, but made in China

Stunning design and craftsmanship go into creating the Kyoku Boning Knife. The beauty of this kitchen tool is in its Japanese-made hard steel and its ergonomic handle, which make it easy to handle in the kitchen.

This is one of the best knives on the market and you’ll be able to use it for almost any task that it allows that includes deboning, cutting chicken, as well as other kinds of meat and fish.

Despite the fact that Kyoku Boning Knife is made from genuine Japanese Damascus Steel VG10, it is manufactured in China to keep costs down. We will, however, be able to pick up Japanese Kyoku knives that are much cheaper as a result of this.

Overall, if you’re looking for a good quality knife without the price tag, this is a good choice. It has the look and feel of a traditional Japanese knife, just at a lower price point. Check out a Deba knife or a Bunka knife for cutting raw chicken and other meat as an alternative to Japanese knives that are made to last a lifetime.

The Best Way To Cut A Whole Raw Chicken

In the first step, the leg needs to be removed. You have to cut a very small slit in the space between the breast and the thigh using your knife. Using your Boning Knife, cut right through the exposed flesh where the exposed bone is so that it is separated from the leg. Then bend the leg away from the slit to pop the bone out. 

Turn the chicken leg skin side down so you can see what is happening and that is how you will be able to separate the drumstick from the thigh. There is a large layer of fat between the part of the leg where it meets the part of the thigh.

You can separate the drumstick from the thigh by cutting along this fat line that surrounds the joint of the drumstick.

The joint on the chicken breast will feel solid and tough with your thumb where you need to remove the wings. With your boning knife, you can cut around the joint of the chicken, while holding it off the board with its wing. By holding the wing, you will be able to separate the pieces of the chicken.

Finding the thick fat line on the sides of the chicken will help you separate the breast from the backbone. When removing fat from the ribs, using your boning knife with a firm grip, cut straight down the fat lines.

If you don’t have poultry shears or kitchen shears, you can use kitchen shears or kitchen shears. Separate the breast from the backbone.

Finally, to separate the breast into two, press firmly on the chicken skin side up to break the bone down the middle. In order to encourage it to break, flip the bone over and cut a small slit in it. When it’s broken, simply split it in half down the middle, remove the bone, and trim it up.

Watch this video for a comprehensive explanation of the process:

Chicken Breasts: How To Cut Them

It’s common to find things sliding and slipping when cutting chicken breast. Because of this, it’s important to use a blade that’s sharp, to hold the knife with curled fingers, and to use a cutting board that’s clean.

Slice the meat against the grain, just as you would with most meats. To make the chicken tender and easy to chew, you should slice against the muscle fibers. Cut horizontally across the whole chicken breast in order to do this.

There are actually two distinct directions in which muscle fibers run in the tenderloin. It is, however, possible to run the knife fairly evenly against both grains by simply cutting the chicken breast horizontally.

If you slice the chicken into thin strips or cut it into cubes, you will get very tender and consistent pieces of chicken.

The Best Way To Cut A Raw Chicken Thigh

It is notoriously difficult to cut raw chicken thighs. Due to the irregular shape of the face and the fat that surrounds it, it is hard to know where to begin. There is no difference between a whole chicken leg, a drumstick, or a thigh when preparing a meal.

For cutting raw chicken thighs, the easiest way is to lay it flat, skin side (or smooth side) facing up. To make a more uniform size, you can butterfly the thick parts at either end of the chicken thigh, depending on how thick it is.

Alternatively, you can also remove any big clumps of irregular fat that are visible on your thigh here if there are any.

You’ll want to cut the shorter side of it, lying it horizontally. Make sure that you slice it consistently for a better end result, no matter how thin or thick it is. 

Using Knives To Cut Raw Chicken Is Not A Good Idea

Even if you know that most knives will cut raw chicken to some degree of success, you are nevertheless more likely to cut yourself or the chicken in an inconsistent manner with most knives when it comes to cutting raw chicken.

By simply using the right knife, it is possible to avoid both of these complications.

Bread knives are not recommended, as they actually damage the raw meat and make it easier for the chicken’s exterior to overcook. As well, using a small paring knife will not allow you to make clean and full-length cuts, and then you should use a carving knife to finish carving your meal – not to carve raw chicken!

The only time you need to cut chicken breasts or chicken thighs is when you are going to slice them up. You can use any kind of slicing knife for this, like a utility knife, meat cleaver, chef knife, or butcher knife.

It is still true that nothing beats a stiff, sharp, boning knife for the job that you will face when it comes to cutting.

Conclusion – Which Knife Should You Buy?

This DALSTRONG Phantom Series Boning Knife will assist you if you are in need of a reliable, long-lasting, and dependable knife so that you can get the job done using raw chicken, from cutting & dicing to smashing down a whole chicken, or parts of it.

A chef’s knife is still an excellent tool when it comes to cutting the raw chicken in a pinch, and it will still be an excellent tool for handling the raw meat, but it won’t be as useful for things like deboning, cutting around joints, and making more precise cuts.

The most important investment you can make in your kitchen is investing in high-quality knives. Additionally, they are more enjoyable to use, as well as provide better cutting quality. I take advantage of every opportunity to use my new kitchen knives once I get them!