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Learn How to Cut Chicken Wings the easy way to make your own delicious chicken wing recipes at home from scratch! Whole chicken wings cost less than pre-cut wings, so cutting them yourself is a great way to save money. Plus, you’ll get to enjoy every part! Read on to learn the easiest method for cutting chicken wings.
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Cutting Chicken Wings
For the longest time, I was buying cut raw chicken wings from the grocery store without a second thought. It seemed easier to me at the time than the idea of cutting them myself!
Then, one day when I was rushing through the store to get dinner on the table back home, I accidentally grabbed whole chicken wings instead. When I got home, I was worried it would take me forever to cut them myself…
I’m happy to say it did not take forever, and in fact was less expensive than buying them cut. After learning how to cut chicken wings myself, I can honestly say I have never bought them ready-cut again. It’s easy, economical, and honestly fun to cut them yourself!
You’ll just need a sharp knife and less than 10 minutes. It’s that easy!
Parts of Chicken Wings
A whole chicken wing is made up of three parts:
- Drumette
- Wingette
- Wing tips
The drumette and wingette are the only meaty parts of the chicken wing. The wing tip is meatless, but don’t throw them out! You can use wing tips to make homemade chicken stock.
Drumette
The drumette is the meatiest part, the thicker part of the chicken wing. Out of all of the wing parts, it has the most meat. Made out of mostly dark meat, it’s also the juiciest section of the wing.
Wingette
The chicken wingette is also referred to as the “flat”. It slightly has less meat and is not quite as juicy as the drumette, but flats are also made up of tender dark meat.
Wing Tips
Wing tips are the very tip of the chicken wing, and essentially have no meat. Some people throw chicken wing parts away, but I personally recommend saving them to use for stock.
If you’re prepping a big batch of wings and will have a lot of these tips left over, you can cook them into stock the next day or freeze them to use later. You can freeze wing tips for about 4-6 months, so stuff them in a bag labeled with the date, and store them to use for stock.
See my Turkey Stock and Ham Stock for examples of how to make stock using bones.
How to Cut a Chicken Wing
- Rest the whole chicken wing on a cutting board skin-side down. Locate the ridge between the drumette and part of the wing.
- Place a sharp chef knife beside the ridge and wiggle it a bit to make a clean cut.
- Your knife should slice through easily.
- Locate the second ridge between the wingette and wing tip.
- Place the knife beside the ridge of the flat wing to make your second cut.
- You’re done! Enjoy making your favorite recipes for chicken wings!
Cutting Chicken Wings Tips
- Always cut chicken wings skin-side down to easily find where to cut.
- Use a sharp knife, and it will slice easily through any resistance.
- Avoid cutting through bone. If done correctly (and it is easy, I promise!), you shouldn’t run into any.
- Store the wing tips for stock, or simply cook them with the other wing parts to nibble on. Some people enjoy them!
How to Cut Chicken Wings FAQs
You can cut chicken wings using kitchen scissors if you prefer. Find the ridges separate the wingette from the drumette and the wing tips as you would with a knife and cutting board, and cut through. You should have sturdy, sharp kitchen shears if using scissors to cut chicken wings instead of a knife.
Although it is easier and less messy to locate the ridges for cutting wings before cooking them, you can cut chicken wings after cooking, if you must or simply prefer.
How many chicken wings per person?
To serve chicken wings for a crowd, account for at least 1 pound of chicken per person. This is equal to approximately 4 to 5 whole chicken wings (not yet separated into parts).
| Amount of People | Whole Wings Needed |
|---|---|
| 4 | 16-20 |
| 6 | 24-30 |
| 8 | 32-40 |
| 10 | 40-50 |
| 12 | 48-60 |
How many wings do I need for 2 adults?
If you’re feeding yourself and just one other person and wings are the main course, you’ll want to serve slightly more per person than you would for a crowd. Cut about 14 to 16 whole chicken wings to serve 2 people for a main course.
Chicken Wing Recipes
- Buffalo Chicken Wings
- Crock Pot Chicken Wings
- Air Fryer Chicken Wings
- Instant Pot Chicken Wings
- Smoked Chicken Wings
Once you’re equipped with a recipe for chicken wings you’d like to make, go armed with my Chicken Temperature Chart and a meat thermometer! Chicken should always read between 165°F and 175°F on a meat thermometer before serving.
Sauces for Chicken Wings
How-to Guides
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Recipe
How to Cut Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken wing
Instructions
- Rest whole chicken wing on a cutting board skin-side down. Locate the ridge between the drumette and wingette.1 whole chicken wing
- Place knife beside the ridge to make your first cut.
- Your knife should slice through easily.
- Locate second ridge between the wingette and wing tip.
- Place knife beside the ridge to make your second cut.
- You’re done! Enjoy making your favorite recipes for chicken wings!
Notes
- Always cut chicken wings skin-side down to easily find where to cut.
- Use a sharp knife, and it will slice easily through any resistance.
- Avoid cutting through bone. If done correctly (and it is easy, I promise!), you shouldn’t run into any.
- Store the wing tips for stock, or simply cook them with the other wing parts to nibble on. Some people enjoy them!
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