One of the most intimidating parts of preparing chicken wings is cutting them properly. I remember the first time I made wings. I spent so much time trying to learn how to cut chicken wings. Here are all my tips and tricks!
Cutting Chicken Wings
Chicken wings are great for so many occasions. I love bringing wings to everything from SuperBowl parties to family potlucks.
Whether you are serving them as an appetizer or a main dish, chicken wings are perfect because they are easy to snack on but can also be a filling meal.
To save you the stress and time it took me to figure out how to cut chicken wings, I am going to share my tips on the best way to cut chicken wings.
Cutting wings is actually pretty simple, and in just two cuts, you can take a whole wing and turn it into a chicken drumette, a wingette, and a wing tip.
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How do you cut a section of chicken wings?
A sharp knife, cutting board, and knowledge of wing cuts is all it takes to master this skill.
When you are cutting a chicken wing, you should be aware of the three different sections of it. These parts are the drumette, wingette, and wing tip.
The drumette connects the wing to the rest of the body, the wingette is the middle section, and the wing tip is, as the name implies, the tip.
To cut whole chicken wings, start by laying them skin side down on a cutting board. Make sure you can easily see the joints.
How to Cut Wings
The first cut will be between the drumette and wingette.
With your fingers, feel for the ridge between the drumette and wingette. You can also find it by moving the joint a little with your fingers on it.
Once you locate the ridge, use your sharp chef’s knife next to the ridge, parallel to the bone of the drumette. When you cut all the way through this part of the wing, you should not feel a lot of resistance.
The next step is finding the ridge between the wingette and wing tip and cut through the joint to get a clean cut between the two pieces.
A pro tip for cutting chicken wings is to cut through the joints rather than the bones. The cartilage in the joints is easier to cut through than the bone.
What are the parts of a chicken wing?
There are three distinct parts of uncut wings that you should know about when cutting chicken wings: the drumette, the wingettes, and tips.
The drumette is the meatiest part of the wing. It looks like a smaller drumstick and is mostly made of dark meat. Since it is dark meat, it is juicier than other parts of the wing.
The wingette is the middle part of the wing and has two bones that run through the middle of it. The wingette is my favorite wing part because it’s thinner than a drumette. That means it gets crispier than the drumette.
The tip has very little meat, so I save it to make chicken stock. Most chicken wings recipes use only the drumettes and the wingettes.
How do you cut chicken wings with scissors?
If you don’t have a knife sharp enough to cut through the raw chicken wings sections, you can also use kitchen shears.
When you are using scissors, make sure they are kitchen scissors and not regular household scissors. Since you are cutting raw meat, you don’t want to use any pair of scissors because they could get contaminated.
With kitchen scissors, follow the same steps you would with a knife of feeling for the joints with your fingers. Then, instead of using the knife, use the scissors to cut through the center of each joint until you have three individual pieces: the drumette, the wingette, and the wing tip.
Tapas Tips & Tricks
- Use a sharp knife to make cuts easier.
- Move the joints before cutting to find the right spot to cut.
- Save the tips and extra pieces in the freezer for making stock.
- Clean your knife and cutting board after using.
- If you don’t want to cut them yourself, ask the meat counter at the grocery store. Most will allow you to break open the package, have them cut, and repackage them for checkout.
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How to cook chicken wings
Chicken wings are one of my party favorites because you can cook them in so many different ways.
Baked chicken wings are my favorite because it is a great healthy option and bakes the skin to crispy perfection.
The air fryer is another great way to get that crunchy flesh without using oil. Air-fried chicken wings can also be an easier way to make small amounts of wings without having to heat up the entire oven.
Deep-fried wings use hot oil to get crispy skin, but the oil can add a lot of unnecessary fats. Deep frying wings is not my favorite method of preparing chicken wings, but that is just my personal preference.
Regardless of how you decide to prepare them, the most important point to remember is that the internal temperature of the chicken should reach 165 degrees Fahrenheit to be considered fully cooked.
When it is time for that special game day or family gathering, pair the fresh chicken wings with your favorite homemade or store-bought sauces. Buffalo wings, hot wings, BBQ wings, and garlic parmesan wings are some of my favorite ways to prepare wings, but the options really are endless!
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However you decide to season and sauce up your wings, they will be sure to be a hit! Just remember these tips on how to properly cut chicken wings to get those clean cuts every time.
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