By Laura Frankel

With a whole bird, the world is your kosher oyster. Not only do you have all the parts for less than you’d normally pay for each one, you get the pearl—the bones and scraps that are the basis of a wonderful stock. Toss the back and wings into a resealable, heavy-duty, plastic bag and freeze. Keep adding to the bag, and soon you’ll have plenty to make the tastiest stock ever. Bouillon cubes or canned broth are mere shells in comparison to this richly flavored stock. With that as incentive, onto the chopping block.

I prefer to cut up a chicken into six pieces (kosher chickens tend to have scrawny wings, so I just save them for stock). Here’s how:

1. Place the bird on a cutting board with the legs pointing at you. (Be brave.)
2. Find the line of fat between the leg and the body of the chicken and cut onto it with your favorite chef’s or santoku knife. You may have to wiggle the leg free from the body.
3. Turn the leg/thigh skin-side down and look for a fat line separating the drumstick from the thigh. Cut along that line and repeat these steps on the other side.
4. To remove the breasts, feel along the top of the chicken to find the breastbone. Cut from the back to the front of the breastbone along one side. With your knife, follow along the contours of the body to release the meat from the ribs. Separate the wing from the breast by finding the joint and cutting through it to release it. Repeat with the remaining breast.
5. Congratulations! You can now cook the chicken pieces and save the remaining carcass and wing tips for stock.