The Great Hall
Need help on how to French cut a chicken


WebFoodPros.com: The Great Hall: Need help on how to French cut a chicken
By John M. Young on Thursday, July 13, 2000 - 05:44 pm: Edit

Hello all - I have never French cut a chicken and want to make a sausage stuffed chicken in my new gas range when I get it installed. I have received a few comments from some folks but think I need some pictures. If you have any information on this cutting methodology and would like to share it, please do so... the more information I get the better chance I have of not butchering that dead bird! Thanks.

By Cheftim (Cheftim) on Friday, July 14, 2000 - 12:40 am: Edit

John,
LA Technique by Jacques Pepin does a great job with pictures but in doing a search for it, it seems it is out of print.


By the way I saw a great price for the The Escoffier Cook Book, the American translation of the definitive Guide Culinaire. 14.95 at amozon.com. Greatest cook book ever written. Use the search window in the left hand frame.

By Dpconsu (Dpconsu) on Friday, July 14, 2000 - 08:21 am: Edit

John,
"LaRousse Gastronomique" is a pretty expensive tome(read door stop) but some of the earlier editions are often available in used book stores and they have some good descriptions of this method.

It is my understanding of what you want to do, you should begin by removing the spine of the bird first, then with a very sharp and flexible short knife begin to remove all of the ribs and breast bone,Then you kind of push the leg and thigh bones from the skin side into the cavity and trim the bones away leaving the meat attached to the skin and then pull the legs (minus the bones) back out to the original position,trim off the wing tip and repeat the process with the wings.You end up with a floppy chicken that still has all of it's skin on, this can then be spread out and a pork and or veal force meat or colorful vegetable julien is put in and the chicken is either rolled and tied into a skin covered sausage like critter, or reform as close as possible the the whole birds shap (sealed by sewing up the back)The bird is constantly basted with wine and stock during roasting and dinally to gain a glossy and crispy skin, brushed with clarried buttewr for the last ten mins in a hot oven.

I have done this from memory, as the last time that I did this was in 1965 in college.

I hope it helps

By chris on Friday, July 14, 2000 - 12:37 pm: Edit

La varenne pratique outlines this process in a very detailed manner. If you don't have this book yet buy it!! You will find it comes in very handy on a daily basis.

By Mofo1 (Mofo1) on Wednesday, July 19, 2000 - 06:00 pm: Edit

La Technique is out of print? That is a crime!!!

By Fishchef (Fishchef) on Friday, August 04, 2000 - 10:36 pm: Edit

You could also check Juila Childs Mastering the Art..., shes does a good job at explianing in easy terms. You'll need do it a few times to get down, but practice makes perfect, and if it is anything we do as Chefs is repeat our skills constantly.


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