All types of poultry may be prepared into the same cuts. The most common cuts for poultry, especially chicken, are: breast, leg, drumstick, thigh, wing and suprême.
The breast has two parts separated by a central bone and cartilage. Each half contains a fillet or tenderloin. It may be prepared or served with the skin on or skin off. The breast is the leanest and most tender poultry cut.
In a chicken, breast meat is white. It is a versatile cut and may be cooked in many different ways, both dry and wet, such as pan frying, grilling, roasting and poaching. Because it is so lean, it is prone to drying out and becoming overcooked.
A leg is cut from the chicken at the hip and includes the thigh and the drumstick. Leg meat is darker than breast meat and has more flavour. It is less tender than breast meat and can take a little more cooking. It is suitable for roasting and braising.
The drumstick is the lower part of the leg, separated from the thigh. It has the bone in and skin on. It is dark meat. It is not as tender as the breast, but because it is a working muscle it generally has more flavour. The best cooking methods are roasting and barbequing.
The thigh is the upper part of the leg. It is separated from the drumstick. It is sold on or off the bone, and with or without the skin. It is dark meat. The thigh is the top part of the chicken leg. It can be skinless or with the skin on, and boned (cutlet) or left with the bone in. It is not as tender as the breast but has more flavour and suits longer cooking. The thigh is best roasted, braised, grilled, or barbequed.
The wing has three segments with two joints; the second segment is flat and the third segment is the tip. The tip is mostly bone and is often removed from the wings before cooking. The wing is white meat. It is low in fat and prone to drying out and becoming overcooked. The wings have a lot of skin and bone, and not a lot of meat compared to other chicken cuts. They used to be thrown away or used to make stocks, but now they are popular as a dish on their own, particularly in America. The benefit of slow cooking is too make them tender. They can be roasted, baked, deep fried, or barbequed.
A suprême is a single boneless breast with the first section of the wing bone attached. It suits rapid cooking, such as grilling, and poaching.