Wishbone Chicken
Nowadays chicken is cut into eight pieces: two legs, two thighs, two breasts, and two wings. Traditionally, though, when I was growing up, butchers used an eleven-piece cut: two legs, two thighs, two breasts, two wings, the neck, the back, and the wishbone. I created this recipe with the old-style cuts in mind because I like the way it gives you more pieces to enjoy and because it’s an homage to an old-fashioned way of doing things. It’s a recipe that relies on the flavors of smoke, of course, mingled with brown sugar, which caramelizes the skin. It’s a wonderful take on classic saucy-style so-called barbecue chicken. The easiest way to do this is to ask your butcher to cut up a whole chicken into eleven pieces. Then you’re done. However, if you’d like to try it yourself, I’ve included instructions opposite.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 4
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
In a large shallow dish, combine the chicken broth and brown sugar; stir well to dissolve the sugar. Marinate the chicken in this mixture, covered, in the refrigerator overnight.
Step 2
When you are ready to cook the chicken, heat a smoker to 250˚F.
Step 3
Take the chicken out of the marinade and apply the rub liberally to all the pieces, being sure to season both sides of the wishbone. Place the pieces, skin side up, in a deep aluminum baking pan. Rub the chicken with some of the butter, and place the remaining butter in the pan. Place the pan in the smoker and cook for 30 minutes.
Step 4
Remove the pan from the smoker, flip the chicken pieces so they are skin side down, and return the pan to the smoker. Cook for 1 hour or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 155˚F.
Step 5
Remove the pan from the smoker and sprinkle a little more rub over the chicken. Return it to the smoker and cook for 15 minutes.
Step 6
Remove the pan from the smoker and brush the chicken sauce over the pieces. Return it to the smoker for another 15 minutes to let the sauce soak into the chicken.
Step 7
Remove the pan from the smoker and let the chicken rest, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Then serve immediately. Don’t forget to make a wish.
How to Cut Up a Chicken
Step 8
Remove the giblets and neck from the chicken and either set them aside for stock or discard them. Rinse the chicken inside and out, and pat it dry thoroughly.
Step 9
Orient the chicken so that its breast is facing up. Scrape at the shoulder to expose the wishbone. Once it is exposed, cut through the cartilage to loosen the prongs of the wishbone. Use your fingers to loosen the wishbone from the breast meat. Feel your way to the top, where it connects to the breastbone; then grab the top of the wishbone, give it a twist, and pull so it detaches. Remove the wishbone.
Step 10
Pull a leg away from the body, and with a sharp knife, cut through the connecting skin and tissue to find the leg bone. Once the bone is reached, use the tip of your knife to find the joint where the thigh meets the body. Pressing the knife through the joint, cut through the cartilage and separate the leg from the body. Use your fingers to feel where the thigh bone meets the drumstick and cut through that joint with your knife. Once you’ve separated the drumstick from the thigh, look to see where you started your cut. On the other leg, look at the same region. You’ll notice a line of fat. Cutting straight down through this line will yield a clean separation of drumstick and thigh. Next, separate the wing from the body. Repeat the leg and wing steps for the other side.
Step 11
Rotate the carcass so it is breast side down. Using kitchen shears, cut through the ribs down both sides of the backbone. (If you don’t have kitchen shears, you can stand the bird up and cut down with your knife to remove the backbone.) Split the breast by cutting through it, straight down the middle. Separate into two breasts.
