How to Cut Chicken Wings

Learn How to Cut Chicken Wings into separate portions, wingettes and drumettes, with only two simple cuts using this easy step-by-step guide! You can then use them in your favorite baked or fried wings recipes or store or freeze them for later. They’re perfect as a game day snack or a twist on chicken dinner.

How to Cut Chicken Wings into Portions

With the Super Bowl just around the corner, sometimes it’s impossible to find fresh chicken wings at the local grocery store that have already been cut into separate wingettes and drumettes.

Instead, whole chicken wings may be your only option if you want to make that big platter of Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings or experiment with these Baked Thai Chicken Wings. << My favorite!

But fear not, my dear friend! It’s actually only a few simple steps to cut your own chicken wings into portions—so easy that all you need is a sharp knife and about 5 minutes to master this culinary skill.

But don’t rush into it too soon. Make sure to pay close attention to the details below, because knowing where to make a clean cut is the key to doing this the best way, quickly and efficiently!

3 Parts of a Chicken Wing

If you stretch it out and look at the whole thing, you’ll see that a chicken wing is made up of 3 distinct parts: the drumette, the wingette, and the wing tip.

Drumettes and wingettes are generally used in most chicken wings recipes. You can use all of one or a combination of the two depending on your personal preference. The wing tip has less meat.

Drumette

The chicken drumette looks like a much smaller drumstick and is the meatiest part of the wing. It is made up of mostly dark meat, is slightly juicier than the wingette, and is the part that actually attaches to the rest of the chicken.

Wingette

The wingette, sometimes called the flap, is the middle section that is composed of two bones running horizontally through the middle of it with meat in the middle.  Because it’s thinner, this part normally crisps up easier when cooking them with the thicker drumette portions.  (My favorite part of the wing!)

Wing Tip

The wing tip, also known as the flapper, has very little to no meat on it and is either used to make stocks or is discarded.

How to Cut Chicken Wings

Please see the recipe card below for more detailed ingredient amounts.

1. Separate the Drumette and Wingette

Now that you know the parts of raw chicken wings, it’s time to cut and separate them.

It’s best if you use a really sharp knife to make the cleanest cuts and a meat-specific plastic cutting board. (Avoid using wooden cutting boards when preparing raw meat.)

Flip the whole chicken wing over so it is skin-side down and you can easily see the joints. Use your fingers to locate the first ridge between the drumette and the wingette portions.  

Place a sharp chef’s knife just besides this ridge and also parallel to the long axis of the drumette. Cut all of the way through it — your knife should slide right through with very little resistance. 

2. Remove the Wing Tip

Next, locate the second ridge between the wingette and the tip portions.  

Cut all of the way through this joint to separate the two pieces. 

FAQs 

Sauces for Chicken Wings

Of course, if you’re cooking chicken wings, you’ll need a little sauce to toss them in. Skip the store-bought sauces and whip up your own!

• Buffalo Sauce
• Teriyaki Sauce 
• Honey Mustard 
• Peanut Sauce

Chicken Wings Recipes

Once you’ve got the chicken wings cut and separated, there are so many easy recipes you can use them in:

• Parmesan Garlic Chicken Wings
• Thai Chicken Wings
• Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings
• Air Fryer Chicken Wings