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.

A wingette is lifted up by a hand out of a pile of cut chicken wings.

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!

A whole chicken wing is shown labeled with the drumette, wingette, and tip.

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 drumettethe 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.

A drumette is shown on the counter.

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!)

A wingette is shown on the counter.

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.

The tip of a chicken wing is shown on the counter.
5 Secrets to Healthier Family Dinners
Tips & recipes for getting yummy — and healthy — meals on the table.

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. 

A chicken wing is cut with a knife.

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. 

A knife cuts through the joint separating the wingette and the tip.

Recipe Tip

The joints have cartilage and are the easiest places to cut through.  Avoid slicing through the bones as they are much harder to cut.

FAQs 

How to cook chicken wings? 

There are different ways to cook chicken wings. Baked chicken wings are a great healthy option but take a few tricks to get a super crispy skin. Deep-fried wings will give you the crispiest skin but with a ton of unhealthy oil. Air-fried chicken wings are the best solution with perfectly crispy skin and very minimal oil used.

How do you know when chicken wings are cooked? 

Much like when cooking any other piece of chicken, wings are fully cooked through when their internal temperature reaches 165℉. Test with a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the wing.

Recipe Tips

  • Plastic, please. Stear clear of wooden cutting boards when handling raw meat.
  • Pay attention. These bones are quite thin and close to each other, so be careful where you’re cutting.
  • Get creative. Top your wings with your favorite sauce for a tasty treat.
  • Go all the way. Be sure to cook the chicken to 165℉ so no one gets sick.
A whole chicken wing, drummettes, wingettes, and tips are shown on the counter.

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!

Chicken Wings Recipes

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

 

Tap stars to rate!

5 from 6 votes

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.
Yield 4 servings
Prep 5 minutes
Total 5 minutes

Ingredients 

  • 1 lb. whole chicken wings

Instructions 

  • Separate the Wingette and Drumette: 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 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.
  • Remove the Wing Tip: Next, locate the second ridge between the wingette and the tip portions. Cut all of the way through to separate the two pieces.
  • Use cut chicken wings in these Buffalo Chicken Wings, Air Fryer Chicken Wings, or Parmesan Garlic Wings recipes.

Tap stars to rate!

5 from 6 votes

Video

Notes

Storage Instructions
If chicken wing portions have been cut but not cooked they will last until the printed date on the packaging that you originally purchased them in. Cooked chicken wings will last for up to 3-4 days when stored in an airtight container the refrigerator.
To reheat already cooked chicken wings, add them back to a 300°F oven or an air fryer to really crisp them up.
Recipe Tips
  • Plastic, please. Steer clear of wooden cutting boards when handling raw meat.
  • Pay attention. These bones are quite thin and close to each other, so be careful where you’re cutting.
  • Get creative. Top your wings with your favorite sauce for a tasty treat.
  • Go all the way. Be sure to cook the chicken to 165℉ so no one gets sick.

Nutrition

Calories: 252kcal, Protein: 21g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 87mg, Sodium: 83mg, Potassium: 177mg, Vitamin A: 167IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 14mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Made this recipe?Leave a comment below!
5 Secrets to Healthier Family Dinners
Tips & recipes for getting yummy — and healthy — meals on the table.

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I just happened upon your blog at random from a Google search! I’m 30 and have only the slightest bit of knowledge of how to handle chicken wings having baked them whole once before) this helped tremendously with dinner tonight! Thank you so much for sharing this!

    1. Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the how-to, Alicia! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating!

  2. 5 stars
    Thank you for showing this. I smoked 4lbs of chicken wings tonight, but didn’t think about separating them, nor did I know how. They were very good but having to rip them apart to get at them made me realize I should’ve came here first to learn how to prepare them before smoking them. Now I know, so can’t wait til next time. Thanks!

    1. Yay! So happy to this will be able to help, Judy! Let me know how it goes. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment!