A two-minute video showing you how to dissect a raw chicken leg.
How to dissect a chicken leg
WHAT YOU NEED: a chopping board, a kitchen knife and a chicken leg. Always ask for help from an adult when using a knife.
1 of 9
Remember to wash your hands before and after handling raw meat!
2 of 9
STEP 1 - SKIN: Feel the chicken skin. You'll notice it's similar to human skin, but a bit more bumpy where the feathers were.
3 of 9
STEP 2 - MUSCLE AND FAT: Remove the skin to see the fat and muscle. You can see the fat is a different colour and feels different in texture from the muscle.
4 of 9
Fat is made of short 'E'-shaped molecules which melt at lower temperatures than the long protein molecules in muscle. This is why fat often melts to the bottom of the pan during cooking.
5 of 9
STEP 3 - TENDONS: Cut away some of the muscle and you'll see the tendons - they connect the muscles to the bone.
6 of 9
STEP 4 - LIGAMENTS: Ligaments are harder to find. They attach bones to other bones around joints.
7 of 9
STEP 5 - CARTILAGE: Separate the knee joint using a knife. You'll be able to see the cartilage that protects the bones from rubbing against each other.
8 of 9
STEP 6 - BONE MARROW: You should also be able to see the red bone marrow inside the bones, which creates blood cells in the body.
