Prep before breaking down chicken When I buy whole chicken from the supermarket, it usually comes sealed in liquid. As I break the chicken down, it is unpleasant to work with, slimy, and wet. I keep the broken down chicken parts in my refrigerator throughout the week to cook incrementally, and I save the carcass in the freezer for stock.


Is there an accepted way to prep a chicken so that it's dryer and more pleasant to work with when breaking it down?
Is it a good idea to remove the chicken from the package, pat dry, and dry brine for a day or so in the refrigerator before breaking the meat down? My concern is that this might bring unwanted salt into the carcass and hence the stock.
Unwrapping the chicken and leaving it uncovered in the refrigerator for a few hours should dry it out a lot. You may want to sponge out the cavity with a paper towel before doing this. If possible, support the chicken on a wire rack above a plate in the refrigerator, rather than placing it directly on the plate. Otherwise, put the chicken breast-down on the plate (so less of it is in contact).

I'm not sure what the effect of dry brining on the saltiness of stock would be, but it's unlikely to be wildly different than the effect on the meat. If you're worried, though, you should break it down before dry brining, and don't salt the back.