Wife slices chicken to be carved (4)
I believe the answer is:
hewn
'be carved' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'wife slices chicken' is the wordplay.
'wife' becomes 'w' (abbreviation).
'slices' means one lot of letters goes inside another (some letters slice into others).
'chicken' becomes 'hen' (hen is a kind of chicken).
'w' inserted inside 'hen' is 'HEWN'.
'to' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for hewn that I've seen before include "(Of wood) cut, chopped" , "Sculpted" , "Shaped as with an axe" , "Hacked" , "Cut with an axe or chisel" .)