Jake Harper
Learning how to debone a chicken is a fun and challenging project that can help you improve your butcher skills. It is important to use a decent boning knife for this process. Before you begin, ensure your chicken is not completely chilled as it will not pull away from the bones as easily. Start with the chicken breast-side down and legs facing towards you. Cut the wingtips off, then locate the backbone and cut along both sides of it to remove it. Next, make a 1/2 slit through the cartilage in front of the keel bone, which is the breastbone. Crack open the keel bone by folding the chicken outward, then remove it by breaking the delicate skin on either side and pulling it out. Flip the chicken over and slice down the middle, separating the thighs and breasts by cutting through the joints. Remove the thigh bones by cutting where the meat is still attached. If done correctly, the entire bone structure should be removed whole, leaving the meat intact.
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What You'll Learn
Lay the chicken breast-side down, legs towards you
To begin the process of deboning a chicken, you must first lay the chicken breast-side down with its legs facing towards you. This positioning will give you easy access to the backbone, which runs straight down the middle of the chicken. It is important to identify the backbone as it will guide the subsequent steps of the deboning process.
Once you have located the backbone, you can begin cutting along one side of it, starting from the tail and working your way up to the neck. Make sure your cuts are precise and follow the contour of the backbone as closely as possible. Repeat this process on the other side of the backbone to completely free it from the surrounding meat.
After removing the backbone, you will need to focus on the keel bone, also known as the breastbone. It is located at the front of the chicken, directly opposite the backbone. Make a 1/2-inch slit through the cartilage in front of the keel bone, being careful not to cut too deeply and damage the surrounding meat.
The next step is to crack open the keel bone by gently folding the chicken outward. This will create some tension and allow you to break the delicate skin on either side of the keel bone, enabling you to pull it out and remove it completely. Now that the keel bone is removed, you can proceed to the next steps of deboning, which will involve flipping the chicken over and separating the thighs and breasts.
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Locate the backbone, cut along its length
To locate the backbone, place the chicken breast-side down with its legs facing towards you. Run your finger down the back to feel for the spine. Once you've located the spine, make an incision down its entire length, from the tail to the neck. Be sure to use a decent boning knife for this step.
After you've made the initial incision, you'll want to make long, shallow slices down the side of the spine. Use your fingers to gently peel back the flesh from the bone as you cut. Take care not to slice through the meat and skin. Keep slicing until you reach the wing joint and thigh joint on the front and back of the chicken.
At this point, you should be able to see the entire backbone and feel the joints at the base of the wings and thighs. Now, continue to cut along the length of the backbone, being careful not to pierce the flesh on the other side. Make sure you cut along the entire length of the backbone to ensure it can be removed in one piece.
Once you've cut along both sides of the backbone, it should be fully detached from the chicken. You can now remove it by gently pulling it away from the flesh. It's important to take your time during this step to ensure that the meat remains intact and doesn't tear.
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Remove wing bones by cutting under the joint
To remove the wing bones of a chicken by cutting under the joint, start by cutting off the wingtips, as these cannot be de-boned. You can set these aside to use for stock later. Next, pull out the wing and locate the 'drumette' section's bone with your fingers. To make a clean cut, bend the joint until the bones separate and you see a gap under the skin. Slide your knife through this gap, cutting through the cartilage that connects the bones, not the bones themselves. You can now remove the drumette and set it aside.
Now, focus on the exposed end of the flat, where you removed the drumette. You will see a small cap of cartilage with skin and flesh attached. Circle this area with your knife, cutting all the way through to the bone. You can leave the cartilage in place for now, as it will help hold the bones together. With your non-dominant hand, hold onto the exposed cartilage, and use your dominant hand to push the skin and flesh back from the bones where they meet the elbow joint. This step is crucial in releasing the meat from the bones.
Next, make a slit with your knife that runs the length of the flat from the elbow to the wrist joints, following the line of the larger bone. Use the tip of your knife to carefully tease the skin and muscle away from the bones. Leave the bones bare, and then remove them, being careful not to cut through the meat and skin. At this stage, your chicken wing should be fully de-boned, with only meat and skin remaining.
You can choose to stuff the wing or leave it as is. If you opt for stuffing, you might need to wrap the wing to keep the filling in place or bread or batter it. Alternatively, you can embrace the filling spilling out of the wing as part of its appeal.
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Pull out the entire bone structure, minus the wingtips
To pull out the entire bone structure in one piece, you will need to first cut away the wing bones. Locate the joint and, holding the larger part of the wing, cut through it. Set the wingtips aside for stock. Next, locate the spine by running your finger down the back of the chicken and make an incision down its entire length. Make long, shallow slices down the side of the spine and under the left side of the incision, peeling back the flesh from the bone as you go. Keep slicing until you reach the wing joint and thigh joint at the front and back of the bird.
Now, it's time to remove the wing bone. Pull out the wing and locate the 'drumette' section's bone with your fingers. Stand the bone on its end and press it down, then pull it out. Repeat this process for the other wing.
With the wings removed, you can now focus on the larger bones. Make a 1/2-inch slit through the cartilage in front of the keel bone (also known as the breastbone). Crack open the keel bone by folding the chicken outward, then break the delicate skin on either side with your fingers and pull out the keel bone.
Finally, flip the chicken over and locate the thigh bones. Cut the meat where it is still attached to the bone and remove the bone, being careful not to cut through the actual meat and skin. With all the major bones removed, you can now carefully pull out the entire bone structure in one piece, leaving the meat of the bird intact.
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Save bones for stock
Don't throw away the bones from your chicken! They can be used to make a rich, delicious chicken stock for soups, stews, gravies, risottos, and more. You can even add them to other stock recipes.
Once you've removed all the bones from the chicken, place them in a plastic resealable bag and pop them in the freezer. You can keep adding to your stash of bones until you have enough to make stock.
When you're ready to make stock, you can add the "fond" to enhance the flavor. To make fond, splash about a quarter of a cup of water onto the pan you used to cook the chicken and scrape off all the brown bits stuck to the pan. These bits are concentrated chicken flavor. Pour this fond-water into a container and save it to add to your stock later.
In addition to the bones and fond, you can also add the following ingredients to your stock:
- Onions
- Celery
- Carrots
- Leeks or fennel tops
- Thyme
- Parsley
- Garlic cloves
- Black peppercorns
- Bay leaves
- Cloves
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Frequently asked questions
Place the chicken breast-side down with its legs facing towards you. Start by cutting off the wingtips and set them aside for stock.
Locate the backbone and cut along one side of it down the entire length of the chicken. Repeat this on the other side to fully remove the backbone.
Make a 1/2-inch slit through the cartilage in front of the keel bone. Then, crack open the keel bone by folding the chicken outward. Finally, remove the keel bone by breaking the delicate skin on either side and pulling it out.
