Steps of Deboning Chicken Flashcards
Place the chicken, breast
side up, on a clean cutting surface.
Stretch out each wing flat against the
board by pulling the tip. With a boning
knife, cut off the wing tip and next
joint, leaving the largest wing bone
still attached.
Step 1
At the neck, cut out the
wishbone by pulling the skin up and
out of the way and sliding the knife
along the underside of the wishbone.
Continue cutting around and under
the wishbone until it is free and can
be pulled out with your fingers.
Step 2
Turn the bird over, and with
breast side down, cut along the
backbone from the neck to the tail.
Step 3
With short sharp strokes of
your knife, keeping the knife close to
the bones cut the flesh and skin,
carefully using your fingers to pull the
flesh away from the carcass.
Step 4
Cut through the ball-and-socket joints
connecting the wing and thigh bones
to the carcass, so that they are
separated from the carcass but still
attached to the skin. When step is
completed on both sides, meat will be
attached only along the ridge of the
breastbone. Gently (the skin tears
easily) pull to separate the
breastbone and carcass from the
flesh.
Step 4
Cut the flesh from the curved (saber) bone near the wing and remove the bone
Step 5
The partially-boned bird with leg and wing bones left in, is now ready for stuffing.
Step 6
While holding the wing bone from inside the bird, cut through the tendons and scrape the meat from the bone with the knife. Pull out the bone, using the knife to free it.
Step 7
Cut off end of the leg bone
using a cleaver or thick-bladed cook’s
knife. Note: The use of a cook’s knife
for chopping through chicken bone is
acceptable for this application but not
recommended for cutting through
other bone.
Step 8
Repeat step #7 to remove the leg bone. Reposition wing and leg meat so skin side is out.
Step 9
The whole chicken is now
completely deboned, with the skin
intact and ready to be stuffed, rolled,
and roasted.
Step 10
