How to Debone a Chicken Step by Step

Why debone at home

A deboned chicken cooks faster and more evenly, accepts stuffings — spinach, mushrooms, forcemeat — and makes elegant portioning easier. You also use bones for excellent stock.

Buying a whole chicken is usually more economical than pre-deboned pieces.

Tools and preparation

You need a sharp chef's knife, a small or boning knife, a firm board, and a bowl for bones. Dry the chicken with paper towels so it does not slip.

Place the chicken breast up. Learn the structure: breast in the center, thighs on the sides, spine in the middle, wishbone — Y-shaped — at the top of the breast.

• Sharp chef's knife and small knife.
• Firm board and bowl for bones and trim.
• Dry chicken with paper towels for grip.

Deboning the breast

Cut along the breastbone. Follow the bone with the knife tip, separating meat with short strokes close to the bone. Repeat on the other side.

For the wing, cut the joint where it meets the body and remove the wing bone if you want a completely clean breast — or leave the wing bone for classic presentation. The result is two whole boneless breasts or a butterflied chicken if you only remove the backbone.

Thighs and using leftovers

To debone a thigh, cut at the central joint and scrape the femur, separating meat and skin. The thigh bone pulls out cleanly once exposed.

Save all bones and trim for stock. Freeze if not using today. Wash board and utensils well with hot water after handling raw chicken.

• Cut at the central thigh joint.
• Scrape the femur with the knife tip.
• Freeze bones for stock if not using today.