carving chicken

Chefs’ tip #7

Best way to carve a chicken

You've spent a lot of time roasting the chicken. Don't ruin your hard work by carving your bird the wrong way.

  • Let the chicken rest for about 10 minutes when it comes out of the oven. This keeps the meat juicy and tender, and makes it easier to carve.
  • Use a carving fork to hold the chicken. Then, with a sharp knife, cut through the meat between the body and legs. Find the joint and slice through it so that you’re able to remove the entire leg. Repeat on the other side.
  • Next, cut through the joint between the drumstick and thigh. Do this on the other side too.
  • Now move onto the wings. Pull the wing away from the body and find the joint with your knife. Cut through it and repeat on the other side.
  • Finally, cut along the breastbone with the tip of your knife to remove the breast meat. Work the knife slowly down the bone and gently slice off the breast meat.

Bonus tip: Don’t throw the carcass and bones away – add to soups, stews or casseroles for extra flavour. Just remove the bones before serving.

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