Surely many times you have eaten a stuffed chicken, which retains its outer shape but has no bones. The task of deboning a chicken without affecting its external appearance is an entertaining task, but it is not too complicated. Today we show you how to debone a chicken in the simplest way, and with tips to get it right.
Although some people start by cutting the breast and "opening the chicken as if they were going to perform an autopsy", we prefer to perform the whole operation without cutting the skin of the chicken so that it is much better presented and can be stuffed easily, without the need to give it "stitches" with kitchen thread. Follow our instructions and soon you will have a boneless chicken ready to cook.
How to easily debone a chicken 🦴
For this recipe, we will use a free-range chicken weighing about 2 kilos. We start by removing the wings, as they don't give much room for stuffing, so we cut them off and save them to make other recipes like American-style chicken wings. A cut right where the joint is is easy.
Once the wings are removed, we open the chicken from the bottom, and with the hand, we begin to separate the skin and the meat of the ribs from the area. We also remove the triangle of the central area, a simple task with a sharp knife.
Placing the chicken with the button top, we separate the bones from the meat, with the help of the knife. Once finished, we remove that part of the carcass by simply stretching as you can see in the image.
To remove the other half of the skeleton, we outline the neck with the knife, and at the same time, we turn the chicken as if it were a sock. With the lace or knife, we continue separating the rest of the carcass and remove it.
To remove the bones from the thigh, we press from the outside inwards and, as soon as it shows, we help to peel it with the knife. Then we press outwards again and, as the femur comes out, we cut it. Repeat the operation with the other thigh.
At this point, we will have the chicken practically upside down. It is time to turn it over, putting the meat of the thighs in its hollow, and at the same time giving the chicken its original shape. We now have it ready for stuffing.
Preparation tips:
- Be careful when outlining the skeleton or carapace from the inside so as not to pierce the skin.
- It is convenient to do this operation with free-range chickens, which have much more flavor and are ideal for stuffing or roasting.
- For the stuffing, you can combine fruits - quince, apple, prunes - with nuts, hard-boiled egg and minced meat. You can also add a filleted chicken breast to make the chicken look like a whole chicken again.
- When cooking the stuffed chicken, cook it the day before and cut the portions cold. This way they will be perfect for presentation without the stuffing falling apart.
And now you are ready to cook the best-stuffed chicken, following these simple steps, if you want to keep impressing your family, don't hesitate to buy the best cuts of meat in MeatTown, the ideal online butcher shop for you. Click here to see our products.