Based on how many chicken recipes I have on my site, it shouldn’t be a surprise that I love Use rotisserie chicken to save time preparing healthy meals. So I wanted to share a guide on how to carve chicken (whether you cooked it yourself or bought it pre-cooked from the store)!
I’ll walk you through a step-by-step guide on how to break up a roast chicken into pieces, as well as a tip on how to easily shred the chicken (if desired).
This process includes both homemade fried chicken and store-bought fried chicken. They are very similar and therefore share the same degradation process!
What is fried chicken?
Roast chicken is oven baked, but longer at a lower temperature (compared to how you would normally oven roast chicken at home).
The chicken is attached to a skewer (such as a large skewer or skewers) that rotates so the chicken is cooked evenly.
This method brings out deeper flavors and makes the chicken extra tender. It also ensures the skin is roasted to golden brown, flavorful perfection.
Buying fried chicken from the store is a huge time saver for putting nutritious meals on the table during a busy week. (Check out my post on 11 things to do with fried chicken for inspiration!)
Equipment you need to carve a chicken
Luckily, you don’t need fancy equipment to cut up a whole chicken! You really only need a long, sharp knife (carving knife) and two forks to shred the chicken. That’s it!
A carving fork (or any other large fork) can be used to steady the chicken while you cut it.
If you have an electric knife, it can also come in handy when chopping up the cooked chicken, as it can make slicing easier. But it is definitely not necessary!
Steps to carve a whole chicken
Next, I’ll show you step-by-step how to butcher a whole chicken. I promise it’s easy!
Step 1: Cut off the middle
Begin by placing the cooked chicken on a cutting board or large plate. It should be breast-side up.
With your knife, make a light cut down the center of the chest to find the sternum.
Step 2: Remove chicken breasts
Next, make deep, vertical incisions along the breast meat on either side of the breastbone. Then use your hands to peel off each whole chicken Breast. Put aside.
Step 3: Remove shanks and drumsticks
Grasp each leg bone and flex each thigh back at the joint to remove the thighs and drumsticks from the carcass.
If you’re having trouble seeing where the joint meets (or where the joint separates), make another cut just above where the thighs meet the body and toward the joint.
If desired, use your knife to separate the drumsticks from the thighs.
Step 4: Remove the wings
Finally, pull the wings away from the rest of the bird’s body. Use your knife to separate them at the junction.
If you want to eat the chicken in pieces (instead of shredding), leave the pieces as is or cut into smaller slices, if you like. Otherwise, continue to the next section to learn how to shred the chicken!
How to shred fried chicken (or fried chicken).
To shred the chicken, first remove the bones from the thighs and drumsticks. Shred with two forks chicken Breast, leg and drumstick meat.
It works best if you almost insert the forks together as you pierce the meat, then pull them away from each other at the same time.
Fried chicken recipe ideas
There are countless dishes you can make with cooked and/or shredded chicken, such as: B. Chicken Salad, Wraps/Sandwiches, Stir Fry, Burritos, Salads and more!
Here are some delicious chicken recipes to try:
How long should a chicken rest before carving?
If you prepare a whole chicken at home before cutting it up, it’s best to let it rest for 15 minutes before carving.
This allows the juice to settle so it doesn’t spill out when you cut the chicken. Nobody wants to eat dry chicken!
If you’re using a roast chicken or par-cooked chicken, you don’t need to let it rest.
Now that you know exactly how to carve a chicken, you can rest assured that you’re using all of the meat (rather than leaving some on the bone to go to waste!).
Of course, once you’ve removed the meat, you can use the remaining carcass to make chicken broth. So there really is no need to waste any of it. 🙂
I hope this guide has made the chicken carving process easier for you!
Do you have a favorite boiled chicken/fried chicken recipe? Let me know in the comments!
Looking for more chicken recipes? Check out these: