Removing the bones in a chicken while preserving the intact shape of a chicken is a lot easier than it seems. By learning how to use a knife properly and finding the points to separate the joints, you'll have no trouble keeping the shape of the chicken you're about to cook. You can learn the complexities of the process and simplify it yourself so that it better suits your style, so you don't have to do it like a French chef. Check out the steps below to learn how to remove the chicken bones.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Getting Ready
Step 1. Make sure you use a sharp knife made specifically for removing the bones
Keep your cleavers and kitchen knives on the kitchen shelf to carry out this process. To properly remove the chicken bones, use a suitable knife that is sharp enough so that it can be used to remove the bones inside the chicken, as well as scrape off any tight joints.
Step 2. Place the chicken breast side facing the cutting board
Find the spine. You should be able to find the spine easily with your finger, then carefully position the bone-removing knife to the side where the bone is. Use the spine as a guide, and begin the process by sticking your knife through the skin of the chicken to make a starting point.
You may find it easier if you cut the skin from a few different positions, then flip the blade over and cut the skin from the inside. You'll also find it easier if you only cut in one direction (left or right) when you start at the backbone point
Step 3. Start cutting to one side of the rib
Grasp the skin of the chicken with one hand, and carefully separate the meat from the bones! Then pull the bone out.
Start by grasping the skin in the area of the spine that is farthest from you. Cut as close as possible to the bone you want to remove with your knife
Step 4. Remove the fork bones
When you start removing the ribs from the chicken, you'll find the fork bones. Rotate your chicken so that the neck hole is facing you, then thread your knife around the fork bone to loosen it, then pull it out.
The forkbones are very fragile, and may break when you try to remove them. That's okay, just make sure you remove any bits and pieces of bone that's left in it
Step 5. Continue cutting, and find the wing bones and leg bones of the chicken
Continue cutting from the point of the ribs, and slowly work your way back, sideways, and towards the chest. You will feel the joints of the wings and legs as you move through them, which you need to be careful to separate them from, and then you throw them away.
Work carefully, slowly, and use pressure to separate the meat from the ribs so that the meat can be caught by the knife. Make the cut as small as possible, being careful not to cut through the other side (the chest side). Continue the splitting process until you reach the joints of the chicken legs and wings
Step 6. Turn the chicken over and do the same
Start by cutting from the other side of the spine, and using your knife as before, and do this before you start separating the wings and leg joints.
Alternatively, you can move on to the next step by separating the leg and wing joints before you work on the other side. Save the step of removing the bones until you have removed all of the chicken ribs, then you will be able to cut the wings and leg bones more easily
Part 2 of 3: Removing the Wings and Legs
Step 1. Disconnect the wing joints and cut into them
Grasp the wings with one hand, and the chicken body around the chicken joint with the other hand. Bend and rotate the chicken wings slightly until the joints break off, then cut them inward using the tip of a knife. Find the distance between the bone and the joint, apply a little pressure, then the wing joint should break. Continue your work by continuing to cut down the bottom until you get to the legs.
Step 2. Break the joints of the legs and cut them into them
Grasp the leg with one hand, and the chicken body around the chicken leg with the other. Bend and rotate the chicken leg slightly until the joint breaks, then cut it inward using the tip of a knife. Find the distance between the bone and the joint, apply a little pressure, and then the wing joint should break, much like you did with the wing.
Step 3. Find the soft bone
Chickens have soft bones in the breast, usually very close to the fore skin. You are advised to be very careful not to damage the skin at this stage. If you haven't already worked on the spine on the other side, do so now. When you're done, you should be nearing the completion of separating the bones from the meat, with only a few steps remaining.
- Be careful not to separate the meat from the soft bones. Use your knife to scrape the area around the bone. You should use the knife in a gentle, slow motion, not piercing and tearing the chicken violently. When you cut in the area around the soft bone, pull out the ribs that have been cut and discard the bone.
- You can also use the ribs you take out to make chicken stock or soup.
Step 4. Remove the wing bones
At this point you should have almost boneless meat, but still have the leg and wing bones intact. To remove the wing bones, cut off the tip of the wing with your knife and push the bone toward where the ribs were previously. Use your knife to scrape away any flesh that is sticking to the bone, then remove the bone.
Usually, removing the meat from the bones using a knife is easier than the other complicated methods. This way, you'll be able to clean the meat cleaner from the bones and finish it faster. Keep scraping the flesh at the small bones until you can pull it out
Step 5. Remove the leg bones
To remove the leg bones including the femur, separate the flesh from the femur, which should be visible from the point where you separated the joint from the ribs. Slowly and carefully, you should be able to separate the upper and lower thigh bones together and in one piece. Push up to find the end, and start scraping off the flesh adhering to the bone until you reach the knee. Slice the area around the knee to remove the layer of tissue present in that area, then continue to clean the flesh from the bone as thoroughly as possible.
When you reach the ankle, place the bone standing sideways and crush it, so that the remaining femur can be removed, but the ankle bone is left to maintain the shape of the skin in the cooking process and not separate from the meat. Certain people choose to leave the chicken leg with the bone unscathed for food display purposes. This depends on your taste
Step 6. Clean
Rub your hand over the surface of the meat to find bone fragments and leftover soft bones or other things you can throw away to make the dish tastier. After this, you finally have boneless chicken!
The bones and other parts you remove are great if you want to use them in making chicken stock. Put everything in a pot of water, turn on the heat and let the boiling water infuse the chicken flavors for a few hours. This will give you a delicious chicken stock that you can use to cook soups or stews
Part 3 of 3: Cooking Boneless Chicken
Step 1. Fill the chicken with batter, sew the chicken so that there are no gaps, and bake the chicken
The most popular way to cook boneless chicken is to fill it with as many different ingredients as you want, sew it with kitchen thread, and bake it in the oven. Here is the basic recipe:
- Make your favorite filling dough using bread, celery, onion, sausage and other ingredients that suit your taste buds. Season the chicken with both internal and external salt, and also use pepper and spices to give it a delicious taste. Put the stuffed dough that you have prepared into the chicken with a spoon.
- Use a needle on a paperclip, and sew the stuffed chicken inside. Start at the neck and pull the thread through the skin and flesh from both sides, making sure the seam threads don't loosen in the cooking process. Finish with a knot to hold the sides together, then sew towards the inner layers. Alternatively, you can sew your chicken before filling it with dough.
- After that, brush the outside of the chicken with olive oil or butter and roast the chicken at 190 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes for every 1 pound of meat.
Step 2. Make the Chicken Galantine
Chicken Galantine is basically boneless chicken that has been stuffed with stuffed dough that has been boiled in broth or grilled. In general, the filling used is green vegetables, herbs, and several types of beans. Usually Chicken Galantine is also served with aspik which is cut into several parts, then served as part of a portion of Charcuterie dishes.
Step 3. Season and roast the chicken whole
If you're in the summer and you're ready with your grill, boneless chicken can be a substitute for grilled chicken with boned pieces. You can cook the chicken whole at once, flip it over and drizzle with grill sauce or beer while waiting for it to cook, then serve on bread.
To make things easier for you, place the chicken in a flat skillet, or another skillet with a thick bottom, so you can get the roasted chicken to cook evenly
Step 4. Creating a Tur-duck-en
If you go to the section of the market that sells boneless whole meats, buy turkey, duck, and chicken, all boneless whole. Turducken is a dish where you put the chicken in the duck, and then put the duck in the turkey. If you cook for a crowd, or maybe if you are a poultry lover. Why not?
