How I Break Down a Rotisserie Chicken in 5 Minutes — Fast, Clean, No Waste, by Josh & Jordan’s Kitchen on YouTube. 5 min 1 s.
- Video length
- 5 min 1 s
- Time to do it
- 5 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 9
What you need
Steps
Set a cutting board on a stable, flat surface. Put out a chef's knife, one bowl for meat, one for skin and scraps, and a container for the carcass.
Start with the dark meat. Pull each leg quarter away from the body by hand until the joint gives, then set the piece aside on the board.
Pick the thigh meat off each leg quarter with your fingers. Drop the meat in one bowl and the skin and gristle in the scraps bowl.
Twist off the drumsticks and wings the same way. Pull the meat from the bones and add it to the meat bowl.
Put every bone, skin and scrap into the container for stock. Keep it separate from the meat so nothing goes to waste.
Run your fingers along the breastbone to loosen the breasts, then lift each one off whole with your hand or the knife.
Put the whole breasts in the meat bowl, or move straight to slicing if you want even pieces for sandwiches and salads.
Slice the breast across the grain into half inch pieces with the chef's knife, or pull it into shreds with two forks.
Check the carcass for any meat still clinging to the bones, add it to the bowl, then clear the board.
Tips and common mistakes
Let the chicken sit for 5 to 10 minutes before you start so it is cool enough to handle without burning your fingers.
Keep the skin out of the meat bowl, since it turns soft and makes the shredded chicken greasy.
Shred the meat with two forks while it is still warm, as it pulls apart much faster.
Cool the meat within two hours and store it in a sealed container in the fridge.
Questions
Can you shred rotisserie chicken instead of slicing it?
Yes. Pull the warm meat apart with two forks or your fingers, which takes about a minute per breast. Slicing with a knife gives neater pieces for sandwiches.
What can you do with the bones and skin?
Simmer them in water with onion, carrot and celery for 1 to 2 hours, then strain. That gives you a simple chicken stock from a bird you already paid for.
Do you need a sharp knife for this?
Not for the dark meat, since your hands do most of the work. A chef's knife helps lift the breasts off cleanly and slice them into even pieces.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
