How to Carve a Roasted Chicken with Kitchen Shears, by Andrew Zimmern on YouTube. 5 min 15 s.
- Video length
- 5 min 15 s
- Time to do it
- 10 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Let the chicken rest on the cutting board for 10 to 15 minutes after it comes out of the oven so the juices settle and the meat is cool enough to handle.
Pat your hands and the shears dry with paper towels. Wet hands slip on a greasy bird and make the cuts harder to control.
Turn the chicken breast side down and snip through the skin and thin bones along one side of the backbone, from the tail end up to the neck.
Repeat on the other side of the backbone, then lift the backbone out and set it aside for stock.
Open the bird flat and cut down the middle through the breastbone to split it into two halves, or leave it whole for a spatchcocked plate.
Cut through the skin between the leg and the body, then snip through the hip joint to free each whole leg. Separate the thigh from the drumstick at the visible joint line if you like.
Snip the wings away from the breast at the shoulder joint. Save the wingtips for stock or discard them.
Slice each breast half across the grain into two or three pieces, then arrange everything on a warm platter and spoon over any resting juices.
Tips and common mistakes
Cut through the joints, not the thick bones, so the shears stay sharp and the pieces look clean.
Keep the shears pointing away from your fingers and cut on a board, never in your hand, since poultry shears are sharp.
Save the backbone, wingtips and any scraps in a bag in the freezer for stock.
A pair of poultry shears with a spring or a bone notch makes the backbone cut much easier than ordinary scissors.
Questions
Can I carve the chicken with a knife instead?
Yes. A sharp chef's knife works well for slicing the breast, but shears make the backbone and joint cuts quicker and safer. Use whichever you handle most comfortably.
Do I have to remove the backbone?
No. You can simply cut off the legs, wings and breast and leave the frame in one piece. Removing the backbone just gives you flat halves that plate neatly.
How long should the chicken rest before carving?
About 10 to 15 minutes under loose foil. Resting keeps the juices in the meat instead of running out onto the board.
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.
