How to Debone a Cornish Hen Without Cutting Him Open
The Cornish hen is a hybrid chicken, which is just large enough for one serving. They are typically sold whole in the grocery stores because of their small in size. Deboning your Cornish hen at home can help to cut cost, since you won't have to pay for the professionals to do the job for you. When your bird is fully deboned and prepared, you can proudly display your work of art. All that are needed to debone your Cornish hen without cutting it open are some basic tools and a special technique. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Clean and was wash your Cornish hen. Place the bird on a clean cutting board with its back facing up. Use a sharp deboning knife to slice the skin, starting from the neck to the bottom. Firmly pull one side of the skin until you get to the chest of the hen.
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Flip the Cornish hen over and point your knife downward, then slightly cut into the surrounding flesh of the chest to get to the ribcage. Pull out the ribcage carefully, while occasionally working the knife between the rib and the flesh. Remove the wishbone from the bird also. The wishbone is the the Y shaped bone located at the head end of the breast.
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Remove the shoulder blades by inserting your hands in the opening of the neck. Use your fingers to snap the end of the collarbone that is attached to each shoulder blade, then pull it out of the bird.
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Free the thighbone from the carcass of the bird by twisting the leg bones to dislodge the ball and socket joints. Put your hands inside the the neck opening of the Cornish hen. Feel around for the wing bones and twist them until they are free. Remove the bones and place them one side.
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Flip the burn over and neatly sew the back of the skin together. You can then stuff your Cornish hen with the stuffing of your choice until you achieve the normal shape of the bird.
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Tips & Warnings
Prevent cross contamination by keeping work surfaces and tools clean before and after each use.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images