How to Truss a Chicken Without String

Trussed chicken cooks more evenly, looks neater and carves easier than untrussed chicken. Most recipes direct the cook to truss a chicken with string, and the process is pretty complicated. Here's an easier way to truss poultry using only skewers. No string required.

Things You'll Need

• Chicken
• Paper towels
• 1 to 4 skewers

Instructions

1. Remove the chicken from its packaging. Check inside the body cavity for giblets. If they're included with your chicken, remove them and set them aside for use in other recipes.

2. Rinse the chicken thoroughly inside and out under cold running tap water. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.

3. Place your chicken breast side down on a clean, nonporous surface. Porous surfaces, like wooden cutting boards, can harbor harmful bacteria.

4. Fold each wing back so that the tip is next to the body. Secure the tips in the flaps of skin between the wings and the breast. If the wings refuse to stay put, insert a skewer in each one to keep them close to the body.

5. Drive a steel or bamboo skewer through the skin of both legs to bind them together.

6. Pull any excess skin around the neck down over the opening of the body cavity and secure it with a skewer, for recipes with stuffing.

Tips & Warnings

• If you use wooden skewers to truss your chicken, soak them in water for at least 30 minutes prior to use. Wooden skewers may ignite when you cook the chicken if you don't soak them first.

• Metal skewers can get and stay extremely hot during cooking. Use the utmost caution when you remove them.