How to Carve a Chicken & Leave the Wishbone Whole
Carving a chicken is one of the most basic and essential skills to master when you are learning to cook. When a whole chicken is served, children (and sometimes adults) often argue over the wishbone, as superstition claims it can grant a wish. Unfortunately, most carving techniques require slicing right through this fragile bone. With one extra step, you can preserve the wishbone to bring a smile to one lucky diner. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Whole chicken
- Non-porous cutting board
- Sharp carving knife
- Kitchen shears
- Sink
- Platter
Instructions
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1
Gather your cutting board, knife and shears. Place your chicken onto the cutting board and set your platter nearby to hold the pieces.
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2
Reach into the cavity of the chicken and check for a giblet pack, which contains the kidneys, heart, liver and neck of the chicken. Put them aside to make gravy, throw them away or feed them to the family pet.
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3
Turn the chicken upside down and rinse the cavity thoroughly with water. Tip the chicken right side up and allow it to drain completely. Place the drained chicken onto the cutting board.
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4
Pull one of the chicken legs gently away from the body. With short motions and light pressure, run your carving knife from the top of the leg joint toward you. Slowly cut through the joint this way until you hit bone. Tip your knife up and use it to find the small joint where the thigh is actually connected to the body of the chicken. Slide your knife along this joint and press down with firm pressure to remove the chicken leg. Repeat this process to remove the other leg.
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5
Feel each leg with your fingers to find where the drumstick and thigh are attached. Place your knife on this joint and bear down to sever it. Move all of the leg pieces to your platter.
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6
Bend the wings until they separate from the chicken, or cut them at the joint with your knife. Place them onto your platter.
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7
Gently turn the chicken so that the breast is facing down and the backbone is facing you. Use your kitchen shears to cut along the spine from the neck opening to the cavity. Turn the chicken back over. Spread the side of your chicken out as much as possible so that you have access to all of the breast meat.
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Run the tip of your knife along the breastbone of the chicken from the cavity to the neck opening. Holding your knife at a 45 degree angle away from you, cut the breast away from the bird and remove them to your platter. When you reach the wishbone, stop. Carve the other side of the breast until you reach the wishbone. Carefully carve around the wishbone with the tip of your knife and remove it.
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References
- Photo Credit fatness of chicken image by Witold Krasowski from Fotolia.com
