How to Get the Bag of Giblets From the Chicken

Giblets are inside the chicken's body cavity.

Whole chickens are sold with the giblets, which include the heart, liver and gizzard, wrapped in a little paper bag. The giblets can be added to chicken gravy or sauces or made into a rich smooth pate. More squeamish cooks simply throw them away. Whatever your intention, it is best to remove the bag before roasting the whole chicken.

Instructions

1. Defrost the chicken if frozen; the giblets are impossible to remove from a frozen carcass. Place the frozen chicken in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours.

   An alternative is to keep the chicken in its store wrapping and place in a sink full of cold water. Change the water every 30 minutes. The chicken should be defrosted in 2 hours.

   You could also use the defrost cycle on your microwave oven.

2. Open the plastic bag and remove the chicken. Throw out the bag. It's best to do this over the kitchen sink to catch any liquid that comes out of the bag.

3. Set the chicken on a cutting board so the breast side is up. There are two cavities in a dressed chicken. The body cavity is found between the chicken legs. Reach in and feel for the bag of giblets with your fingers. Grasp it by closing your fingers around the bag with the bag held against your palm. Pull it out of the chicken and toward you. If the bag of giblets isn't in the body cavity, it will be in the neck cavity.

4. Turn the chicken so the legs are pointing away from you. There is a small cavity where the neck was attached to the chicken. It is covered by a large flap of skin. Pull the flap up and look underneath it. Remove the bag of giblets by grasping it with your hand.

Tips & Warnings

• Occasionally chickens are sold without the bag of giblets.

• Some chickens are sold with the giblets left loose inside the body cavity and not in a bag.

• Wash your hands, cutting board, knife and any surfaces the chicken touched with a kitchen disinfectant.