How To Debone a Chicken

Place the chicken squarely on its back on the cutting board with its legs spread outward.

Grasp the knife in your dominant hand, holding the handle close to the blade with three fingers: your middle, ring, and pinkie. Curl your forefinger around one side of the blade while holding your thumb on the opposite side.

Pull the wings out on both sides of the bird, and cut the tips off at the joint.

Grab the end of the drumstick and cut between the top of the leg and the breast.

Applying downward pressure, continue to score along the skin and meat of the leg—which contains the thigh and drumstick—until the joint is exposed.

With your free hand, twist the thigh back until the joint pops loose.

Free the leg by following with your knife the line of the breast from the tail to beneath the wingtip.

Cut down the length of leg from the top of the thighbone down.

Stand the leg on end and begin cutting the meat away from the bone. Make a small series of cuts, turning the bone often and pulling the flesh as you go.

Trim around the knee joint and continue cutting along the bone to loosen and free the meat all the way to the end of the drumstick. Set the bone to one side and the meat to another.

Turn the bird on its side so the wing is nearest to you.

Insert your knife behind the wing joint and cut forward, separating the wing from the body.

Continue to score forward on a diagonal, freeing the breast from the bone underneath until the entire portion is released.

Following the edge of the wing joint, slice through the meat and tendons attaching the wing to the breast and separate the two pieces. Set the wing to one side, with the leg bones, and set the breast meat to the other.

The boneless thighs and breasts are now ready to be sliced, diced, chopped, or stuffed—because this goose is cooked.