Here is a way to take all the bones out of a chicken. Even a medium sized shop bought chicken will give up a lot of meat if boned out this way, and it will work out considerably cheaper than buying ready boned chicken breasts.
Start out with one regular medium chicken
Turn the chicken onto it's front.
Make a cut along it's back bone, all the way from it's neck right down to the tail
Using the tip of your knife, begin to cut the flesh away from the carcass. Think about the shape of the bird and follow the ribs etc as close as you can
As you get to the legs, you will come accross the ball/socket joint.
Put the tip of your knife into the joint and give a twist of your wrist and it should pop right out. these can be a bit stiff, so don't be afraid to give it some leverage.
It should pop out like this.
Continue to cut into the bird close to the carcass all the way round.
Where the shoulder bones meet the carcass, there is a piece of white cartlidge. Cut through this (on both shoulders) and work the flesh away from the bottom of the carcass
You can now simply peel the carcass from the breasts.
the carcass is now removed.
Next to be removed are the leg bones.
Feel the flesh for the bones underneath and simply make a couple of cuts down to the top of the bones. Use your fingers to push the flesh away from the bones and use your knife to cut around the knuckle joint and to remove the bones
The outer wings can come off too if you like. Feel for the joint....
And cut through (it's usually quite soft)
To remove the wing bone, simply make a cut right along the bone
Again, use your fingers to prise the flesh away, and your knife for any hard to remove bits and to finally cut the bone away from the flesh.
That just leaves the wishbone to be removed.
And here is the fully boned out chicken.
Now we can begin to skin the chicken. Simply work the knife between the meat and the skin, or use your fingers, cutting only where it is hard to peel away. the picture shows me peeling the leg meat
Now we do the same for the breast meat.
Don't be afraid to get a good hold on the skin and push the meat away. The skin is really quite tough.
Use you knife to cut between the breast meat and the wing meat.
now cut the breasts in half and renmove the wing meat with your knife as it's hard to peel off.
Now you have the fully boned and skined chicken.
And lastly, so as not to waste anything, use the bones, wings etc for making stock.
All birds are pretty much the same shape, so can be boned in the same way. larger birds like Turkeys and Geese will have tough leg tendons that will have to be cut out, but Chickens and smaller birds are usually ok.
Start out with one regular medium chicken
Turn the chicken onto it's front.
Make a cut along it's back bone, all the way from it's neck right down to the tail
Using the tip of your knife, begin to cut the flesh away from the carcass. Think about the shape of the bird and follow the ribs etc as close as you can
As you get to the legs, you will come accross the ball/socket joint.
Put the tip of your knife into the joint and give a twist of your wrist and it should pop right out. these can be a bit stiff, so don't be afraid to give it some leverage.
It should pop out like this.
Continue to cut into the bird close to the carcass all the way round.
Where the shoulder bones meet the carcass, there is a piece of white cartlidge. Cut through this (on both shoulders) and work the flesh away from the bottom of the carcass
You can now simply peel the carcass from the breasts.
the carcass is now removed.
Next to be removed are the leg bones.
Feel the flesh for the bones underneath and simply make a couple of cuts down to the top of the bones. Use your fingers to push the flesh away from the bones and use your knife to cut around the knuckle joint and to remove the bones
The outer wings can come off too if you like. Feel for the joint....
And cut through (it's usually quite soft)
To remove the wing bone, simply make a cut right along the bone
Again, use your fingers to prise the flesh away, and your knife for any hard to remove bits and to finally cut the bone away from the flesh.
That just leaves the wishbone to be removed.
And here is the fully boned out chicken.
Now we can begin to skin the chicken. Simply work the knife between the meat and the skin, or use your fingers, cutting only where it is hard to peel away. the picture shows me peeling the leg meat
Now we do the same for the breast meat.
Don't be afraid to get a good hold on the skin and push the meat away. The skin is really quite tough.
Use you knife to cut between the breast meat and the wing meat.
now cut the breasts in half and renmove the wing meat with your knife as it's hard to peel off.
Now you have the fully boned and skined chicken.
And lastly, so as not to waste anything, use the bones, wings etc for making stock.
All birds are pretty much the same shape, so can be boned in the same way. larger birds like Turkeys and Geese will have tough leg tendons that will have to be cut out, but Chickens and smaller birds are usually ok.
