# How do you take the backbone out of a chicken?



## Barb L. (Sep 5, 2006)

How do you take the backbone out of a chicken ?  I have tried, but all I get is a split bird !   Clueless !!


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## thumpershere2 (Sep 5, 2006)

There are alot of help sites if you google carving chicken. Are you looking for help before or after cooking the chicken.


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## ChefJune (Sep 5, 2006)

Get yourself a pair of poultry shears.  Then you can snip, snip, snip up one side of the back and down the other.  I do that whenever I'm butterflying the bird.


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## Seven S (Sep 5, 2006)

i cut straight down either side of the chicken backbone with a chefs knife while the chicken is sitting in the upright "sitting" position on the cutting board.... this is how i was taught in culinary school


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## Barb L. (Sep 5, 2006)

Thanks all, will try both ways next time I need that backbone out !!


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## BreezyCooking (Sep 5, 2006)

I use sharp "kitchen shears", as opposed to "poultry shears", to cut up raw poultry, including snipping out the backbone.  I find them handier to work with on raw poultry & only use my poultry shears on cooked birds.


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## FryBoy (Sep 5, 2006)

I use kitchen scissors. I just flip the chicken on it's breast and make two parallel cuts on either side of the backbone, close to it. 

I have two pairs of kitchen scissors, an old Henckels pair and a newer Wusthof pair. It takes a little strength to cut through the bones. There are also poultry shears that look a bit more like garden shears and may make the job a little easier.


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## Gretchen (Sep 5, 2006)

Cutting on both sides of the backbone as others have described is the method. What are you making?


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## Barb L. (Sep 5, 2006)

Saw Bobby Flay and R.R. both do a whole chicken w/brick on top- one on the grill and one on stop top.  Just wanted to try it !   Thanks !


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