Cutting Apart a Whole Turkey
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- The easiest and smoothest way to easily and smoothly separate the turkey breast from everything else is with a sharp chef’s knife.
- Skip down to the next method if you only cooked a turkey breast rather than the entire bird!
2 Remove the legs and thighs with a sharp knife. Cut through the skin between the thighs and the breast. Push down on the legs and thighs to bend them away from the breast and expose the joints. Slice through the joints with a sharp knife and set the legs and thighs aside.[2]
- If you want to carve up the thigh later as well, you can do so now by cutting through the joint that connects it to the drumstick.
- The knife ought to be large enough to make a complete cut in one motion.
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3 Pull out the wishbone with your fingers. Flip the breast around so the front is facing you (and still still breast-up). Reach into the neck cavity with your fingers, feel for the wishbone, and try to pull it out. Use the tip of your knife to help cut it free from the meat if you can’t pull it out right away.[3]
- The “Y”-shaped collar bone in front of the breast is known as the wishbone. The turkey breast will be much easier to carve after the wishbone has been removed.
4 Cut the wings off the breast. Bend a wing to the side to expose the joint that connects it to the breast, then cut through it with one clean slice. Repeat this for the other wing to finish preparing the turkey breast for carving.[4]
- You can leave the wings intact to be eaten whole. They are the part of a whole turkey that is least meaty and most crispy.
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Most grocery stores sell already cut and packaged turkey parts like wings, legs, and breasts, but buying a whole bird and carving it at home is typically more cost-effective. The turkey should be thoroughly chilled so that it can be cut up more easily. To ensure proper results, a heavy-duty kitchen shears and a sharp knife are both necessary.
To remove a turkey wing, pull it away from the body and make a cut in the hollow space between the wing and the breast. To release the wing from the body, cut through the exposed wing joint (shoulder joint) while continuing to pull on the wing. The process can be repeated for the other wing.
Turkey tenderloins may be cut from each breast half. They are situated next to the keel bone on the inside of each breast half. The tenderloin is an easily separated muscle from the rest of the breast meat that has a long, cylindrical shape. Before cooking, the tenderloin’s middle tendon needs to be removed. Make swiping cuts along the meat attached to the length of the tendon as you pull on the tendon’s end.
The back of the turkey carcass remains after the wings, legs, and breast have been cut off. Some of the meat and skin can be removed and used in soups and casseroles or ground. The bones and any remaining meat can be used for stock after the desirable portions have been eliminated.
Carving a Turkey Breast Off the Bone
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When you carve a turkey breast properly, you can remove the most meat from the bone. To make it simpler to access the breast meat, you must first remove the legs, wings, and breastbone. Set the turkey breast-up on a plate or cutting board once that is finished. Use a sharp kitchen knife to cut down the side of the breastbone and ribs. Slice the separated breast half across the grain of the meat or by pulling it away from the bone. Finish by repeating the same process on the other side. Scroll down for tips on how to pick the best knife for carving a turkey breast!
FAQ
How do you carve half a turkey breast?
Ask the butcher to split a turkey in half if it’s too large for your family, as we have frequently suggested to readers. After that, you can only cook half as much at once. This is how the butcher will cut your turkey in half so that you can see how it will be done. Because my family can’t consume a whole turkey at once, we ask them to cut it in half.
