DIY Debone And Stuff That Bird!

Let’s face it folks, it is so nice and easy (though not always affordable) to go pick out some already prepared chicken fillets or boneless and skinless frozen chicken pieces. But were the heck is the fun in that? I have always been one for convenience because of a chaotic work schedule, so I can’t bash the rummaging through the frozen food isle for some flash frozen meats. I did however discover that it is actually a lot easier and less expensive to debone your own chicken. I had the brilliant idea one night to attempt this as I was watching “Jacques Pepin’s Complete Technique” series. He seemed to whip right through and made a fantastic looking Galantine (galantine is a deboned chicken stuffed usually with ground meats like veal, pork, etc. so it comes out looking like pimento or pickle loaf). So here we go I thought. How much trouble can I get into anyway? This is also perfect for weekday meals, not only holidays.
I purchased a small chicken the next day at Safeway and set to the task. It really isn’t as bad as you my think. Check out what ensued. -->
Before hand I made a stuffing that consisted of the following:
Stuffing:
1 diced leek
2 diced stalks of celery
4 deli slices of black forest ham, diced
¼ cup diced dried figs
¼ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup mixed sliced almonds, walnuts, and sunflower seeds
2 tbs olive oil for sautéing
2 eggs (used as a binding agent)
Salt and cracked pepper to taste
2 cups of day old multi grain French Baguette cut into 1/4” croutons

Basically all you have to do is sauté everything together except the eggs and croutons. Let the mixture cool before stuffing and add the croutons and eggs for a slightly wetter mixture.

Alright, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, here is how to debone that chicken:

1.) Remove the wing tips with the chop of a chef’s knife or cleaver. Reserve them for stock.
2.) Locate the articulating point of what would be considered the forearm of the wing and cut there to separate the ball joint. At this point you can reserve those wing pieces for hot wings, stock, or making “Lollipops”, which is a French technique of removing one small bone and leaving the other, then peeling the flesh back to for a ball at the end, hence the term “lollipop”.

3.) Remove the wish bone by feeling around the neck opening and making 2 cuts following the wishbone to pull it out. Be careful because it may come out sharp since it is usually broken when the body is pressed for plucking.
4.) Flip the bird onto its breast side and make a long incision with you knife all the way down the back. You only need to really use a knife for scraping the meat from the bone and separating the shoulder and thigh sockets.
5.) Wiggle the shoulder to find the articulation point and cut the meat around it to expose the joint. Slip the blade between the ball and socket and separate the two.
6.) Grab the whole wing side, but your finger in the carcass and peel it downward to peel the skin and meat away from the carcass down until you see what is known as the “oyster” of the chicken (a small muscle area that looks like an oyster).
7.) Rotate the chicken so the other side is facing you, put your finger and middle fingers on each side of the sternum and pull down until the whole front is cleaned away.
8.) Cut the “oyster” and bring the knee higher up, then pull down to crack the ball and socket out. Cut the sinew holding the carcass to the thighs and remove the carcass. Reserve this for stock.
9.) Take you fingers and run them along the breast bone to remove the chicken fillets. Once removed you will notice the small sinews attached. Place a finger down to hold the sinew and scrap it with your knife to remove it from the fillets. Save the fillets because you will be using them to place back in the deboned chicken for more meat.
10.) Cut around the thigh bone to get a grip, then scrape the bone with you knife taking care not to shred the meat. Scrape the bone until you reach the drumstick articulation point.
11.) Cut around the articulation point and continue to scrap down towards the drumstick ball.
12.) Do not completely remove the drumstick knob or cut it because then the skin will shrink in cooking and stuffing with fall out. With the back of you knife, break the drumstick at the knob and pull the long thigh bone out.
13.) Back up top, cut around the bone of the shoulder to get a grip, then scrape the meat down and remove the shoulder/arm bone.

That’s it! You can now replace the fillets to help “re-organize mother nature” and flatten the meat out so everything is approximately at the same level for better cooking. You are now ready to stuff this bird. Place stuffing in the drumsticks and on the chicken so it all lays flat. You can then roll the chicken up and tie the bird up like you would a roast.

So there you have it folks, not to tough and a very good task for building your confidence with chicken. At this point I feel like I can conquer anything food related. And with that, my next hill to climb is the legendary “Turdurken”! A chicken stuffed in a duck that is then stuffed in a turkey and roasted.

Thanks for reading and wishing you best eating,
Bon Appétit