turkey day is just one week away. and you have already learned to beautifully roast a whole chicken. you can apply those same roasting rules to your roasted turkey, you just cook it a little longer (additional time depends on the weight of your bird, click HERE for more info). but the moral of the story is, now what? 

sure you could rip it apart like a savage, but what kind of tip would that be?  

let’s start with a little pep talk. YOU GOT THIS. breaking down a bird is definitely something not all of us are doing on a daily basis, but you CAN do this. all you need is a sharp knife (helps you keep that delicious skin in tact) and that gorgeous bird.

follow this step by step to easily and quickly get as much of that delicious meat off the bone as you can.  

how to break down whole roast chicken

ingredients: whole roast chicken. sharp chefs knife or santoku knife. platter for serving. 

start by clearing a work surface and setting your platter near by. the chicken will be juicy when you cut into it, so keep that in mind. allow your chicken to cool for 15-25 minutes so that it is cool enough to handle.

when you are ready to go, start by setting your sights on the drumstick (the leg) and the thigh which are connected.

with your knife, gently cut along the line where the thigh meets the chicken to release the skin and the meat of the thigh from the rest of the chicken.

once you have separated the skin, use your hands to pull the drumstick and thigh out of the joint by pulling it away from the bird.

once you have pulled the bone out of the joint, you should easily be able to cut the thigh from the body. once you have removed the thighs and drumsticks from both sides, work on separating the drumstick and thigh.

flip them over and find that fatty section where the thigh and drumstick meet. slice along that line and separate the two. set them aside on a platter.

then, head over to the wings. pull the wing away from the breasts until you pull the wing out of the joint.

slice the wing from the body. do the same to the other side.

find the breastbone to use as a guide for slicing off your breasts.

slice from the breast bone, down, separating the breast from the carcass. do the same on the other side.

set all your bits on a platter and serve them up hot. RESERVE your carcass to make THE BEST chicken stock. if you don’t have time to make the stock in the next couple days, put it in the freezer and reserve to make at a later date.

xo, a

how to break down whole roast chicken

ingredients: whole roast chicken. sharp chefs knife or santoku knife. platter for serving. 

start by clearing a work surface and setting your platter near by. the chicken will be juicy when you cut into it, so keep that in mind. allow your chicken to cool for 15-25 minutes so that it is cool enough to handle. when you are ready to go, start by setting your sights on the drumstick (the leg) and the thigh which are connected. with your knife, gently cut along the line where the thigh meets the chicken to release the skin and the meat of the thigh from the rest of the chicken. once you have separated the skin, use your hands to pull the drumstick and thigh out of the joint by pulling it away from the bird. once you have pulled the bone out of the joint, you should easily be able to cut the thigh from the body. once you have removed the thighs and drumsticks from both sides, work on separating the drumstick and thigh. flip them over and find that fatty section where the thigh and drumstick meet. slice along that line and separate the two. set them aside on a platter. then, head over to the wings. pull the wing away from the breasts until you pull the wing out of the joint. slice the wing from the body. do the same to the other side. find the breastbone to use as a guide for slicing off your breasts. slice from the breast bone, down, separating the breast from the carcass. do the same on the other side. set all your bits on a platter and serve them up hot. RESERVE your carcass to make THE BEST chicken stock. if you don’t have time to make the stock in the next couple days, put it in the freezer and reserve to make at a later date.

stop right now! stop thinking that a whole roasted chicken must be super hard and intimidating. roasting a whole chicken requires about 20 minutes of prep and is worth EVERY SECOND. there is NOTHING like making your own whole chicken to either feed a family of five or to last you for multiple meals. not only that, you can use all the leftovers to make the most delicious home made chicken stock.

i promise you, making your own roast chicken is a GAME changer.

and since i want to make this really EASY and approachable for those, non believers, i’m going to break this down for you in three parts.

roasting the chicken. carving the chicken. making the stock.

so grab that chicken, and here we go!

roasted whole chicken

serves: 6-8

prep time: 20 minutes

roast time: 1 hour 30 minutes

inactive time: 20 minutes

ingredients. 5-6 lb whole chicken (remove any giblets that might be in the cavity). 2 cups chicken stock. .25 cup garlic herb butter. 1 brown onion, halved and sliced. 2 lbs yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes. 1 lemon, sliced. half an orange, sliced. 10 garlic cloves, smashed. 10 sprigs of thyme. 1 tbs kosher salt. 1 tsp freshly ground pepper. butchers twine. baking sheet + roasting rack. aluminum foil. meat thermometer (optional).

start by preheating your oven to 425 degrees f. pat your chicken dry with paper towels, even the inner cavity. season the inside cavity and the skin with three fourths of the salt and pepper. use a sharp knife to make some slices in the fattiest parts of the chicken skin so that the fat can render there and the skin can become nice and crispy.

then, rub your chicken down all over with the butter and slide some bits under the skin and in those little slits you made for the fat to render. stuff the cavity with a few slices of onion, the garlic, thyme, lemon and orange.

use the butchers twine to tie up the legs of the chicken so that all that goodness stays in the cavity.

line your baking sheet with aluminum. place your potatoes and onions on the baking sheet and season with the rest of the salt and pepper. spread it out in an even layer.

place your chicken on a rack over the potato and the onions, breast side up. roast the chicken for about 1 hour and 30 minutes. every 30 minutes, check on your chicken and baste it with about 1 cup of stock. focus on pouring it over the breasts to cool them down. they are bearing the brunt of the heat and they are done at a lower temperature than the darker parts of the meat.

after about 1 hour and 15 minutes, check the internal temperature of your meat with a meat thermometer. once the thickest part of the thigh has reached 165 degrees f, your chicken is cooked. HOWEVER. once you remove your chicken from the oven, the temperature will actually continue to rise and cook the chicken for the first 5-10 minutes out of the oven. so once you get between 160-163, you should be good. if you do not have a meat thermometer, you can check for doneness by slicing into your meat and seeing if the juices that run out are clear. if the juices are clear, your chicken is good to go. once your remove your chicken from the oven, lightly tent it with aluminum foil. you want to keep it warm while it rests, but you don’t want the skin to get soggy. allow the chicken to rests for 15-20 minutes before slicing so the juices can reabsorb back into the meat.

xo, a

roasted whole chicken

serves: 6-8

prep time: 20 minutes

roast time: 1 hour 30 minutes

inactive time: 20 minutes

ingredients. 5-6 lb whole chicken (remove any giblets that might be in the cavity). 2 cups chicken stock. .25 cup garlic herb butter. 1 brown onion, halved and sliced. 2 lbs yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes. 1 lemon, sliced. half an orange, sliced. 10 garlic cloves, smashed. 10 sprigs of thyme. 1 tbs kosher salt. 1 tsp freshly ground pepper. butchers twine. baking sheet + roasting rack. aluminum foil. meat thermometer (optional).

start by preheating your oven to 425 degrees f. pat your chicken dry with paper towels, even the inner cavity. season the inside cavity and the skin with three fourths of the salt and pepper. use a sharp knife to make some slices in the fattiest parts of the chicken skin so that the fat can render there and the skin can become nice and crispy. then, rub your chicken down all over with the butter and slide some bits under the skin and in those little slits you made for the fat to render. stuff the cavity with a few slices of onion, the garlic, thyme, lemon and orange. use the butchers twine to tie up the legs of the chicken so that all that goodness stays in the cavity. line your baking sheet with aluminum. place your potatoes and onions on the baking sheet and season with the rest of the salt and pepper. spread it out in an even layer. place your chicken on a rack over the potato and the onions, breast side up. roast the chicken for about 1 hour and 30 minutes. every 30 minutes, check on your chicken and baste it with about 1 cup of stock. focus on pouring it over the breasts to cool them down. they are bearing the brunt of the heat and they are done at a lower temperature than the darker parts of the meat. after about 1 hour and 15 minutes, check the internal temperature of your meat with a meat thermometer. once the thickest part of the thigh has reached 165 degrees f, your chicken is cooked. HOWEVER. once you remove your chicken from the oven, the temperature will actually continue to rise and cook the chicken for the first 5-10 minutes out of the oven. so once you get between 160-163, you should be good. if you do not have a meat thermometer, you can check for doneness by slicing into your meat and seeing if the juices that run out are clear. if the juices are clear, your chicken is good to go. once your remove your chicken from the oven, lightly tent it with aluminum foil. you want to keep it warm while it rests, but you don’t want the skin to get soggy. allow the chicken to rests for 15-20 minutes before slicing so the juices can reabsorb back into the meat.