How To Carve A Turkey

It's as easy as 1, 2, 3!

The turkey is stuffed, cooked, and ready to eat. The holiday décor is on display, and your friends and family are surrounding the dinner table; there's only one thing left to do – carve the turkey. It may seem like a difficult task for the first-timer, but don't fret. We're here to walk you through the quick and easy steps.

How To Carve A Turkey
Southern Living

Things You'll Need

To properly carve the turkey, you'll need a carving board, a high-quality set of knives ( we're using Coutelier ), a platter, paper towels, and tongs.

Follow These Steps:

1: Remove turkey breasts

Locate the breastbone, and position your knife on one side of it. Slice in a downward motion as close to the bone as possible. When slicing, use your hand to pull the meat from the bone, until the breast comes off in one piece. Transfer it to the cutting board.

Step 2: Remove legs

Turn the turkey over, and slice through the skin that connects the legs to the bird. Grab the leg, and push down until the leg and thigh separates. Use the chef's knife to cut through the joint.

Step 3: Remove wings

Turn the turkey right side up, and using the chef's knife, slice through the joint to remove the wing. Transfer it to the platter. Tip: do not cut through bones; cut through joints

Step 4: Separate drumstick from thigh and remove thigh bone

Be sure to separate the drumsticks and the thighs by slicing through the joint that connects them. Tip: be careful when handling hot meat not to burn yourself.

Step 5: Slice breast and thigh meat

While on the cutting board, hold the thigh bone with tongs or your hands. Then, transfer the meat to the platter.

Step 6: Present on platter

Present the perfectly sliced turkey on a platter, and enjoy!

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