Deboning a Chicken Thigh

By: Allrecipes Staff

Removing the bone from a chicken thigh is more than just a quick and easy process: it is an excellent way to cut down actual cooking time. Spend a few moments in the kitchen boning a chicken completely, and you are well on your way to a series of quick and easy meals.

1. Use a standard, sharp kitchen knife to slice through the joint where the thigh and drumstick meet. The cartilage at this joint is extremely soft, so your knife should feel little resistance.

2. The leg has now been split into thigh and drumstick pieces. The drumstick can be boned using the exact same method as boning the thigh.

3. Make an incision along the top of the bone. Deepen the incision by slicing into the thigh until your knife reaches bone. The bone will be visible through the incision: it will be white and very firm.

4. Grasp the now partially disconnected bone and pull it up and away from the thigh so you can slice underneath the remaining bone. You will feel the bone begin to loosen from the thigh. Make the necessary cuts to remove the bone completely from the thigh.

5. Slice the meat away from the bone by making several short cuts with your knife. As the meat comes free, use your fingers to pull it clear of the bone.

6. Continue slicing until you have removed any unwanted bits of bone, sinew, tendons, and skin (if desired). The thigh is now ready to be used in your favorite chicken recipes.

Comments

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gabbyde99

Sep. 1, 2009 11:43 am

If you want the chiken for the grill dont cut apart the thigh from drumstick. I like mi chicken light so as Im taking the bone out I also take the fat off.

Shannon

Sep. 14, 2009 7:00 pm

This doesn't look so hard. What was I so afraid of??? :-)

Zap

Sep. 29, 2009 12:02 pm

Easy peazy! Simplest boning of any chicken piece! And in my humble opinion, it's the best tasting piece of the bird ... the indivually, prefrozen, boneless and skinless bags of thighs that Safeway sells are awesomely convenient to utilize and are easily stored in the freezer ...

Zap

Sep. 29, 2009 12:02 pm

(uh, I meant "individually"!)

Mike Blair

Oct. 23, 2009 12:05 am

I finally decided to learn to bone my own thighs a couple months ago, because I love boneless thighs, but HATE paying the price. Turns out, it's not so hard, and if you buy a bunch of them, you can IQF them, and the bones are great for making homemade chicken stock, saving even more money!