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Boning a Split Chicken Breast

Buying bone-in chicken breasts, and then removing the bones at home, is often the only option when your recipe requires boneless chicken breasts with skin intact. Here's an easy way to bone them.

Why would you want to bone chicken breasts when they’re available in every supermarket already boned? Answer: Because you want to cook boneless breasts with skin (which are far harder to find). In our recipe for crispy-skinned chicken breasts (see related content), removing the bones allows the entire surface of the meat to lie flat and even against the pan—a must for perfectly crispy skin.

1. With chicken breast skin side down, run tip of boning or sharp paring knife between breastbone and meat, working from thick end of breast toward thin end.

2. Angling blade slightly and following rib cage, repeat cutting motion several times to remove ribs and breastbone from breast.

3. Find short remnant of wishbone along top edge of breast and run tip of knife along both sides of bone to separate it from meat.

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