Breaking down a turkey into individual parts is not only more affordable than buying the parts separately, but it’s a great method for roasting turkey. Roasting a whole turkey broken down into parts encourages even cooking and allows you to cook each piece to it’s ideal internal temperature.
Roasting a whole turkey often ends in dried out breast meat and undercooked thighs. Breaking down the bird before cooking leads to more evenly cooked deliciously crispy turkey. Follow this simple guide to break down a turkey into parts for faster roasting.
Why Break Down a Turkey?
Roasting a turkey whole creates issues
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The breast overcooks and dries out while the thighs remain underdone.
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The inner cavity never gets direct heat, preventing seasoning penetration
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It takes hours to roast a large bird, prolonging cook time.
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The skin never fully crisps up since areas are piled on top of each other.
Breaking down the turkey into parts solves these problems:
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The breast, thighs and wings all cook at the same rapid rate.
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Seasoning reaches all surfaces, inside and out.
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Parts roast quicker, in under 2 hours.
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All the skin gets direct heat contact to crisp up.
Step-By-Step Guide to Breaking Down a Turkey
Follow these simple steps to break down a whole turkey:
Prep the Turkey
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Start with a 12-14 lb turkey, thawed if frozen. Remove giblets and neck.
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Pat the turkey dry with paper towels, inside and out. Have a sharp chef’s knife ready.
Remove the Wings
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Grip a wing and pull it away from the breast to expose the joint.
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Cut through the joint to detach the whole wing from the body.
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Repeat with the other wing. Set wings aside.
Remove the Legs
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Cut through the skin connecting one leg to the turkey body.
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Pull the leg away from the carcass until the ball joint pops out of its socket.
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Slice through the ball joint to separate the whole leg.
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Remove the other leg the same way. Set legs aside.
Split the Breast
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For even cooking, split the breast in half lengthwise.
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Use kitchen shears to cut along one side of the breastbone.
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Repeat on the other side to remove the bone.
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Alternatively, leave the backbone attached for easier roasting.
Season the Parts
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Make a dry brine with salt, sugar, pepper and aromatics.
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Generously season the wings, legs and breast halves all over.
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Let sit 1 hour at room temperature or overnight chilled.
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Pat the parts dry again before roasting if chilled.
Roasting Broken Down Turkey Parts
Once broken down and seasoned, roast the parts at a high heat:
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Place wings, legs and breast pieces skin-side up on a baking sheet.
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Roast at 450°F for 30 minutes to crisp the skin.
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Reduce heat to 350°F and continue roasting approximately 20-30 minutes more.
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The breast should reach 160°F and thighs 175°F when done.
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Let rest 15 minutes before carving and serving.
Tips for Roasting Broken Down Turkey
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Use a sturdy rimmed baking sheet to fit all the parts.
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Elevate the parts on a wire rack for even roasting.
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Brush with oil or butter before roasting for crispier skin.
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Baste the parts with pan juices as they roast for extra moisture.
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Brown the skin under the broiler if needed right before serving.
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Cover loosely with foil as the parts rest to keep warm.
Why Broken Down Turkey Is Superior
Roasting a turkey in parts instead of whole provides huge benefits:
Faster cooking time – The parts roast in about an hour versus 4+ hours for a whole bird.
Even doneness – No overcooked breast or undercooked thighs. Everything finishes at once.
Ideal crispiness – All the skin gets direct heat contact, becoming crackling and brown.
Better seasoning – Spices and herbs can deeply penetrate the meat, not just coat the surface.
Easier carving – No struggling with a whole hot turkey; just slice up the ready parts.
More flexibility – Parts can be used in various dishes, like turkey tacos or pot pie.
Fewer leftovers – A smaller amount of meat means less waste for a small gathering.
While breaking down a whole turkey takes some initial effort, the rewards of evenly cooked, juicy meat and perfectly crisped skin are well worth it. With this technique, you can finally achieve turkey roasting perfection.
Separate Thighs from Drumsticks
This is an optional step, but if you want all individual cuts, you’ll need to separate the thighs from the drumsticks. Slice into thighs and drumsticks by cutting through joints at top of drumsticks.
You can roast a breast with the backbone attached , but we like to remove it and use it for stocks.
To remove the backbone, cut down the inside of the backbone until the knife hits the neck bone. Pull bakbone outward until the neck pops out of the joint. Cut around the joint to release the backbone (reserve for stock).
Alternatively, you can use kitchen shears to cut down the sides of the rib cage.
Place turkey breast-side up; cut along both sides of the breastbone, then cut and pull breast meat away from the keel bone (the plastic-like piece of cartilage). Remove and discard keel bone (or reserve for stock).
At this point, you can remove the turkey tenderloin from the breast. You can identify it by the thin white tendon running through the piece of meat. We generally keep the tenderloin attached to the breast.
In either case, we recommend removing the tendon from the tenderloin. To do so, get a firm grip on the small white end of the tendon and run your knife down alongside both sides, scraping it away and out of the turkey meat.
Arrange turkey pieces, skin side up, on wire rack set inside sheet pan.
We’ve got a great roast turkey breast recipe if you’d prefer to roast a bone-in breast. We use this recipe when we’re just roasting just the turkey breast.
- If at any point (aside from the ribs when removing the backbone) you are hitting a bone, stop and readjust. Don’t try to cut through bone (unless you have a sharp cleaver and don’t care about finesse). There IS a way to get around the bones by cutting through the joints. Use your hands to get in there and feel around—you’ll eventually find a path forward.
- Save any bits and bobs from the carcass (large and small) to make homemade turkey stock. We even use the neck. Once the stock is done, use it in gravy or leftover turkey soup.
Why Break Down a Turkey
Breaking down a turkey into individual parts does three things. First, it makes for a much shorter cooking time. Second, it gives you control over how long each section of the turkey is cooked. When the breast meat is done, pull it out of the oven so the dark meat and cook to it’s ideal temperature. And three, it makes carving the turkey after roasting so much easier.
We love using this method of breaking down a turkey and roasting turkey parts for Thanksgiving. It requires less time, less space in the oven and you can guarantee each bite of meat—both white meat and dark meat—is cooked perfectly.
You don’t need much to break down a turkey at home, but there are a few essentials:
- A very sharp knife. You can use a boning knife or a chefs knife—use whichever knife is sharpest in your kitchen.
- Paper towels are a must. Not only will you use them to pat the turkey dry, but you can also use a paper towel as a grib for steadying the slippery bird while cutting.
- A large plastic cutting board that you use only for cutting raw meat on. Do not cut raw meat on a wood cutting board—unless you use that board for only raw meat. Make sure it’s a large cutting board!
- We recommend having an instant-read thermometer on hand for cooking. It’s essential for temping all parts of the turkey.
Make sure you are working with a raw and thawed bird. Do not attempt this if the bird is frozen or partially frozen. Allow for 1 day of thawing in the refrigerator for every 4 pounds of weight. This means a 12-pound turkey will take about 3 days to thaw fully in the refrigerator.
Remove the neck and the giblets from inside the turkey cavity. Reserve for making homemade stock. Neck can most often be reached through the top opening. Giblets will be in a small bag accessible from the back opening.
Pat turkey dry with paper towels—this will make it easier to handle the bride.
To remove the turkey wings, flex one of the wings forward and run a knife between the wing joint and breast. Make small sweeping cuts until wing releases. If you hit bone, stop and reposition the wing. Pull it out a bit farther so you can cut where the joint meets the socket.
Repeat with the second wing.
Loosen legs by stretching them out. Press the skin into the leg crease to ensure skin covers the breast. Cut alongside the leg to slice through the skin and expose the connection between the leg and the breast.
Repeat with the second turkey leg.
Bend legs backwards until the ball joint pops out of socket (you should hear some popping). Cut up along the backbone, through joint socket and release the legs from the body.
Breaking Down a Whole Turkey
FAQ
How to break down a turkey for roasting?
How to break down turkey carcass?
How do you break a turkey into parts?
Learn how to break down a whole turkey into parts. You’ll end up with two breasts, two drumsticks, two thighs and two wings. Remove neck and giblets from turkey cavity; reserve for stock. Pat turkey dry with paper towels. Remove wings by flexing wing forward and running knife between the wing joint and breast.
What are the health benefits of ground turkey?
Ground turkey has multiple benefits. It is a good source of minerals, and B vitamins, rich in proteins, low in fat and it is lower in calories than common turkey.
Should you roast a broken-down Turkey in parts?
Roasting a broken-down turkey in parts has distinct benefits over roasting a whole bird. When I say “in parts,” I mean breaking it down into legs, wings, and a bone-in breast, and roasting these on a large rimmed baking sheet.
How do you cut a Turkey backbone?
With kitchen shears, cut down both sides of the backbone where it meets the rib cage and remove it. Place the bird breast-side up and press to flatten. Save the backbone and other trimmings, like the giblets in the cavity, to make stock for turkey soup.