Follow this simple, methodical tutorial for How to Carve a Turkey. Using a sharp carving knife, carve one side completely before moving on to the second side. Anyone can do it!
Once you have your dream Thanksgiving Turkey out of the oven and resting, it’s time to carve that bird. A properly carved turkey is both convenient for your guests and impressive to look at when arranged on a serving plate at the dinner table.
It’s easy to do, too. Carving a turkey might sound intimidating, but once you understand the technique, you can methodically move through the bird. Work on one side at a time and you’ll be done in no time.
Carving a bone-in turkey breast requires some special techniques to yield beautifully sliced meat. With the right tools and step-by-step process, you’ll have professional results.
Why Learn to Carve a Bone-In Turkey Breast?
Cooking a whole bone-in turkey breast makes an elegant main course for smaller holiday gatherings or dinner parties year-round. Compared to a full turkey, a bone-in breast is quicker to thaw, cooks faster, and provides just the right amount for 4-6 people with minimal leftovers.
However, achieving tender, juicy meat in slices instead of shreds takes some finesse. Attempting to slice around the breastbone while it’s still attached leads to ragged, uneven portions. That’s why learning how to properly carve around and remove the breastbone is key.
Follow these steps to carve a bone-in turkey breast for picture-perfect presentations
Tools You’ll Need
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Cutting board – A large board with a moat or well is ideal to catch any juices
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Sharp knife – A long slicing or chef’s knife allows smooth, even cuts.
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Carving fork – Helps steady the turkey when carving.
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Instant-read thermometer – Ensures the turkey breast is fully cooked to 165°F.
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Let the Turkey Breast Rest
After roasting or baking, transfer the whole turkey breast to a cutting board and tent it with aluminum foil. Let rest 15-20 minutes so juices can redistribute evenly.
2. Place Turkey Breast Bone-Side Up
Situate the turkey vertically on the board with the breastbone facing up. Locate the breastbone running down the center.
3. Cut Alongside the Breastbone
Place your knife just to the outside of the breastbone. Cut down the length of the bone, using the fork to steady the turkey. Hug the blade closely along the bone without nicking it.
4. Repeat on the Other Side
Go back to the top and slice closely along the breastbone’s opposite side from top to bottom.
5. Remove the Breastbone
You should now have two halves with the breastbone exposed down the middle. Using your knife or fork, detach and lift out the breastbone. Reserve it for making broth or gravy.
6. Slice the Turkey Breast
With the bone removed, place each breast half skin-side up and slice crosswise across the grain into even portions.
Arrange artfully on a platter to serve. Pour any collected juices over the sliced meat.
Carving Tips for Best Results
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Letting the cooked turkey breast rest before carving is mandatory. This redistributes the juices evenly for moist, tender meat.
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Use a sharp, non-serrated knife. This allows long, smooth cuts rather than shredding the meat.
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Keep the turkey steady with a carving fork as you cut. This prevents slipping that can lead to uneven slices.
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Trace along the breastbone cleanly to yield nice halves. Ragged, loose cuts leave lots of meat behind on the bone.
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Cut turkey slices about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick across the grain. Consistent thickness cooks evenly later when reheating leftovers.
What to Do with the Breastbone
Don’t discard the breastbone after carving your turkey! Use it to prepare homemade turkey broth.
Here are some delicious options for putting the breastbone to use:
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Simmer it with veggies like onion, carrot, and celery to make turkey stock. Use for soups, gravy, or risotto.
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Add to a slow cooker with herbs and water to produce rich turkey broth overnight.
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Roast the bone at 400°F until browned, then boil to make concentrated turkey bone broth.
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Break up the bone and add to your dog’s food. An excellent source of calcium!
Getting every ounce of flavor and nutrition from your turkey includes using the bones. With delicious broth on hand, you’ll be set for easy meal prep all week.
Master Carving Bone-In Turkey Breast
With the right techniques, carving a bone-in turkey breast results in tender portions ready to serve family and guests. Tracing along the breastbone before removing it allows for even, attractive slices.
Use a sharp knife, take it slow, and refer back to these steps when tackling your next bone-in turkey breast. Proper carving showcases your culinary skills while delivering meat that is moist, tender, and rich with flavor.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: Plan for 1 ¼ pounds of turkey per person (some of the weight is from bones). This recipe assumes a 15-pound bird will feed about 12 people (about 1 ½ cups of turkey per person or 18 cups total). The math is 12 people x 1.25 pounds per person = 15-pound turkey.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: Get a jump start on your Thanksgiving prep with my easy Make Ahead Turkey recipe. First, roast, carve, and freeze the turkey in its juices. Then thaw, reheat, and make the gravy.
- Table-side carving: Follow this method if you prefer to carve the turkey at the table, rather than handle everything backstage. Just above the thigh and shoulder joints, carve a deep horizontal cut through the breast toward the bone to create a base cut. Starting near the breastbone, carve thin slices vertically, cutting downward to end each slice at the base cut.
- Ultimate Turkey Guide: Cook your best Thanksgiving menu (or Sunday dinner) ever. Brush up on how to buy, thaw, brine, and cook a turkey, plus learn how easy it is to make turkey broth from bones and turkey gravy from pan drippings.
- Roasting times may vary: After all, you may be cooking a slightly smaller or larger turkey. An unstuffed turkey takes about 15 minutes per pound when roasted at 325 degrees. However, the best way to tell if a turkey is properly roasted is with a good meat thermometer (165 degrees at the thickest part of the thigh).
- Roasted Turkey Breast: For a small Thanksgiving menu or a Sunday dinner, try my favorite Roast Turkey Breast recipe. A dry brine and basting yields craveably crisp skin, and the meat itself is juicy and flavorful.
- Slow Cooker Turkey Breast: This recipe delivers a delicious, tender bird without taking up any oven space.
- Make turkey broth or soup: Put your leftover turkey carcass to work in a pot of delicious homemade Turkey Broth or the best Leftover Turkey Noodle Soup you’ve ever had.
For food safety reasons, and for a more evenly cooked bird, most modern recipes don’t encourage stuffing a turkey. If you decide to stuff your turkey, combine wet and dry stuffing components just before placing them in the cavity, ensuring any raw meat, poultry, or seafood used in the stuffing is fully cooked beforehand. Do not stuff a bird with cooked stuffing. Use a large spoon or your hands to loosely stuff the body and neck cavities (do not pack it tightly because the stuffing expands while it cooks). Truss the main cavity with trussing pins to keep the stuffing inside. The stuffing must register 165 degrees on an internal thermometer to be safe to eat. For more information, see the USDA website. Stuffing chicken and Cornish hens is also discouraged.
Working with Meat and Fish
Working with Meat and Fish
Working with Meat and Fish
Stock, Sauce, and Spread Recipes
How to Carve Turkey Breasts – It’s Easy AF!
FAQ
How do you cut a raw bone-in turkey breast?
Do you carve a turkey breast with the grain or against?
Is a turkey breast better with bone in?
How do you carve a bone-in Turkey Breast?
Your best bet for how to carve a bone-in turkey breast is to make it boneless before you really start slicing. Jason Donnelly Place the turkey breast bone-side up on a cutting board. Locate the breastbone, then place the blade of your knife just to the outside of the bone.
How do you cut a turkey breast with a knife?
Jason Donnelly Place the turkey breast bone-side up on a cutting board. Locate the breastbone, then place the blade of your knife just to the outside of the bone. Using your knife, run the blade from one edge of the turkey breast to the other, tracing as closely along the breast bone as possible.
How do you cut a turkey breast with a wishbone?
The wishbone is the “Y” shaped collar bone at the front of the breast. Removing the wishbone will make the turkey breast much easier to carve. Cut the wings off the breast. Bend a wing to the side to expose the joint that connects it to the breast, then cut through it with one clean slice.
How do you cut a turkey breast in a crock pot?
Pull the thighs and drumsticks apart at the joints. Carve these pieces of meat by making cuts parallel to the bones. Return the sliced meat to your platter. Place the breasts on your carving board. With the skin facing up, carve the turkey breasts crosswise against the grain, creating slices that are about 1/4-inch thick.