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Carving the Breast off the Bone

Carving the Breast off the Bone

Cooking chicken breasts on the bone can boost flavor, but you'll want to remove the bones for picture-worthy slices and easy eating. It's as simple as a couple of knife strokes.

Anytime you have to separate meat from bone, it can seem like a daunting task. Follow these simple steps for removing the rib bones from a cooked chicken breast.

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Step 1: Separate the meat from the bones.

Gently pull back the breast meat to expose the rib bones. Working from the side of the breast, slide your knife between the meat and the ribs and gently slice to separate. As you cut, angle your knife to follow the curve of the rib cage (you'll lose less meat that way).

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Step 2: Slice the meat crosswise, being careful with the skin.

Once the bones are removed, you can slice the meat crosswise as instructed by the recipe. Be careful as you cut through the skin; you'll want to make clean cuts so that each slice is topped with the flavorful skin. It's easier to do that by making slightly thicker slices (as pictured above).

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