How to Debone Chicken Thighs
How to debone chicken thighs and keep the skin on, so you get boneless, skin-on chicken thighs for crispy air fryer chicken. About a minute per thigh!
Yield: 4 thighs
Equipment
- Boning knife or small paring knife
- Cutting board
- Paper towels
- Kitchen shears (optional)
Materials
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs or as many as you need
Instructions
- Pat the bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs dry with a paper towel.
- Lay a thigh skin side down on the cutting board and feel for the bone running down the middle.
- Make a shallow cut along the whole length of the bone, just deep enough to see it.
- Open up the meat and use short, small cuts to free the meat from both sides of the bone.
- Slide the knife tip under the bone and run it along the underside, without cutting through the skin.
- Lift one end of the bone up and away from the thigh, making small cuts wherever the meat holds on.
- Cut around and under the knuckle (joint) end to release the bone completely.
- Feel for any bits of cartilage or bone, trim extra fat or skin if you like, and repeat with the rest of the thighs.
Video
Notes
Work with cold chicken straight from the fridge so the meat is firm and easy to cut.
Save the bones in a freezer bag for homemade chicken stock.
Keep raw deboned thighs in the fridge and cook within 1 to 2 days, or freeze them flat in a freezer bag.
