It’s easy to learn How to Carve a Turkey like a pro, so just grab a sharp knife and follow my step-by-step instructions (or watch the video) to plate your turkey beautifully!
Carving a juicy, golden brown turkey breast and serving it in perfect slices is one of the most satisfying parts of any holiday meal. But getting those beautiful, even slices can be trickier than it looks Follow this step-by-step guide to carving turkey breast like a pro this holiday season
Why Learn to Carve Turkey Breast?
There are a few key reasons why mastering the art of turkey breast carving is worth your time
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Impress your guests – Carving the turkey at the table with confidence and skill is sure to elicit oohs and aahs.
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Get picture-perfect slices – With the right technique you can achieve tender juicy slices of meat that look gorgeous on the platter.
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Make serving a breeze – Uniform slices stack and serve much easier than ragged, uneven chunks.
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Reduce waste – Good carving enables you to get the most meat from the breast in nice slices.
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Enjoy the experience – Carving turkey can be fun and satisfying when you know what you’re doing.
How to Carve Bone-In Turkey Breast
Carving a whole bone-in turkey breast requires a few extra steps than carving a boneless roast. Here is how to do it:
Prep
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Let the cooked breast rest for 15-20 minutes before carving. This allows the juices to redistribute evenly.
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Place the breast on a cutting board, bone-side up.
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Gather your tools – sharp knife, carving fork, and a cutting board with a trench to catch juices.
Remove the Breast Meat
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Make a horizontal cut along one side of the breastbone from the thicker end to the narrower end, cutting through the meat down to the bone.
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Repeat on the other side of the bone so the breast meat is freed on both sides.
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Use the tip of your knife to cut the breast meat away from the bone. Take care to keep the skin on.
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Set aside the breastbone and remaining meat to use for soup stock.
Slice the Breast
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Place the breast skin-side up on the cutting board.
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Hold steady with a carving fork and slice across the grain starting at the thick end.
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Make even slices, keeping the knife moving in long strokes rather than sawing back and forth.
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Continue slicing until you have cut the entire breast.
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Arrange the sliced breast meat attractively on a platter and serve immediately.
How to Carve Boneless Turkey Breast
A boneless turkey breast roast simplifies the carving process. Follow these steps for perfect slices:
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Let the cooked roast rest for 15 minutes before carving.
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Place it on a cutting board, skin-side up if it was roasted with the skin on.
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Anchor the roast with a carving fork.
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Starting at the thickest end, slice straight down across the grain of the meat.
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Continue cutting even slices as you work from the thick end to the thin end.
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Fan the slices out attractively on a platter and serve right away.
Carving Tips
Keep these tips in mind for smooth sailing:
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Use a sharp knife to reduce tearing or shredding of the meat.
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Let the breast rest before carving so juices redistribute.
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Cut across the grain of the meat, not along it.
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Work from thick to thin end for pretty, uniform slices.
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Keep the knife moving in long, gentle strokes. No sawing back and forth.
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Remove any strings or trussing before carving.
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Carve at the table for a dramatic presentation if desired.
Common Carving Mistakes
It’s easy to make mistakes, but being aware of them will help you avoid common pitfalls:
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Forgetting to let the cooked breast rest before carving.
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Failing to cut across the grain of the meat.
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Carving a bone-in breast without removing it from the bone first.
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Slicing along the breastbone, leaving lots of meat behind.
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Sawing back and forth with the knife.
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Neglecting to use a sharp knife.
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Carving uneven chunky slices rather than uniform slices.
With the proper technique and a sharp knife, you’ll be carving turkey breast like a professional in no time. Focus on letting the meat rest, slicing across the grain, and using long, gentle knife strokes. Your holiday guests will be amazed at your skill.
Carve your turkey with confidence!
Whether you cooked a traditional Thanksgiving Turkey, Smoked Turkey, or a Spatchcock Turkey, the carving step can be the most intimidating part! If you want to present it beautifully on a platter just follow my step-by-step pictures or video and you will be a turkey carving pro!
Don’t miss all of my Make Ahead Thanksgiving Recipes!
- A sharp knife. It doesn’t need to be fancy, but your knife does need to be sharp. Here’s my favorite knife sharpener, that I use to sharpen my knives weekly.
- A BIG cutting board. It needs to be able to fit the whole turkey. I place mine on a baking sheet so the edges catch any liquid.
- A serving platter. Keep it next to your carving station so you can instantly plate it as you go.
- Aluminum foil to cover the carved meat and keep it warm as you carve.
- Let Turkey Rest! You’ve already done all the work of prepping and roasting the perfect Thanksgiving turkey, be patient and let it rest for about 30 minutes so it doesn’t dry out. If you slice into it too early, the juices will run out instead of staying in the meat to make it moist.
- Be Careful with the Skin: You don’t want to ruin the crispy skin, so use a very sharp knife or kitchen scissors and be careful to try to still keep it attached.
- Save Leftovers: The leftover turkey sandwich on a homemade roll with cranberry sauce or cranberry relish is everyone’s favorite! But don’t miss all of my leftover turkey recipes!
- Use Paper Towels: The turkey might still be hot, so I like to use paper towels to protect my hands to keep the turkey steady while you slice it.
- Remove trussing strings.
How to Carve a Turkey
Make sure the turkey has rested for at least 20 minutes before you begin to carve it. If you carve it too soon, the juices will run out instead of absorbing back in the meat to make it moist.
1. Remove Legs:
- Starting with one leg, use your knife so tlice through the skin and meat toward the leg joint. While slicing, gently pull the leg back and separate it from the rest of the turkey. Listen for a “pop” meaning that the thigh bone popped through. Don’t cut through the joint! Gently remove any extra skin and meat around the joint then remove the leg from the body. Set thigh and drumstick on platter then repeat with other leg.
2.Remove Wishbone:
- Removing the wishbone makes it extra easy to remove the breast meat. Plus, then everyone will be happy they get to make a wish! At the front cavity of the turkey (where the head would be), cut away the skin from the opening then locate the wishbone – it runs along the neck in an upside down “v”. Feel for the bone with your hands then gently cut along the wishbone then pull it down and out.
3. Remove Breast Meat:
- Find the breast bone that runs all the way down the center that separates the two turkey breasts. Use your knife and cut down center on one side of the bone, slicing downward. Follow the curve of the breast bone then cut and separate the breast meat until the bone is free. Place breast meat on platter then repeat with the other turkey breast.
3. Remove Wings:
- Gently pull the wings away from the body then use your knife to cut around the skin and meat then cut through the joint. Remove the wing, set it on the platter, then remove the other joint.
4. Carve the Meat:
- Slice against the grain! The most important part is slicing the meat the correct way! Slicing it against the grain means cutting the meat in the opposite direction of the way the natural muscle fibers run. Look close at your meat and you will see the fibers running in the same direction. Cut it opposite of those lines so the meat is tender and not chewy.
- Preserve the skin. Make sure your knife if sharp (or use scissors) to cut the skin to it stays on each slice of turkey meat.
- Separate Drumstick from Thigh. Place skin side down on your cutting board then slice right through the natural seam of the joint.
- Keep Turkey Warm. Keep the platter of turkey covered with aluminum foil to keep it warm until serving.
- Save the Carcass! Keep it and use it to make homemade chicken stock or toss the carcass in the freezer and make the broth another day. Use the drippings to make Turkey Gravy!
How to Carve Turkey Breasts – It’s Easy AF!
FAQ
How to carve a turkey breast for beginners?
- Let the turkey rest: After cooking, allow the turkey breast to rest for at least 20 minutes. This allows the juices to settle into the meat.
- Find the breastbone: Locate the breastbone on the turkey breast.
- Cut across the grain: Using a sharp knife, slice the turkey breast on an angle against the grain.
- Carve the breast: Cut deep, crosswise cuts beneath the breast, then cut all the way down into the turkey, either side of the breast bone.
- Remove the breast: Pull the breast away from the bone as you move the knife.
- Slice the breast: Slice the turkey breast into slices of your desired thickness.
Do you cut a turkey breast with the grain or against the grain?
Slice against the grain! The most important part of carving the meat is to cut it the correct way. Cutting against the grain means cutting the meat opposite of the direction that the natural muscle fibers run.
How to carve a boneless butterball turkey breast?
- First, allow your cooked turkey to sit for about 20 minutes before starting to carve.
- Beginning halfway up the breast, slice straight down with an even stroke.
- When the knife reaches the cut above the wing joint, the slice should fall free on its own.
How do you carve a turkey breast?
Carving a turkey is really easy once you know how. Follow these steps: 1. Set up your work station Clear off a sizable surface like a cutting board or counter top. Make sure you have a sharp slicing knife and a large platter for the sliced meat. Pro tip: Line the platter with parchment paper for easy cleanup later. 2. Position the turkey breast
How do you cut a turkey breast?
Make a deep cut, crossways, beneath each breast, then cut all the way down into the turkey, either side of the breast bone. Cutting as close to the bone as possible, carve out the whole breast, pulling it away as you move the knife. Carve the breast into thick-ish slices. How to Carve Turkey Breasts – It’s Easy AF!
Can you carve a turkey breast for a crown?
There are two methods for carving turkey breast that you can apply to a turkey crown as well. The holidays just wouldn’t be the same without a beautifully roasted turkey as the centerpiece of the table. But carving up that turkey into perfect slices can be tricky if you don’t know what you’re doing.
How long should you wait before carving a turkey breast?
When it comes to carving turkey breast, complete one mandatory step before you do: Allow the turkey breast to rest for 15 minutes before slicing. Tent the turkey with foil to keep it warm during the process. Why wait? As meat cooks, the juices rise to the surface.
How do you carve a Thanksgiving 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.
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.