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    Home | Recipes | Thanksgiving Recipes

    How To Carve A Turkey (Photos Instructions)

    Published: Oct 17, 2021 · Modified: Dec 1, 2022 by Sarah Mock As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This post contains affiliate links.

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    whole turkey on a cutting board

    Learning how to carve a turkey is easy when you have step-by-step photos. Grab a sharp knife, a large cutting board and your confidence. We are going to do this together.

    carved turkey on a white platter

    This technique will work for a whole smoked turkey, oven roasted turkey but you are going to have to adjust your technique if you are carving a spatchcocked turkey.

    Carving a whole Thanksgiving turkey is not what the Norman Rockwell painting makes it out to be. Carving turkey takes about 15 minutes for beginners. Allow yourself ample time to allow the bird to rest on a cutting board tented with aluminum foil for 15 minutes and then time to carve it before serving.

    Step-by-Step Guide to Carving a Turkey

    1. Rest the turkey - Allow the turkey rest for a minimum of 15 minutes. Resting the bird allows the juices to redistribute back into the meat.
      whole turkey on a cutting board
    2. Carving Station - Place a large cuting board on a flat surface. For added stability place a moistened paper towel under the cutting board. Have a sharp chef knife and a serving platter at the ready. I am not a fan of cerated electric knives. I feel they shred the meat more than cut it. Place the whole turkey in the center of the cutting board and remove any of the fruits and vegetables that may be in the cavity.
      chef knife slicking off the thigh
    3. Remove the leg, thigh and wings - Slice down and around the skin that connects the breast and the leg or drumstick until you hit bone. Pull the leg away and down until the joint pops out. Use the tip of your knife to slice through the connecting tendon if it does not release on its own.
      Chef knife popping off the joint at the hip
    4. Remove the thigh - Run the knife between the thigh and the backbone to slice through and remove the leg piece. Transfer to your serving platter. 
      carving a whole turkey, thighs and wings removed
    5. Cut off the wings - Pull the wing back and slice through the joint and tendon. Slice the rest of the wing away from the turkey.
      Chef knife slicing down the breast bone to remove the turkey breast meat
    6. Remove the turkey breasts - To remove the turkey breasts in once piece, slice through the skin along the breastbone from the neck joint and the wishbone first. Then using a slicing motion slice through the breast meat, along the rib bone, removing as much meat as possible. Follow these detailed instructions on how to carve a turkey breast.
      Both turkey breasts have been removed and laying on the cutting board, breast bone exposed
    7. Repeat on the other side.
    8. Slice the meat - To carve the turkey breast slice against the grain sliding the chef kinfe under the sliced breast and lift as one piece, transfering to a serving platter.

    How to serve a carved turkey

    carved turkey on a white platter

    Once you start carving turkey the clock is ticking. Carving will start the cooling process of the turkey and should be started as the rest of your side dishes are heading to the serving table. Place the pieces artistically on a platter and take it to the table to serve your guests.

    📝 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS, ANSWERS AND TIPS:

    What to carve a turkey on

    Make sure you have a wooden cutting board large enough to hold your Thanksgiving turkey when carving it. Some people like to have a built-in groove around the perimeter of the board to catch any excess juices that may be released as you carve it. Garnish your carved turkey with fresh parsley sprigs, fresh sage leaves, cranberries or other slices of fruit.

    How To

    More lessons on how to learn lessons in the kitchen.

    • How to carve a turkey - Grab a sharp knife, a large cutting board and your confidence. We are going to do this together.
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    entire turkey carved and arranged on a white plater

    How To Carve A Turkey

    Sarah Mock
    Learning how to carve a turkey is easy when you have step by step photos. We are going to do this together.
    5 from 66 votes
    Pin Recipe Print Recipe
    Note From Sarah

    There is more to a recipe than just the recipe card. Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!

    Prep time for the recipePrep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cool TimeCarve Time 15 minutes mins
    total time to prep and cook the recipe.Total Time 20 minutes mins
    Prevent your screen from going dark, toggle to button to the right to turn GREEN
    Course Turkey Recipes
    Cuisine American
    Makes 12 Servings
    Per Serving 568 kcal

    HELPFUL KITCHEN TOOLS

    cutting board
    chef knife

    Ingredients
     

    • 15 pound Turkey (roasted)

    Instructions
     

    • Rest the turkey - Allow the turkey to rest for a minimum of 15 minutes. Resting the bird allows the juices to redistribute back into the meat.
      15 pound Turkey
    • Carving Station - Place a large cutting board on a flat surface. For added stability place a moistened paper towel under the cutting board. Have a sharp chef knife and a serving platter at the ready. I am not a fan of cerated electric knives. I feel they shred the meat more than cut it.
    • Remove the leg, thigh and wings - Slice down and around the skin that connects the breast and the leg or drumstick until you hit bone. Pull the leg away and down until the joint pops out. Use the tip of your knife to slice through the connecting tendon if it does not release on its own.
    • Remove the thigh - Run the knife between the thigh and the back bone to slice through and remove the leg piece. Transfer to your serving platter.
    • Cut off the wings - Pull the wing back and slice through the joint and tendon. Slice the rest of the wing away from the turkey.
    • Remove the turkey breasts - To remove the turkey breasts in once piece, slice through the skin along the breastbone from the neck joint and the wishbone first. Then using a slicing motion slice through the breast meat, along the rib bone, removing as much meat as possible. Follow these detailed instructions on how to carve a turkey breast.
    • Repeat on the other side.
    • Slice the meat - To carve the turkey breast slice against the grain in ½" slices, sliding the chef kinfe under the sliced breast and lift as one piece, transferring to a serving platter.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1servingCalories: 568kcalProtein: 87gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 290mgSodium: 451mgPotassium: 902mgSugar: 1gVitamin A: 225IUCalcium: 44mgIron: 3mg

    Nutrition Disclosure

    Nutritional facts are estimates and are provided as a courtesy to the reader. Please utilize your own brand nutritional values to double check against our estimates. Nutritional values are calculated via a third party. Changing ingredients, amounts or cooking technique will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.

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    👩🏻‍🍳 Sarah Mock

    CEO/Owner/Founder/Culinary Blogger

    Sarah Mock is a classically trained Chef and graduate of Johnson & Wales University. A culinary blogger for 14 years Sarah helps the home cook prepare her recipes with professional results.

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    About Sarah Mock

    Sarah Mock is a classically trained Chef and graduate of Johnson & Wales University. A culinary blogger for 14 years Sarah helps the home cook prepare her recipes with professional results.

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    1. Allyssa

      October 19, 2021 at 5:44 am

      5 stars
      This turkey is super tasty and delicious! Fam really loves it, will surely have this again! Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe! Highly recommended!

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    whole turkey on a cutting board

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    Sarah Mock of savoringthegood.com headshot 2022

    Sarah Mock is a classically trained Chef and graduate of Johnson & Wales University. A culinary blogger for 14 years Sarah helps the home cook prepare her recipes with professional results.
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