Conference turris::cooks

    I use a fileting knife, long slender blade (5" is fine though 7" will
    do).  The breast in front of you (I'll assume that you're right handed
    if I say something right vs left) with the cavity down and the wishbone
    toward your right hand so that you can make a cut on the side of the
    sternum (the pointy bone).  When you've cut that you will be able to
    pull the meat off the ribs down to the bottom of the rib cage and all
    the way to the shoulder and clavicle. 3 small cuts and it's off, 2 if
    the wings had been removed already.  Turn it over and do the other
    side.  If it's quartered you may not have two sides, but the technique
    adapts.  You can pretty easily pull the skin and fat off at this time,
    perhaps just a couple of flicks of the knife.
    
    If I have several of them, I'll make stock, other wise there's not much
    left.  The cartilages contribute to your stock, too.
    
    ed

 A filleting knife works fine, or a boning knife. Ed's right about the long 
slender blade requirement. I would only add "flexible" to the description.

 When you buy chicken breast to debone yourself, make sure you buy whole
breasts; it's alot easier to do them than split breasts.

 It's quite easy, really. Slice down along the breast bone until the knife 
stops. Now cut along the wishbone, starting from the incision along the breast
bone and working towards the bottom of the wishbone. Now sever the tendons
that are attached to the tenderloins. Now you want to use your fingers to
pull the meat away from the breast bone (don't tear it, work with the knife).
Now place the knife at the bottom of the breast bone incision, holding it
parallel to the bones underneath, and slice the meat off of the bones (I find it
easier to do this step from the "back" of the breast, with the wishbone
oriented away from your body.) Now the only part that's attached is the part
in the front of the breast where it goes over the ribs. Hold the knife
parallel to the bones, and slice it off. Skinning amounts to holding the skin
down with the knife and pulling the meat off. Simple.

 It's much easier to do than to describe.

 The Doctah

  If you're not attempting to bone the chicken whole, you don't really
  need a knife at all.

  Once I've separated the breast (with bone and skin) from everything
  else, I don't use a knife at all. Just pull the meat away from the
  bone with my fingers. Absolutely no waste (lost meat). Keep the knife
  around to snip the occasional ornery spot, but otherwise fingers do a
  better job (my opinion).

  Don't try this with fish!

    re:.2.  Flexible's right.  My boning knives are anything but flexible
    so I'd never use them on a chicken or fish.  They were made for (is
    it ok to say it?) beef.  I have seen more flexible knives called
    'boning' but I wouldn't use them for major jobs.
    
    Just my preference.
    ed

 Oh yes, I forgot the key requirement of the knife. It must be _sharp_.
I always keep my knives razor sharp; it makes life alot easier. I have
a much easier time boning chicken with a razor sharp knife.

 The Doctah

A butcher once demonstrated a knifeless boning technique for chicken breasts.

Take the whole breast, skin side to you, neck end in one hand, tail end in the
other.  Put your thumbs on the ridge of bone and bend it (as if to turn it 
inside out) until the bone snaps (very little pressure needed).  This makes 
the cartiledge part of the breast bone separate from the bony part.  Put it on
the counter, skin side down, hold it down with one hand and pull the bones out
with the other.  The rib bones peel out easily.

You don't need meat on the bones to make good stock.  Just bones, especially
the cartiledge parts.  I save up the bones in a big zip lock bag in the freezer
along with some celery leaves, slimy mushrooms, spongy carrots, onion peels,
and so on.  When the bag is full I make stock.

    One question occurred to me when boning chickens.  It seems I never
    buy "the best" breasts or chickens to bone anyway and therefore
    mine are never as meaty as the boned breasts that you can buy in the
    stores.  What kinds of checkens do they sell boneless?  Roasters?
    
    ed

I always use a combination of a very sharp Chinese cleaver and my fingers to
debone chicken breasts.  I've never had any problems.  The cleaver is very
useful for removing the tough tendon from the breasts.  You grab the end of
the tendon with one hand and then literally scrape the chicken breast off of
it with the cleaver.

--PSW

re .7

No need to go for expensive to get meaty breasts.  Just look for the bigger 
breasts.  Although, if you really want a large hunk of meat (to make bigger
slices, or cubes or whatever), the Perdue roaster breasts are realiably bigger
(and reliably more expensive!).

    I buy 3 whole chickens when they're on sale.  Using a boning/filet
    knife (sharpened of course) cut off wings and legs - place the 6 legs
    in zip lock bag - place 6 wings in another bag & freeze.  Pull skin off
    body.  Take knife and slowly cut breast off bone, including the tender
    filet that separates from the breast.  
    
    Toss "chic bods" in plastic bags for soup stock later - there's enough
    meat left on bod for soup.
    
    Pound each breast between plastic wrap or waxed paper on both sides. 
    From here on cook as desired.  I usually cut into 1" strips, dip in egg
    & milk and coat with a mixture of cracker crumbs/bread crumbs and deep
    fry in corn oil.  Serves 6 deliciously!
    

    
    I find that fileting a chicken is much easier when it is partially
    frozen.  I take a frozen breast out of the freezer in the morning
    and put it in the fridge.
    
    When I get home from work, I run it under cold water and then the
    rest of it defrosts as I filet it.
    
    After I get the meat off the bone.  I press my palm on the breast
    and slice the chicken parallel to me palm.  
    
    aud...