How to debone chicken thighs
Finding the right balance between cost and convenience can be a juggling act for those with tight budgets and busy schedules. Admittedly, I often favor convenience in lieu of my account balance, but there are many people on the other end of the spectrum. For those who eat poultry, this dilemma can arise whenever a recipe calls for boneless chicken thighs.
A U.S. Department of Agriculture report released at the end of May listed the average price of a regular pack (less than 2½ pounds) of bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs at $1.43 per pound. Boneless, skinless thighs, on the other hand, were $3.03 per pound. It doesn’t take a math major to realize that in this scenario, the significant savings from buying bone-in meat can easily outweigh the potential inconvenience. (But if you want to do the math, bone-in chicken thighs are between 70 and 75 percent edible, so even at the low end of that range, they’re still only about $2.04 per pound for the meat and skin.)
The good news: Deboning chicken thighs is actually pretty easy to do at home. Here’s how.
All you need to debone chicken thighs is a cutting board and a sharp knife. I recommend a knife with a narrow blade, such as a paring or boning knife. For each thigh, place it skin-side down and use the tip of the knife to trace along the bone to expose it. You want to stick as close to the bone as possible and try to keep the thigh meat as intact as possible. It should take a few cuts until the bone is primarily attached only to the meat on one side.
Next, slip the knife under the bone and separate it from the flesh. Again, take care not to hack it up too much, as the goal is to have one fairly intact thigh without stray pieces of chicken hanging this way and that.
Once the bone is removed, you can store it in a bag in the freezer until you’re ready to make chicken stock. Once you have your boneless chicken thigh, you can trim it of excess fat or rip off the skin with your hands, if desired. Then, all that’s left is to cook them in your favorite recipe.