Need tips for cutting meat off raw thicken thighs

[eslteacher]

Hello all,

I've avoided buying chicken thighs for ages, because I find breasts so much easier to work with. But I think that in certain recipes, breasts dry out too quickly and also thighs are so much cheaper so I need to use them more.

I'm fine cooking them whole, but for some recipes - particularly curries - I want to get the meat off the bones and cut it into pieces before cooking. And this is where I struggle - it takes me forever to get the meat off, using a combination of knives, scissors and hands. I just can't seem to find an easy way to cut off the meat and get it into even pieces. I end up with tiny little pieces of chicken, and bones that I'm convinced must still have plenty of meat attached but that I can't quite get off...

Am I the only one with this problem? Does anyone have any hints or tips? I've watched a youtube video about deboning chicken thighs, but my chicken thighs just don't seem to have bones in the same places...or maybe they do but they have a load of gristle as well...I just don't know any more!

I cheat and cook it on the bone (makes a better flavour in the sauce for curries etc) then the meat slides off the bone once cooked, very easily.

Ummmm I just buy skinless and boneless thighs.... worth the little extra cost for no fuss or bother!!! I buy a bulk tray from Costo and re-bag :)

De-boning?? No way. Definitely just cook bone-in and take the meat off the bone after. Aside from the wastage you just end up with itty bits of chicken that you cut off if you try and do it raw. Or at least I do

Use scissors, turn the thigh so the bone is uppermost and then snip it out with the scissors

I buy the skinless and boneless ones. They cost more per kg but I figure you're not paying for the bone weight so not much difference!

Super sharp serrated knife does the job, but I agree that cooking on the bone is easier and tastes better too.

Your knife isn't sharp enough. Use a 4" paring knife (or thereabouts). Hold the thigh so that the bone is vertical. Stick the blade in at the top of the thigh, and run the point down the bone to the bottom. Open the thigh out and slice around the bone from one end to the other.

A small, very sharp knife is essential, or you'll just turn it in to cat food.

Buy the skinless and bonless ones,

fivegomadindorset

Buy the skinless and bonless ones,

Why? It's more expensive, the skins can be fried as a crispy snack, and the bones can go in to stock. Chicken skin just pulls straight off thighs anyway.

I have "thicken thighs" sadly now

I do buy the other ones and skin and bone them however the price difference is negligable, just telling the OP other options as others did before me.

Thanks for the answers everyone.

I have never seen skinless/boneless thighs in any of the supermarkets round where I live, so that isn't really an option.

I guess cooking them first would be easier, but it seems that it would take more cooking time overall, in that you'd have to cook them once in the oven (for about 45 minutes I guess? Do you chop them up or bake them whole?) and then once again in whatever dish you're actually making. Since I get home from work pretty late sometimes it seems potentially impractical...but then so is messing about for ages trying to get the raw meat off the bones. Sigh. So does the meat still not dry out if, for example, you add it pre-cooked to a thai curry but still want to let it simmer in the sauce for 20m or so? Or do you have to minimise the time on the hob?

The posters who gave advice about knives - that sounds useful. I think this is part of my problem, as my super sharp knives are all pretty big - too big to be useful for this type of job. I don't have a really good small meat knife - I'll try and do something about that.

you can just cook them on the hob in whatever you are doing. Brown in a pan, then add to your sauce and simmer. You can serve it like that or slip it out, chop it and return it to the pan.

Re knives, you need one of these

Everyone should have one. My MIL gave me one years ago and I use it for everything, it never needs sharpening and can cut through anything. It is the single most useful thing in my kitchen, seriously.