Food Cooking Tips & Techniques How to Carve a Turkey Like a Pro Carving a turkey has never been so easy. Here's how to nail the final step before you dig in. By Betty Gold Betty Gold Betty Gold is the former senior digital food editor at Real Simple. Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Updated on November 14, 2024 Medically reviewed by Kristy Del Coro, MS, RDN, LDN Medically reviewed by Kristy Del Coro, MS, RDN, LDN Kristy Del Coro is a registered dietitian nutritionist, RDN, and professionally trained chef with more than 10 years of experience in the field of culinary nutrition. Her strong background in nutrition science, sustainable food systems, and culinary education makes her exceptionally qualified to write about food that is good for us and the planet—while not sacrificing flavor. Learn More Fact checked by Haley Mades Fact checked by Haley Mades Haley is a Wisconsin-based writer. She has worked as an editor, fact checker, and copywriter for various digital and print publications. Her most recent position was in academic publishing as a publicity and marketing assistant for the University of Wisconsin Press Our Fact-Checking Process You've bought it, stuffed it, cooked it to perfection, and now you have to carve your Thanksgiving turkey. If you're daunted by the task―some of the best cooks are―just remember that carving a turkey comes down to a simple technique that's actually pretty easy to accomplish. How Long to Cook a Turkey, in One Easy Chart How to Carve a Turkey What You'll Need Equipment / Tools Carving board Chef's knife or slicing knife Long, flexible knife (or boning knife) Tongs Materials Paper towels Platter Instructions Remove the string from your turkey. Place the turkey on a carving board. Remove the string tying the legs together using the tip of your chef's knife from your knife set. Remove the turkey legs and thighs. Cut through the skin that connects the breast and the drumstick. Slice down until you reach the joint. Using a paper towel, grab the leg and push down, separating the leg and thigh from the bird. Use your chef's knife to slice through the joint. Repeat the steps with the other leg. How to Cut Up a Raw Whole Turkey for Faster Roasting Remove the wings. Using the chef's knife, slice through the joint to remove a wing and transfer to the platter. Repeat this step on the other side. Using the tongs to steady the breast, position the meat so you'll cut it at its shorter length. Slice against the grain, taking care to keep the skin attached. Transfer pieces neatly to a platter. Remove turkey breasts. Find the breastbone. Position a long, flexible knife (or a boning knife) on one side of it, and slice downward, as close to the bone as possible. As you slice, use your other hand to pull the meat away from the breastbone, until you've cut the breast off the carcass in one piece. Transfer to the cutting board and repeat on the other side. Separate the drumstick and thigh. Separate the drumstick and the thigh by cutting through the joint that connects them. Transfer the drumstick to a platter and set aside the thigh meat on a cutting board to slice later. Repeat with the other leg. Slice the thigh meat. Work on the cutting board. Holding the thigh bone with tongs or a paper towel, remove the meat from the bone with the edge of the chef's knife. Transfer the meat to the platter. Slice the breast meat. Using the tongs to steady the breast, position the meat so you'll cut it at its shorter length. Slice against the grain, taking care to keep the skin attached to each slice of turkey. Transfer the pieces neatly to a platter. How to Store Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey So It Stays Delicious Frequently Asked Questions Where is the wishbone on a turkey? You can find the wishbone at the front end of the breast. Use your fingers to pull it out. Removing the wishbone makes it easier to carve off the breast meat. How long should turkey rest before carving? Most experts recommend letting the turkey rest for 30 minutes before carving to allow the meat to reabsorb the juices, ensuring your turkey stays tender and juicy. (Another bonus: You won't burn your hands trying to handle the meat.) Do you slice turkey with or against the grain? Slice turkey against the grain (i.e. in the opposite direction of how the muscle fibers run) to ensure each turkey slice is tender and easy to chew. How should you serve your carved turkey? Once your turkey is fully carved, you should serve it as quickly as possible—as your turkey will start to cool quickly once it's sliced. You can fan out the slices of breast meat and thigh meat, and place the drumsticks and wings on the platter as well.To really dress up your Thanksgiving turkey platter, add sprigs of fresh herbs or slices of citrus to your tray for a festive touch. What do I do if my turkey is done too early? It's fine to carve your turkey when it's ready—cooking it too long will result in dry meat. If it's ready relatively close to meal time, you can place the carved meat on a tray, and cover it with foil. (You can even add a towel or two to help insulate it and keep the heat in.)If you're hours out from feast time, carve and place it on a baking pan covered in foil in the fridge. When dinner time approaches, put a little broth or water into the pan, cover it with foil, and heat it at 300 to 325 degrees, until the turkey meat reaches a safe temperature of 165 degrees.