Skinning a Bird

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top 1000La Varenne Pratique
La Varenne Pratique

By Anne Willan

Published 1989

  • About
The skin of a bird, removed in one piece, can be used as a container for stuffing. The meat is used separately.
  1. Cut off the wing pinions and trim the leg knuckles. Slit the skin along the backbone from the head to the tail.

  2. Cut and peel the skin from one side of the bird, using short sharp strokes of the knife.

  3. Turn the leg and wing skin inside out as it is reached.

  4. Continue peeling away the skin, up to the breastbone. Repeat on the other side. Gently pull the skin from the carcass. Then go on to cut the meat from the carcass. The skin can be used instead of barding fat to line a terrine mold, or to wrap stuffing for a galantine.

    ALTERNATIVELY, some cooks prefer to bone the bird along the backbone removing skin and meat together, then cutting the meat from the skin.