• Home
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Breakfast
    • Quick and Easy Meals
    • Salad and Veggies
    • Side Dishes
    • Main Courses
    • Breads
    • Beverages
    • Desserts
    • Canning and Preserving
  • Skills
    • Craftmanship
      • Blacksmithing
      • Woodworking
      • Welding
    • Brewing & Distilling
      • Homebrewing
      • Distilling
    • Cooking & Food
      • Cheese & Dairy
      • Drying & Smoking
      • Canning
      • Fermentation & Pickling
    • Homemaking Skills
      • Candle Making
      • Soap Making
      • Spinning & Weaving
  • Projects
    • Workshop
      • Homes & Buildings
      • Sheds & Coops
      • Appliances & Equipment
    • Garden & Outdoor
    • Homemade Products
      • Home Remedies
      • Natural Beauty
      • Cleaning and Home
    • Textiles & Fabric Arts
      • Sewing
      • Knit and Crochet
      • Quilting Skills
      • Weaving
    • Crafts
      • Home Decor
      • Pottery
      • Upcycling
      • Gifts
      • Kids
      • Holiday
  • Gardening
    • Growing Vegetables
    • Growing Fruit
    • Growing Herbs
    • Growing Grain
    • Soil Improvement
      • Composting
      • Worm Farming
      • Fertilizers
    • Aquaculture
  • Animals
    • Raising Poultry
    • Raising Goats
    • Raising Cattle
    • Raising Pigs
    • Raising Horses
    • Raising Rabbits
    • Raising Bees
    • Raising Cats & Dogs
  • Self Sufficiency
    • Emergency Prep
      • Planning
      • How To
      • Skills & Tips
    • Defense & Protection
      • Guns
      • Knives
      • Archery
      • Tools & Weapons
    • Energy & Power
      • Solar Power
      • Fuels
      • Water
    • Home Remedies
Logo
  • Emergency Prep
  • Defense & Protection
  • Energy & Power
  • Home Remedies
  • OUR SHOP
You are here: Home / Recipes / Main Courses / How to Carve a Turkey The Right Way

How to Carve a Turkey The Right Way

Reading Time: 3 minutes

September 20, 2023 By Riley E. Carlson 3 Comments

Want to know how to carve a turkey? There’s no doubt, that during Thanksgiving you’ll need to have the most beautiful presentation of your turkey.

Learn how to carve your turkey perfectly and get the most of your meat!

RELATED: 25 Classic Pioneer Woman Recipes For Thanksgiving

Learn How To Carve A Turkey for the Holiday

What you’ll need for turkey carving:

  • sharp knife or an electric carver
  • cooked turkey
  • serving plate
  • chopping board

Step 1: Let Your Roasted Turkey Rest

Woman taking turkey out of oven on a kitchen background | cooking a turkey

Let your turkey rest for about 30 minutes. This will help prevent the juices from coming out when you start carving and make clean-up much easier.

Step 2: Start With the Dark Meat

Close up of hands cutting the turkey on holidays | how to carve a turkey like a pro

Start with the dark meat first. You should be able to notice a natural line going through the leg of the turkey. This is where the joints meet, slide your knife through it.f

Step 3: Give the Leg a Little Pull

Man Slicing Off Roast Turkey Leg | make ahead turkey

You’ll be able to see the connection in the joints, making it easier to cut the thigh with your knife. Do this to the other leg too.

Step 4: Start Carving the Breast

Overhead view of the hands of a man carving a roast turkey with a carving knife and fork slicing the breast meat | cooking turkey breast

Set the legs and thighs aside and start carving the breast. Slice down the kill bone slightly separating the meat with your thumb. Check where the breast is connected, then slide your knife gently to separate it from the breast bone. Do the same on the other side.

Sale
NutriChef Electric Carving Turkey Slicer Kitchen Knife | For Thanksgiving | Portable Electrical Food Cutter Knife Set...
NutriChef Electric Carving Turkey Slicer Kitchen Knife | For Thanksgiving | Portable Electrical Food Cutter Knife Set...
  • SAFETY LOCK: This electric kitchen knife by NutriChef has a...
  • CONSISTENT SLICES: The product makes consistent slice...
$28.49 Amazon Prime
Buy Now

Step 5: Cut Off the Wings

Time to cut off the wings. It’s better to do this last since leaving it on while carving the rest of the turkey makes it more stable.

RELATED: How To Cook A Turkey Perfectly For Thanksgiving

Step 6: Cut the Wing Tips

grilled turkey wing | cooking a turkey

Since you’re done with the wings, cut the wing tips by following the joints. If your turkey is cooked very well, it should even come off with a little tug.

Step 7: Prepare the Turkey Stock

bones holiday turkey dinner | cooking turkey breast

Now that you have all the prime meat carved, the rest will be your turkey stock. You can use it for soup and whatever turkey leftover recipe you can think of!

Step 8: Separate the Thigh From the Leg

carved smoked turkey leg | how to carve a turkey breast

On separating the thigh from the leg, it would be easier to turn it over so you can see where the joint is. Once you see it, just follow and cut it there. You can also bend it back a little bit to make it simpler. And you have your drumstick!

Step 9: Debone The Thigh

Time to debone the thigh! Start by running your knife on one side of the bone, then the other. After that, you can remove the bone and slice the meat.

Step 10: Slice The Breast

carved rosemary basil rub roasted turkey breast | cooking turkey breast

Let’s go back to the breast. When slicing, slice against the grain making every cut even. Also, try to keep the skin intact as much as possible, everybody loves that.

Want to see the video on how to carve a turkey? Check out this video from The Culinary Institute of America:
And that’s how you carve a turkey. If you’re concerned about serving a cold turkey (haha!), you can put it in the oven for about a minute or two to make sure you serve your family and friends a delicious warm turkey.

What do you think of these steps on how to carve a turkey? Will you give it a try? Let me know in the comments below.

Up Next:

  • Want to Deep Fry A Turkey? Here’s How to Do It The Right Way
  • 19 Paleo Recipes to Make This Thanksgiving | Healthy Thanksgiving Ideas
  • How To Make Gouda Cheese At Home

Fellow homesteaders, do you want to help others learn from your journey by becoming one of our original contributors? Write for us!

Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook!

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on October 7, 2019, and has been updated for quality and relevancy. 

Filed Under: Main Courses, How To Tagged With: Thanksgiving

Comments

  1. disqus_G6LpmL8S1h says

    November 23, 2017 at 6:51 AM

    Great video and very helpful advice from Chef Walsh. Thank you.
    What was annoying were the ads that floated in the middle of the screen & blocked a complete view of his carving, and reading the script.
    Again, thanks for the help, and Happy Thanksgiving to you all. GBYL. ToddT

    Reply
    • Randy Loftis says

      November 23, 2017 at 6:59 AM

      Randy Loftis

      Reply
      • Randy Loftis says

        November 23, 2017 at 7:00 AM

        Get rid of that horrible share sidebar !!

        Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

DIY Projects And Get This FREE GIFT
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Popular Articles

Top 15 Ways To Make Money On Your Homestead

Kickstart Spring By Starting Your Own Straw Bale Garden

The Best Egg Laying Chickens For Your Homestead

50 Gardening Tips And Tricks To Become A Successful Homesteader

Important Pages

  • About Homesteading
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Returns
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Write For Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • Information Disclaimer

Other Great Sites

  • DIY Projects
  • Survival Life
  • Garden Season
  • Outdoor Warrior
  • Sewing.com

Resources

  • Hey Riley
  • Winter Survival
  • Raising Backyard Chickens
  • Canning & Preserving
  • Join Our Newsletter
  • Returns Policy
Homesteading
Email Support: support@homesteading.com
Phone: 512-806-7603

Product returns go to:
1889 E Maule Ave, Ste G
Las Vegas 89119

Copyright © 2025 · Homesteading


This copyrighted material may not be republished without express permission. The information presented here is for general educational purposes only.

MATERIAL CONNECTION DISCLOSURE: You should assume that this website has an affiliate relationship and/or another material connection to the persons or businesses mentioned in or linked to from this page and may receive commissions from purchases you make on subsequent web sites. You should not rely solely on information contained in this email to evaluate the product or service being endorsed. Always exercise due diligence before purchasing any product or service. This website contains advertisements.