You've Been De-Boning Chicken Wings Wrong This Whole Time

Deboning chicken wings probably isn't something you're going to do every night, especially because getting rid of all those smaller bones can be kind of a pain for the amount of meat you end up with. Your usual method of deboning is probably just pulling out the bones as you eat, or opting for boneless wings (although according to Bon Appetit, boneless wings aren't wings at all – they're pieces of chicken breast). But if you want to make sure you get every last bit of deliciousness off your wings as you eat, there's an easy way to debone them so you don't waste a bite.

According to Lifehacker, the best way to debone chicken wings you've already cooked is to twist off the wing's elbow joint. This will leave the ends of the ulna and radius bones sticking out, so you can grab each one and gently twist and pull them to remove them. Then, you'll have a section of the wing with no bones, just meat (so go ahead and eat it). Finally, for the section that looks like a mini drumstick, stand it up vertically on your plate and push the meat down the bone until it spreads out at the bottom, a little like an umbrella. You'll be able to bite off the meat easily, leaving a clean bone behind.

Deboning raw chicken wings is an entirely different beast, and you'll need a sharp paring knife to do it. According to Salted, the best way to debone raw chicken wings (if you want to stuff them, for example) is to cut the wing off the drumette with a sharp knife. Set the flat side of the wing down on a cutting board, then cut along the bone horizontally. Then flip the wing over and cut along the bone in the opposite direction, cutting through the fat.

After this, Salted notes that you should be able to pull out the bone, cutting any last pieces of meat that are still attached. To remove it from the joint, pull the skin down, then twist the bone until it pops completely out. Once the bone has been removed, you should be able to add a filling and cook it however you want. Still, it's quite a bit of work to debone something as small as a chicken wing, so you might want to stick to cooking them with the bones in, then deboning as you eat – it's definitely easier (and tastier!) that way.