At the dinner table, chicken is the undisputed king of birds, making up the majority of the protein that we consume. But other forms of poultry are just as capable of providing the nutrients that we need to survive. Here are the top tips for deboning and spatchcocking a quail. As the name sounds, deboning a quail describes the process of preparing the bird for cooking by removing the bones. There is a simple means for doing this that will ensure your bird comes out properly prepared.
You should start by trimming the neck and the wing tips to aid the presentation of your quail. Next, remove the wishbone from the opening near the neck by cutting it free from the breast. You should now expose the shoulder and separate the flesh from the breastbone and back. Taking out the ribcage and newly-freed breastbone should be the next step in the process. Finally, remove the thigh bones before turning the quail right-side-out for cooking.
The process of spatchcocking ensures your poultry is ready to cook. While deboning can be a part of this, spatchcocking specifically refers to the process of flattening the quail. To properly spatchcock a quail, start by turning the bird breast-down on your cutting board. Then, take a sharpened pair of kitchen shears to cut the bird open and remove the backbone. Either you spend prep time removing the bones or, at the very least, spatchcocking the birds by removing their spines , or you let your guests pick at them on their plates.
There's nothing wrong with leaving the picking for the diners—lord knows I love to pick —but there's a visceral pleasure to being able to sink your teeth right into a quail breast with nary a bone to contend with. Even if you don't debone the quail, it's often helpful to at least spatchcock them—flattening the birds makes cooking quicker and easier.
Some companies and butchers including D'Artagnan sell the quail already deboned. But it's easy enough to do yourself.
It's a strange process that involves turning the bird inside out as you work the meat from the bones. It can be disorienting, but once you do it once or twice you'll get the hang of it. Or, in a pinch, you can just spatchcock them instead. Below, I show both methods. Spatchcocking a quail is as simple as snipping out the backbone, then pressing the bird flat.
It compresses the bird into a single plane, making grilling, broiling, and pan-roasting easier and quicker. You'll need a pair of kitchen shears to do it. Working from the tail end of the bird, snip along one side of the spine all the way up to the neck. Next, snip along the other side of the spine—a quail is a small bird, so these two lines will be very close to each other.
Turn the quail over and press down on the breastbone to crack it flat. If you want, you can also trim off the wing tips. The backbones and wing tips can be saved for a quick jus or quail stock. For the full deboned experience, you need to do more than just spatchcock the birds.
Well, the quail aren't technically percent deboned—the drumstick and wing bones remain to offer just a little structure— but it's close enough. Most of the process is done with your fingers, but you will need a paring knife and a chef's knife for just a couple of steps.
Start by trimming the wing tips. This is just for presentation. Save these parts if you plan to make a quick quail jus. If there's a portion of the neck still attached, it's helpful to cut it off near where it meets the body with a chef's knife. You can also trim any excess skin around the neck opening at this time. Save the neck for that stock or jus. Now it's time to remove the wishbone, which is located at the neck opening. The image above shows where the wishbone is. Using a paring knife, make a cut along each arm of the wishbone to detach it from the breast meat.
Work your fingers behind the wishbone, separating it from any flesh that's still attached. Slide your fingers up toward the apex of the wishbone until you can hook your finger behind the part where the two arms join. Pull it out, and free the wishbone fully from the flesh. Save the wishbone for stock or jus. The next goal is to fully remove the breastbone and rib cage from the bird.
There are four joints that connect to it—the two shoulder joints and the two hip joints—and all four will need to be severed for the rib cage to come out. The first two to tackle are the shoulder joints.
Begin by sliding your fingers under the breast meat where you just removed the wishbone, working the breast meat free of the breastbone below. Once you get just a little way in, you'll find the shoulder joints are accessible. Wiggle one of the quail wings to help you locate the exact location of the joint, then, using a paring knife, cut through the joint to disconnect it. You'll know you've got it right when the knife slides cleanly through; this may take a few tries as the joint is small and it's easy to hit the ends of the bones on either side.
Don't force it, the knife will pass through when you hit the right spot. Repeat with the other shoulder joint. With the shoulder joints disconnected, you can now continue to use your fingers to work even more of the breast meat off the breastbone. Keep going as far as you can, including on the back side of the quail, until you get down to where the thighs connect with the rib cage. As you do this, the quail will begin to fold over itself, turning inside out, much the way a sock doubles over itself when you roll it down your ankle.
The thigh joints are the last two that need to be dislocated. You don't need a knife for these. Simply turn the quail over and bend each leg backwards, folding it towards the spine to pop the joint out of its socket. Repeat with the other leg. You have now disconnected the breastbone and rib cage from the joints that link to it. It's ready to be fully removed. Resume what you were doing before—separating the quail flesh from the breastbone and ribcage as you roll it down over itself, turning it inside out.
Work all around the quail to free the meat from the bone, including on the back side. The most difficult spot is where the skin covers the spine, near the tail; unlike most of the other areas, there's no muscle between the skin and bone here, so it's more tightly fused.
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