Why & How to Truss a Chicken

Kimberly Bates
What is Trussing?
Spatchcocking: split open (a poultry or game bird) to
prepare it for grilling.

Trussing: the act of tying up the bird’s legs before

cooking (Lopez-Alt, 2016. Page 587
Pros and Cons of Trussing
Pro:
- It allows the chicken to cook evenly.
- Helps prevent the tips of the wings and drumsticks from burning.
- Makes the cooked chicken look more attractive when served.

Cons:
- A trussed bird will take more time to roast
- The skin will not crisp evenly.
- Skin folded up between the legs and the body won’t brown at all.
- Tends to be rubbery and unappealing in the folded areas.
 What you will need

- 3 feet of kitchen twine or butchers twine

- A whole chicken
- Scissors
- Something to put the raw chicken on
Steps to Trussing
Extra note: It's better to season and stuff the bird before trussing because of how tight the wings are going to be pulled
into the body. You may not be able to adequately season or stuff if done after trussing.

1. Measure the Kitchen (Cooking) Twine: It's always better to have too much than too little because you can trim any
excess twine at the end. 3 feet is a good amount.

2. Position the Chicken: To start, position the chicken breast-side-up with the legs facing you. Place the center of the
twine directly beneath the tailbone and legs with the ends extending to either side.

3. Criss-Cross the Twine Around the Legs: To secure the legs, lift the twine and wrap each piece around the bottom of the
closest leg, crossing the two pieces of twine in the middle.

4. Pull the Twine Tight: Holding the two sides of the twine, pull tightly on both ends so that the legs come together.
Steps to Trussing: Continued
5. Wrap Around to the Front: Pull the ends of the twine away from you, wrapping them over the wings and around the front of the
chicken; criss-cross the strings. Then, flip the chicken upside down so that the neck is now facing you, keeping the twine pulled
tight.

6. Secure the Twine and Tie a Knot: Now you can just tie a knot so that the twine stays secured underneath the neck bone. If the
neck bone isn't showing, just tie a tight knot in the general area.

7. Trim Excess Twine: cut off the extra bits of twine and flip the chicken onto its back again.

8. Ready to Roast: Re-season how you like (if you accidentally wiped some off) and pop that little birdy in the oven!
References:

- https://www.thespruceeats.com/how-to-truss-a-chicken-995373
- https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/how-to-truss-a-chicken-the-traditional-way
- https://www.culinaryhill.com/how-to-truss-a-chicken/