How to safely debone a rotisserie chicken in 1 minute with this viral TikTok method

Would you try this trend at home?

February 21, 2024, 2:24 PM

Upon taking home a hot, ready-to-eat rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, there's one messy step that a viral social media hack has seemingly solved with speed: deboning the entire chicken in one minute.

While you can certainly use a knife to properly portion the white and dark meat, there are usually extra bits and pieces of chicken left on the bone, which tends to leave you with a greasy mess on your hands, literally.

PHOTO: Dios Ruiz, a service deli worker for Costco Wholesale Corp., places cooked rotisserie chickens in containers at a store in San Francisco, California, Dec. 6, 2011.
Dios Ruiz, a service deli worker for Costco Wholesale Corp., places cooked rotisserie chickens in containers at a store in San Francisco, California, Dec. 6, 2011.
David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Viral rotisserie chicken deboning hack

The solution? Putting the entire poultry into a large Ziploc bag, sealing it shut and massaging it to break apart the pieces of meat until it completely separates from the bones with ease.

The now-viral technique, which appears to work with just one minute of vigorous movement on the countertop, has amassed millions of views on TikTok and has prompted thousands of people to try their hand at the hack and post the results.

Part of what seemingly makes the trick work so well is the use of a hot rotisserie chicken, because the steam can't escape from the bag, which helps loosen things up.

Katie Reames garnered 6.8 million views on her video testing it out and showing how she made such quick work of deboning the chicken.

"This is great because I hate touching meats with my hands. I have to wash my hands like 40 times," one commenter wrote upon watching.

While most have been amazed and impressed by the results, others have criticized the hack.

"Seems like more work than just pulling meat off the bones. Also, there is a high chance of missing small bones," one TikTok user replied.

Reames wrote in the comments that the next step, pulling the meat out to separate it from the bones, only took her three minutes, five max.

Another couple who tried out massaging the chicken in the plastic bag and shared the results on TikTok advised others to "pick off anything that still needs it, but that's it."

While efficient, there are some valid safety concerns. So for anyone looking to attempt the hack at home, be sure to leave everything in the bag, and while removing the large pieces of meat (using tongs or a fork to keep the hands clean), keep an eye out for any smaller bones that may have broken apart that could pose a choking hazard.

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