How to Truss a Chicken

This simple method for how to truss a chicken takes just a few minutes! Once done, your chicken will cook more evenly and extra crispy.

Why You Should Master This Cooking Method

• Struggling to get your chicken to cook evenly or can’t seem to achieve the super crispy skin your heart desires? Well, this quick and easy trick will help with both of those things! Once a chicken is trussed, it will bake more evenly and the skin will get a whole lot crispier.
• It takes no more than a couple minutes to do! This method on how to truss a chicken is super fast and convenient. All you need is a whole chicken, some butcher’s twine, and very little effort.
• You can add this step to any whole roast chicken recipe you’d like! I chose to to simply season my chicken with a little bit of ghee, salt, and pepper (following this recipe) after I trussed it. However, you can season and cook your trussed chicken any way your heart desires!

What You Need to Truss a Chicken

Whole Chicken – Any sized bird will work here. I used a 3 ½ pound chicken and had great results, but you can truss any sized chicken you’d like. You can even use this how to truss a chicken method on a turkey! Come back to this post around the holidays and simply follow the same steps to truss your Thanksgiving turkey.

Butcher’s Twine – This 100% cotton, unbleached string is completely oven-safe. Do not try to use any other kind of string when cooking. Butcher’s twine is the only twine that is totally safe for culinary use. I recommend purchasing a large spool of butcher’s twine to last you years! You’ll have plenty of twine to truss all your chickens and for any other twine-necessary recipes that comes your way.

Chef’s Tips

• Practice this how to truss a chicken method a few times before tying and securing the twine. I always do one practice run on my bird before committing to a knot! However, if you do feel like you might’ve messed up – simply cut off the twine and try it again.
• Remember that you will get better with time! Trussing a chicken becomes almost muscle-memory after your first few tries. And once you see how much more evenly and crispy your chicken bakes when trussed, you’ll never want to not truss a chicken again.
• Trim the ends of your twine once you’ve tied the bow. Depending on the size of your chicken, you might have quite a bit of twine leftover. Remove any extra string with a simple snip of your scissors before baking!

Whole Roast Chicken Recipes You’ll Love

• Slow Cooker Garlic Butter Whole Chicken with Gravy
• 30 Whole Chicken Recipes
• Spatchcock Chicken with Garlic Herb Butter
• Best Ever Easy Roast Chicken
• Quick Chicken Brine
• Mango Habanero Wings