• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Maven Cookery
  • Game Day Recipes
  • Recipe Collections
    • 30 Minute Meals
    • One Pan Meals
    • Dinner Ideas for Two
    • Dinner Party
    • Freezer-Friendly
    • Make-Ahead
    • Holidays & Celebrations
  • Recipes by Type
  • Air Fryer
  • Appetizers
  • Breakfast & Brunch
  • Dessert Recipes
  • Grilling & BBQ
  • Instant Pot Recipes
  • Main Course
    • Beef
    • Pork
    • Chicken
    • Fish & Shellfish
  • Mexican Recipes
  • Oven Roasted
  • Salad Recipes
  • Sauces & Dips
  • Seasoning Blends
  • Side Dishes
  • Soups & Stews
  • How-To
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
menu icon
go to homepage
  • All Recipes
  • Main Dishes
  • Air Fryer
  • Game Day
  • Cookbooks
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • All Recipes
    • Main Dishes
    • Air Fryer
    • Game Day
    • Cookbooks
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    You are here: Home / How-To / How To Truss a Chicken

    How To Truss a Chicken

    by Marilyn · Aug 12, 2020 · Updated: Jan 12, 2021 · This post may contain affiliate links

    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Yummly
    • Twitter

    Trussing a chicken is the process of tying up a chicken before roasting, grilling, or any other method of cooking a whole chicken.  Learning how to Truss a Chicken is necessary to get your chicken done evenly and to prevent the bird from drying out.

    Trussed Chicken on a Rotisserie grill showing compact chicken with golden brown color

    Once you get the hang of trussing, you will be able to use this method for turkey, cornish hen, duck, and other fowl. Trussing is especially useful if you are making a rotisserie chicken.

    You will learn the full trussing method and also an easy way to tie up chicken legs and tuck the wings. You’ll also find out how to truss a chicken without kitchen twine.

    Two Rotisserie Chicken Cooking showing rich brown roasted skin

    [lwptoc depth="2"]

    Why Is Trussing Important

    • The roasted chicken will cook evenly. The chicken breasts are more lean and delicate. The leg quarters (thighs and legs) are fattier. With this makeup and the position of the breasts at the top of the bird, you are at risk of the breasts drying out and getting done much faster than the leg quarters.
    • Tying up the legs and the wings, especially the wing tips, prevents them from drying out and over-browning during cooking.
    • Almost entirely closing the caving of the chicken by tying the legs, prevents air from circulating inside the cavity which will result in juicier meat.
    • A trussed chicken is so much easier to handle. If your recipe calls for transferring your chicken to and from a grill, smoker, roaster, skillet or resting surface. you will really appreciate having a compact bird to handle. It is also crucial if you are making a rotisserie chicken.

    How to Tie a Chicken

    Standard Trussing Steps

    1. Cut a long piece of kitchen string (about 3 feet). I have used this kitchen string for many uses and love it!
    2. Place the chicken on a work surface, with the legs pointing away from you. Slide the middle of the string underneath the tail and back. Bring both ends up and over the legs, then crisscross the string between the legs and wrap it around the foot end. Pull the string tight until the legs are up and tight to the body.
    3. Pull the string down to the work surface and over the top of the wings. Flip the chicken over, pulling the string over the top. Wind the string three times around itself and, with the string under the neck, pull it very tight. Tie a knot in the string and cut off excess.
    4. Turn the chicken over, tuck the wing tips down behind the body and push the breast tip into the cavity. Your chicken should now be nice and compact.

    How To Truss a Chicken method with raw chicken on a plate.

    Fast Method

    While completely trussing the chicken doesn't take long, sometime a simpler method is all that is needed. These following steps will give you good results.

    1. Cut a piece of butchers twine 1 foot long. Holding both ends of the string, place the string between the tail and the foot end of the legs. Bring both ends up and over the legs, then down and crisscross the string between the legs. Pull the string tight and and wrap it around the foot ends. Tie a knot in the string. Cut off any extra string.
    2. Tuck wing tips underneath the body and the rest of the wing. Your chicken will be more compact, but not as firm as a complete truss.

    Roast chicken closeup showing tied chicken legs

    Tying Chicken Legs Without String

    1. In the center of the excess skin around the cavity of the chicken, cut a slit that will be big enough to fit both foot ends of the legs.
    2. Cross the legs and put them inside the slit you just made.

    Recipes Where This Method Works Well

    • Smoked Whole Chicken
    • Instant Pot Whole Chicken

    More How-To

    • warm flour tortillas
      How To Warm Tortillas (No Cracks or Tears)
    • crudites platter 12x
      Easy Party Veggies Tray (Crudités Platter)
    • cocoa bombs for halloween
      Halloween Cocoa Bombs
    • hot chocolate bombs for easter
      Easter Egg Hot Chocolate Bombs (Iced Chocolate and Hot Cocoa Options)

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

    As Featured In...

    Media where Marilyn Haugen's recipes have been featured.
    Marilyn Haugen - Cookbook Author and Founder of Maven Cookery

    Hi, I am Marilyn

    I am a best-selling cookbook author, recipe developer, and mom to an amazing lady. I am crazy about eating, cooking, and celebrating with family and friends. Maven Cookery was developed to share my recipes and help make delicious comforting meals easier to make for the home cook.

    Dinner Ideas for Tonight

    • intant pot country style ribs 12x
      Mouthwatering Instant Pot Country Style Ribs
    • chuck steak recipe 12x
      Tender Beef Chuck Steak Recipe
    • air fryer italian sausage 12x
      Easy Air Fryer Italian Sausage and Peppers
    • air fryer country style ribs boneless 12x
      Air Fryer Country Style Ribs (Boneless)
    • air fryer brats 12x
      Easy Air Fryer Brats With Johnsonville Bratwurst
    • thick cut pork chops 12x
      Juicy Thick Cut Pork Chops, Pan Seared and Oven Baked
    • All Recipes
    • Main Dishes
    • Air Fryer
    • Game Day
    • Cookbooks

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    © All Rights Reserved

    • Contact Me
    • Disclosure and Privacy Policy

    Get The Latest

    Sign Up for my latest recipes. You can unsubscribe at any time.

    Want More Recipes

    Check out My Cookbooks on Amazon for hundreds of tried and tested recipes.

    Copyright © 2022 Maven Cookery a Food Blog by Marilyn Haugen