A friend of mine recently shared this carving tip with me and it really does make a difference.  So the next time you roast a chicken or a turkey, try carving it this way and see!

First - when you take the roasted chicken or turkey from the oven, cover it with foil and let it sit for about 15 minutes.  That way the juices really get back into the meat.

Drumstick - Hold the end of the drumstick and cut through the meat between thigh & body.and remove by cutting the joint where the thigh connects to body.  Use a sharp knife.  Separate the thigh from the drumstick by cutting through the joints that hold them together. (This is the hardest part).

Breast - Remove the entire breast (i.e. don;t cut it into thin slices).  Removeing the entire breast will keep the meat juicy.  (See photo below).

Put the breast on a carving board and slice the meat in even pieces.  This all the pieces have a golden brown piece of skin and a nice juicy piece of meat. 

Presentation - Arrange all the pieces on a serving platter.  You can adorn this with roasted vegetables, or perch a bowl of roasted fruit or herbs on the side and serve!  It looks so pretty and really the meat stays much juicier.

Roast Chicken Recipe:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Wash the chicken in hot water and dry thoroughly. Season the cavity with salt and black pepper and stuff with the onion, lemon, and celery leaves. Rub the chicken lightly with softened butter and season all over with salt and pepper. Tie the drumsticks ends together and set the chicken, breast side up, in an oiled v-shaped rack or on an oiled roasting pan in the oven.

Roast for 15 minutes at 425 degrees F, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees, baste the chicken, and roast for 15 minutes. Add the chopped onion, yukon gold potatoes and carrots to the pan, basting them and the chicken. Stir the vegetables every so often to prevent them from scorching.

Continue roasting the chicken until the juices run clear, for a total of 45 minutes plus an additional 7 minutes for each pound. (In other words, a 3 1/2 pound chicken would take a basic 45 minutes plus an additional 25 minutes, for a total 70 minutes or 1 hour and 10 minutes of cooking time.)