The neck and giblets are tucked inside the body cavity of a whole chicken, usually in a small bag. Removing them takes about 30 seconds once you know where to look and which end to check first.
What’s Inside and Where to Find It
When you buy a whole chicken, the giblets typically include the heart, liver, gizzard, and neck. Some birds also contain the kidneys. These parts are either bundled together in a small plastic or paper bag or placed loose inside the cavity. Not every whole chicken comes with them. USDA specifications for consumer-pack whole chickens allow processors to sell birds “with or without neck and giblets,” so don’t be surprised if you open a chicken and find nothing inside.
The bag or loose parts can be sitting in either of two places: the large body cavity (the opening at the back end of the bird) or the smaller neck cavity at the front. Processors don’t follow a single rule for which end they use, so you may need to check both.
How to Remove Them
Place the chicken breast-side up on a cutting board. You’ll want to work with a thawed or mostly thawed bird, since frozen giblets are difficult to grip and pull free without tearing the meat.
Start by checking the larger opening at the back end of the chicken. Reach your hand inside the cavity and feel around. If the giblets are in a bag, you’ll feel a smooth pouch that’s easy to grab and slide out in one motion. If the parts are loose, you’ll feel individual pieces, some firm and smooth (the heart, gizzard) and one soft and slippery (the liver). Pull each piece out one at a time.
If the cavity feels empty, check the neck end. The opening is smaller, so use two or three fingers to reach in and feel for the bag or the neck bone itself. The neck is a long, bony piece that sometimes sits in this front cavity separate from the rest of the giblets. Grip it and slide it out. If the opening is too tight to get your hand through, you can widen it slightly by pulling back the skin flap around the neck.
Once you think you’ve gotten everything, take one more look inside the body cavity. Kidneys are sometimes still attached to the interior wall near the back opening. They look like small, dark red lumps. If you spot them, scrape them out with your fingertip.
Dealing With a Frozen Bird
If your chicken is still partially frozen and you need to cook it soon, you have a couple of options. Running cold water into the cavity for a few minutes can loosen a frozen giblet bag enough to pull it free. You can also let the bird sit in the refrigerator for several more hours until the interior thaws. Trying to pry frozen giblets out with a knife risks puncturing the bag or gouging the meat, so patience works better than force.
If the giblets are wrapped in paper and you accidentally roast the chicken without removing them, the USDA says there’s no safety concern as long as the chicken reached a safe internal temperature. If the giblets were in a plastic bag and the bag melted or warped during cooking, don’t eat the giblets or the surrounding meat, because chemicals from the plastic may have leached in. If the plastic bag looks completely intact after cooking, both the giblets and the chicken are safe to eat.
What to Do With the Parts
The neck is mostly bone and connective tissue, which makes it ideal for homemade chicken stock. Toss it in a pot with the roasted carcass, some onion, carrot, and celery, cover with water, and simmer for a few hours. The gizzard and heart are dense, chewy muscles that benefit from slow cooking. They work well simmered in broth or braised until tender, which takes about an hour and a half. The liver is the outlier: it’s soft and cooks in minutes. Pan-fry it in butter, chop it into a pâté, or sauté it with onions.
If you’re not ready to use the giblets right away, store them in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to two days, or freeze them for several months. Some cooks save giblets in a freezer bag over multiple chickens until they have enough for a batch of stock or gravy.