The Best Poultry Shears of 2024

Written by Lindsay D. Mattison, Professional chef, recipe developer, and product tester with years of experience in home and restaurant kitchens.

Updated March 12, 2024

A decade ago, my mother probably would have chastised me for cursing if I told her I was serving a spatchcocked turkey for Thanksgiving. Today, more and more home cooks are taking advantage of this incredible cooking method.

Removing the backbone of a turkey or chicken allows you to lay the bird flat, cooking it faster and more evenly. It might look weird, but this method all but guarantees juicy meat and ultra-crispy skin. It’s easy enough to do if you have the right tool: a good set of poultry shears, like our top pick, OXO Good Grips Spring-Loaded Poultry Shears (available at Amazon for $27.95) .

Using a regular pair of kitchen shears will work in a pinch, but they’re not designed to cut through poultry bones. Instead, use a spring-loaded pair of clippers that are specifically designed to cut through these bones without too much of a workout. They’re helpful outside of the holiday season, too. We use our pair year round for spatchcocking chickens, slicing lobster tails, and carving whole-roasted birds.

Other Poultry Shears We Tested

J.A. Henckels International Poultry Shears

If our top pick is out of stock, you won’t be disappointed with J.A. Henckels International Poultry Shears. The micro-serrated steel blade grips and slices through both chicken and turkey bones without issue.

What's even better is that they're able to be used one-handed most of the time. Two-handed use is only necessary to get through the thickest part of the turkey breastbone. The handle is padded for comfort, and hands won't slip even when they get coated with raw chicken.

These shears struggle more than our winning pair on slippery chicken skin, and there were a few issues with the spring-loaded blades. They open too wide for smaller hands, and the lock that keeps the blade closed during storage might get in the way from time to time. It’s secured with a flat-head screw, which needs to be tightened to keep it from sliding around.

Pros

• Micro-serrated blades provides good grip on bones

• Cuts poultry bones with ease

• Comfortable handle

Cons

• Struggles to cut raw chicken skin

• Blades open too wide

• Lock loosens over time

Buy now at Zwilling

Buy now at Amazon

Mercer Culinary Hot Forged Poultry Shears

The Mercer Culinary Hot Forged Poultry Shears are one of three sets that pass all kitchten tasks. The long, curved blade looks intimidating, but it does a fantastic job gripping chicken bones. And it has no issues getting through slippery chicken skin. The locking mechanism is conveniently located at the bottom, so it won't get in the way as you slice.

We do find the stainless-steel handle and lack of handle loop to be a little slippery, and the spring-loaded tension on this set opens the blades way too wide to be comfortable. They’re also 1.5-ounces heavier than our winning pair. That doesn’t sound like much, but it adds up to tire your hands after extended use.

Pros

• Sharp blades

• Grips bones to help slice

Cons

• Heavy

• Spring-loaded handle opens too wide

• Slippery handle

$41.79 from Amazon

Tansung Come-Apart Kitchen Scissors

While these inexpensive Tansung poultry shears were sharper than other shears, they still didn’t have the whole package. They require two hands for many sections of the chicken backbone and breastbone—an indication that they won't fare well on tough turkey bones—and frequently get hung up on slippery chicken skin.

That would be acceptable, but the handle is incredibly uncomfortable. The plastic handle is coated with a nonstick material that will keep hands from slipping, but it contains raised ridges on the inside of the handle loop. They painfully dig into hands, especially when exerting strong effort.

Pros

• Handle wasn't slippery

• Came apart for easy cleaning

Cons

• Uncomfortable handle

• Requires two hands for thicker bones

Buy now at Amazon

Wüsthof Black Stainless Steel 10-Inch Poultry Shears

We’ve tested several Wüsthof knives over the years, and they usually end up towards the top of our rankings. In this case, we're pretty disappointed with the performance of the Wüsthof Black Stainless Steel 10-Inch Poultry Shears. The spring-loaded mechanism provides the right amount of tension, but the blades aren't as sharp as other models.

They struggle to get through slippery chicken skin and don't grip as well on bones during slicing. The spring mechanism locks with the same screw design as the J.A. Henckels, which loosens and gets in the way after a few uses. It can be tightened, but the design is still a pain.

Finally, the handle had a very narrow loop that would be a tight fit for larger hands. And it doesn't contain any padding. That makes these shears slippery and uncomfortable after extended use.

Pros

• Spring-loaded mechanism provides good tension

Cons

• Not sharp enough

• Doesn't grip bones well

• Uncomfortable, slippery handle

Buy now at Amazon

What to Know About Buying Poultry Shears

Poultry shears are specialized kitchen scissors that you may or may not need. If you don’t process whole chickens, you probably don’t need a set. But if you want to speed up the cooking process by spatchcocking a roasted chicken or turkey, you’ll definitely want a pair.

Poultry shears are different from kitchen shears or scissors in their design. Some kitchen shears—like the Shun Kitchen Shears we've previously tested—have extra features which aid in cutting poultry bones.

But kitchen scissors are mostly for general kitchen use, and include features like a notch for opening bottles or cracking crabs. Poultry shears have fewer bells and whistles, but excel at cutting through tough poultry bones. They also usually feature one handle loop, and some are flat on both handles. That makes them easy to use with either the right or left hand.

Poultry shear blades are often curved and micro-serrated. This makes it easier to grip onto bone, preventing the shears from slipping backward with every slice. They’re also spring-loaded so you don’t have to use as much strength with each slice. And they’ll bounce open after every cut to keep your hands from tiring.

That requires the use of a lock to keep them from being a storage hazard. A good set will have a well-designed lock that doesn’t get in the way or accidentally engage while you’re slicing.

It’s also important to grab a pair with a comfortable, padded handle and an ergonomic design. Even the sharpest pair requires two hands from time to time. Putting that much pressure on the handle can cause quite a bit of pain—especially if the handle isn’t coated or has raised edges.

Finally, like kitchen scissors, it’s ideal if the blades come apart. While you may only use them for raw poultry, you could also use them to carve roasted chicken, cut lobster tails, or gut fish. It’s important to clean them completely after every use to prevent cross-contamination and foodborne illness.

Take-apart shears make it easier to do that, getting into all the crevices without accidentally slicing into your hands.

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