Worth Buying? Our Poultry Shears Reviews for Chicken and Turkey

Poultry shears are heavy-duty kitchen scissors built for one job: cutting through a raw bird. They have short, strong blades, often curved or serrated to grip slippery skin, and many have a spring between the handles that opens the blades for you after every cut. That spring is what makes cutting out a backbone or splitting a breast feel like squeezing rather than wrestling.

In a Mexican kitchen they earn their place every week: spatchcocking a chicken for pollo asado, cutting a whole bird into pieces for caldo de pollo, mole or tinga, and taking the backbone out for stock. These poultry shears reviews cover eight pairs from Wüsthof, Victorinox, Zwilling, Cuisinart, Wolff Industries, Mercer Culinary and Fiskars, compared on blade shape, spring, lock, care and warranty.

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Quick verdict: which poultry shears to buy

The table compares the five standouts. All eight pairs are reviewed in full below it, followed by how to choose a pair and answers to common questions.

Five poultry shears compared

One pair for each kind of cook, with the blade and spring details each maker or listing states.

Product images from Amazon. Blade and spring details are as stated by each maker or listing. Where a maker does not describe a spring or lock, we say “not stated” rather than guess.

Our poultry shears reviews, one by one

The eight pairs below are all made for poultry, not general kitchen scissors; the all-purpose shears are in our guides to the best kitchen shears and the best value kitchen shears. Each review says who the pair suits, what the maker states, and one honest reason to skip it.

Poultry shears or kitchen shears: what changes

Ordinary kitchen shears have long, straight blades and handles shaped for general cutting: herbs, twine, packaging, a pizza. They can cut through chicken skin and small joints, but a backbone strains them and your hand.

Poultry shears trade length for strength. The blades are shorter, so more of your squeezing force reaches the cutting point. Many are curved to follow the shape of a bird, serrated to hold skin, and spring-loaded so your hand only has to close them. Most also lock shut, which matters with a pair that sharp in a drawer. If you only ever cut herbs, ordinary kitchen shears are enough; if you break down whole birds, a dedicated pair is worth having. Our kitchen shears vs scissors guide covers the wider difference.

How to choose poultry shears for your kitchen

Spring. A spring between the handles reopens the blades after each cut, which saves effort when you are making a dozen cuts in a row. Wüsthof and Victorinox both describe one.

Blade shape. Curved blades follow the backbone and the ribs. A serrated edge grips skin and fat so the blade does not slide. A bone-breaker notch near the pivot helps with joints.

Lock. A lock keeps sprung shears closed in the drawer. Check that the lock is easy for you to work with greasy hands; buyers report that some are stiff.

Weight and handles. Heavy, all-metal shears push through bone well. Lighter pairs with plastic or soft handles are easier for long trimming jobs.

Care. Raw poultry means washing straight after use. Dishwasher-safe pairs are easier; hand-wash pairs need drying right away, especially around the spring.

Warranty. Victorinox and Cuisinart state lifetime warranties and Wüsthof a limited lifetime warranty; several others do not state one.

How we put these poultry shears reviews together

We started from how a Mexican kitchen uses poultry shears: spatchcocking chickens for the grill, cutting birds into pieces for soups and sauces, and trimming backbones for stock. We then looked for poultry shears, not all-purpose kitchen shears, sold on Amazon in the United States from identifiable makers, and checked each one’s stock with Amazon’s product data before writing. We left out the pairs already reviewed in our kitchen shears guides. Blade shapes, springs, locks, sizes and warranties come from the makers’ websites and the Amazon listings; where a maker does not state something, we say so, and where we report buyer comments we say they are buyer reports. We left out poultry shears from Messermeister, Winco, Dexter-Russell, Ergo Chef and the larger Wüsthof models because they were nearly sold out when we checked. We did not use these shears for this page, and we have not cited America’s Test Kitchen, Serious Eats, Wirecutter or Consumer Reports, because we did not read their reviews for this guide.

Poultry shears questions, answered

What are the best kitchen shears for poultry?

For most home kitchens, the Wüsthof Poultry Shears, with curved blades and a spring hinge. For heavy cutting through backbones, the all-metal Victorinox with its bone crusher.

Do poultry shears cut through bone?

They cut through chicken backbones, ribs, joints and small bones. Makers such as Wüsthof and Mercer describe them as suited to thinner and small bones; for thick beef or pork bones, use a cleaver or ask the butcher.

What do America’s Test Kitchen, Serious Eats and Wirecutter recommend?

We did not read or use their reviews for this page, so we cannot tell you what they chose. If you want their view, read their current reviews directly; our picks are based on the makers’ specifications and listings.

Are spring-loaded poultry shears better?

For most cooks, yes. The spring reopens the blades so your hand only closes them, which helps when you make many cuts in a row. The trade-off is one more part to keep clean and dry.

Can poultry shears go in the dishwasher?

Some can. Victorinox, Zwilling and Wolff say theirs are dishwasher safe; Mercer says to wash by hand. Whatever the maker says, wash them soon after cutting raw poultry and dry the spring and pivot.

Our pick for breaking down a chicken

Buy the Wüsthof Poultry Shears if you want one well-made pair for spatchcocking and jointing. Choose the all-metal Victorinox for heavy cutting and the dishwasher, the Zwilling TWIN Deluxe for serrated grip, the Cuisinart for a light, comfortable grip, and the Wolff Industries pair if you want shears made in the USA for high-volume work.

For all-purpose scissors, see the best kitchen shears and, for lower-cost pairs, the best value kitchen shears. Once the bird is cut, our guides to the best roasting pan for chicken and the best meat thermometer cover the cooking, and the best cutting board for meat covers the surface you cut on.

And if you would rather someone else cooked the chicken tonight, see the menu or call to order.