OXO Good Grips Poultry Shears: Spring-Loaded Control for Spatchcocking

Removing a chicken's backbone is a repeated cutting job, often done with slippery hands and an awkwardly shaped bird. The OXO Good Grips Spring-Loaded Poultry Shears combine blades that reopen between cuts with a looped grip and a notch for holding small bones. This black model 1072292 is designed for poultry prep, with blades that separate so the pivot can be cleaned afterward.

The buying question is how often you prepare whole birds. A dedicated pair gives that job its own cutting tool, but still needs careful positioning, cleaning and drawer space. OXO documents the curved blades, grip, notch and take-apart construction. In a September 2026 Serious Eats review, a tester who compared 14 pairs chose this model for her own kitchen. That recommendation supports considering it; your cooking habits determine whether you need it.

What the spring and loop change during a cut

The spring reopens the blades after each squeeze. That matters during a row of short cuts down a backbone because your hand supplies the closing force without repeatedly pulling the handles apart. The large loop supports the fingers, while the raised bolster is meant to keep a wet hand from sliding toward the blades. This is assistance, not automation: place the bird on a stable board, keep the free hand clear of the cutting path and reposition rather than twisting through resistance.

Serious Eats found the serrated edge able to bite into skin and bone and credited the spring with adding power and control. OXO describes the blades as curved and tapered so the tips can reach tight areas. Together, those details favor controlled snips along a planned line over forcing a broad knife through a moving target.

The bone notch helps, but joints are still the smarter route

A recessed notch near the heel of the blade can cradle a small bone so it does not skate forward as pressure increases. It is useful for poultry ribs and other narrow sections, but it should not be read as permission to attack every dense bone. Cutting through joints and thinner parts of the backbone reduces effort and wear. If a cut stalls, stop, open the shears and change the angle instead of adding uncontrolled force.

OXO lists the tool at 9.5 by 2.75 by 0.75 inches. That size provides leverage and hand clearance, yet it also makes the pair more specialized than compact kitchen scissors. Cooks who purchase only boneless portions may not recover the drawer space; households that roast whole birds can use it for trimming skin, splitting the breast area and portioning cooked poultry as well as spatchcocking.

Take-apart cleaning is the feature raw poultry demands

The two blades separate for cleaning, exposing the pivot area where juices and small scraps could otherwise hide. Amazon directs hand washing with warm, soapy water followed by prompt drying. Wash the shears immediately after raw-poultry contact, clean both blade faces and the pivot, then dry the pieces before reassembly. A removable joint improves access, but it does not replace ordinary cross-contamination controls for hands, boards, sinks and nearby food.

Keep the edges away from paper, hard plastic packaging and other nonfood chores if this pair is dedicated to poultry. A separate pair of household scissors avoids moving raw-food residue into unrelated tasks and helps preserve the cutting edges for skin, cartilage and small bones.

The lock makes storage calmer, not maintenance-free

A handle lock holds the blades closed in a drawer. Engage it only after the cleaned parts are completely dry and reassembled correctly. The slim 0.75-inch listed depth is easier to store than the open spring shape, though the 9.5-inch length still needs a full utensil drawer or tool slot.

Choose these OXO shears when whole-bird prep is common enough that grip, leverage and cleanability solve a repeated problem. If the task appears once a year, asking a butcher to spatchcock the bird or using a well-controlled knife technique may be more economical. The purchase case is not that every kitchen needs poultry shears; it is that this exact OXO design addresses the awkward parts of a job you actually do.