An automated apparatus for removing skin from the shoulder and neck areas of a chicken carcass that includes a neck skinner and a shoulder skinner mounted to an elongated support wall in a longitudinally spaced relationship. The neck skinner includes a rotatably-driven gripper having a plurality of fins extending radially therefrom. A pinch block with an arcuate surface is mounted in a close-clearance relationship with the gripper to form a pinch point therebetween. The pinch point of the neck skinner is positioned to engage the neck area of an incoming chicken. The shoulder skinner is substantially similar to the neck skinner except that the pinch point of the shoulder skinner is positioned to engage the shoulder area of an incoming chicken. The apparatus further includes a rotatably-driven indexing conveyor laterally adjacent the neck and shoulder skinners for maintaining a longitudinal separation between chickens that are conveyed through the skinning apparatus.