Carving forks are used for securing the position of the food you're cutting while keeping your hands away from the sharp edge of the knife. A regular fork could do the same trick, but it won't get as deep on a cooked whole chicken as a carving fork; therefore, it won't stay as stable. Because the tines are small and more in numbers, there is also the potential to scrap the meat off of the whole chicken as you move it around as opposed to using a carving fork.