By the time you have read this post, I am hopeful that you will think more carefully about selecting chicken. What you may consider the best isn't necessarily superior when it comes to cooking and flavour.
I thought I had all the bases covered regarding the most popular of poultry, but after a visit to my friends at Bassian Farms, I learned about what good chicken really amounts to.
Worthy chicken, like some of the range supplied by Petaluma Poultry (Rocky the Range) are not organic or strictly free range but taste great (their chicken feed contains no antibiotics and they have a vegetarian diet of corn with soybean and are sustainably farmed).
These Petaluma chickens grow from day one to maturity in a stress-free environment - spacious poultry houses that have natural daylight. They roam freely throughout these barns; the earth floor is covered with a layer of rice hulls, a natural bedding.
Most consumers think that 'Free range' is the holy grail when it comes to poultry - the phrase is bandied about as a 'superior' culinary definition. However, the USDA are not very stringent when it comes to this area, so a bird that has access to even a foot of concrete outside its barn can have a USDA free-range certification.
Also, chickens generally are lazy and like warmth when they are being fattened so they are much happier and less stressed to lie and cluck where it isn't windy and where shelter abounds. And if they want to move around, they move around a barn with natural light. If the barn is spacious and isn't overcrowded, these are the ideal growing condtions for tasty chicken.
Organic Better?
Did you know that sick organic birds can be given antibiotics if they're very sick? Organic poultry feeds on cereals, vegetable protein, a small amount of fish meal, and a vitamin/mineral supplement. However some organic chickens may have been subjected to feed which is not free from genetically modified feedstuffs (GMOs). To be fully organic, chickens must be fed a diet containing grain which has been grown organically, without artificial fertilisers or sprays. Such feed is expensive, and therefore organic chicken is considerably more expensive as well.
I thought I had all the bases covered regarding the most popular of poultry, but after a visit to my friends at Bassian Farms, I learned about what good chicken really amounts to.
Worthy chicken, like some of the range supplied by Petaluma Poultry (Rocky the Range) are not organic or strictly free range but taste great (their chicken feed contains no antibiotics and they have a vegetarian diet of corn with soybean and are sustainably farmed).
These Petaluma chickens grow from day one to maturity in a stress-free environment - spacious poultry houses that have natural daylight. They roam freely throughout these barns; the earth floor is covered with a layer of rice hulls, a natural bedding.
Most consumers think that 'Free range' is the holy grail when it comes to poultry - the phrase is bandied about as a 'superior' culinary definition. However, the USDA are not very stringent when it comes to this area, so a bird that has access to even a foot of concrete outside its barn can have a USDA free-range certification.
Also, chickens generally are lazy and like warmth when they are being fattened so they are much happier and less stressed to lie and cluck where it isn't windy and where shelter abounds. And if they want to move around, they move around a barn with natural light. If the barn is spacious and isn't overcrowded, these are the ideal growing condtions for tasty chicken.
Organic Better?
Did you know that sick organic birds can be given antibiotics if they're very sick? Organic poultry feeds on cereals, vegetable protein, a small amount of fish meal, and a vitamin/mineral supplement. However some organic chickens may have been subjected to feed which is not free from genetically modified feedstuffs (GMOs). To be fully organic, chickens must be fed a diet containing grain which has been grown organically, without artificial fertilisers or sprays. Such feed is expensive, and therefore organic chicken is considerably more expensive as well.
Petaluma poultry also sell organic chicken in their Rosie range
After consumers buy a chicken product, they relate the quality of that product to its texture and flavor when they are eating it. Whether or not poultry meat is tender depends upon the rate and extent of the chemical and physical changes occurring in the muscle as it becomes meat. When an animal dies, blood stops circulating, and there is no new supply of oxygen or nutrients to the muscles. Without oxygen and nutrients, muscles run out of energy, and they contract and become stiff. Eventually, muscles become soft again, which means that they are tender when cooked.
Anything that interferes with the formation of rigor mortis, or the softening process that follows it, will affect meat tenderness. For example, birds that struggle before or during slaughter cause their muscles to run out of energy quicker, and rigor mortis forms much faster than normal. The texture of these muscles tends to be tough because energy was reduced in the live bird. A similar pattern occurs when birds are exposed to environmental stress (hot or cold temperatures or windy conditions) before slaughter.
Whole mature chickens are marketed in the United States as fryers, broilers, and roasters. Fryers are the smallest size, and the most common as chicken reach this size quickly. Most dismembered packaged chicken would be sold whole as fryers. Broilers are larger than fryers. They are typically sold whole. Roasters, or roasting hens, are the largest chickens sold and are typically more expensive.
When poultry is cooked, flavor develops from sugar and amino acid interactions, lipid and thermal oxidation and thiamin degradation. These chemical changes are not unique to poultry, but the lipids and fats in poultry are unique and combine with odor to account for the characteristic "poultry" flavor.
Few factors during production and processing affect poultry meat flavor. This means that it is not only difficult to produce a flavor defect, but it is difficult to enhance flavor during production and processing. Age of the bird at slaughter (young or mature birds) affect the flavor of the meat. Minor effects on meat flavor are related to bird strain, diet, environmental conditions (litter, ventilation, etc.) however, these effects are too small for consumers to notice.
The most important aspect of poultry meat is its eating quality - a function of the combined effects of appearance, texture and flavor. Live production techniques and sustainable care affect poultry meat quality by determining the state of the animal at slaughter. Poultry processing affects meat quality by establishing the chemistry of the muscle constituents and their interactions within the muscle structure. The producer, processor, retailer and consumer all have specific expectations for the quality attributes of poultry but the ultimate authority will always be you the consumer.
Anything that interferes with the formation of rigor mortis, or the softening process that follows it, will affect meat tenderness. For example, birds that struggle before or during slaughter cause their muscles to run out of energy quicker, and rigor mortis forms much faster than normal. The texture of these muscles tends to be tough because energy was reduced in the live bird. A similar pattern occurs when birds are exposed to environmental stress (hot or cold temperatures or windy conditions) before slaughter.
Whole mature chickens are marketed in the United States as fryers, broilers, and roasters. Fryers are the smallest size, and the most common as chicken reach this size quickly. Most dismembered packaged chicken would be sold whole as fryers. Broilers are larger than fryers. They are typically sold whole. Roasters, or roasting hens, are the largest chickens sold and are typically more expensive.
When poultry is cooked, flavor develops from sugar and amino acid interactions, lipid and thermal oxidation and thiamin degradation. These chemical changes are not unique to poultry, but the lipids and fats in poultry are unique and combine with odor to account for the characteristic "poultry" flavor.
Few factors during production and processing affect poultry meat flavor. This means that it is not only difficult to produce a flavor defect, but it is difficult to enhance flavor during production and processing. Age of the bird at slaughter (young or mature birds) affect the flavor of the meat. Minor effects on meat flavor are related to bird strain, diet, environmental conditions (litter, ventilation, etc.) however, these effects are too small for consumers to notice.
The most important aspect of poultry meat is its eating quality - a function of the combined effects of appearance, texture and flavor. Live production techniques and sustainable care affect poultry meat quality by determining the state of the animal at slaughter. Poultry processing affects meat quality by establishing the chemistry of the muscle constituents and their interactions within the muscle structure. The producer, processor, retailer and consumer all have specific expectations for the quality attributes of poultry but the ultimate authority will always be you the consumer.
So, buy organic or sustainably-farmed barn chickens - avoid the conventionally-farmed brigade and try the good stuff in these two stunning recipes:
Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)
Serves 4
Marination:
2.2lbs. Boneless chicken pieces
1/2 cup Yoghurt
5 tsp. Ginger, chopped
5 tsp. Garlic, chopped
1/4 tsp. Cumin powder
1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
1/4 tsp. Green cardamom powder
1/4 tsp. Chilli powder
1/4 tsp. Turmeric
3 Tbls. Lemon Juice
4 Tbls. Oil
Gravy Sauce:
300 grams Tomato Paste
4 tsp. Ginger-Garlic pastes
1 Tbls.. Red chilli powder
5-6 Cloves
2 inch Cinnamon Stick
8 Green cardamom
100 gram Butter
50 ml. oil
100 ml. Cream
1 tsp. Dry Methi leaf
Salt to taste
Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)
Serves 4
Marination:
2.2lbs. Boneless chicken pieces
1/2 cup Yoghurt
5 tsp. Ginger, chopped
5 tsp. Garlic, chopped
1/4 tsp. Cumin powder
1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
1/4 tsp. Green cardamom powder
1/4 tsp. Chilli powder
1/4 tsp. Turmeric
3 Tbls. Lemon Juice
4 Tbls. Oil
Gravy Sauce:
300 grams Tomato Paste
4 tsp. Ginger-Garlic pastes
1 Tbls.. Red chilli powder
5-6 Cloves
2 inch Cinnamon Stick
8 Green cardamom
100 gram Butter
50 ml. oil
100 ml. Cream
1 tsp. Dry Methi leaf
Salt to taste
Mix all Marination ingredients with chicken pieces. For best results marinate overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake chicken for 5 minutes. Baste with little oil or butter. Bake for another 5 minutes.
While the chicken is baking, prepare the sauce.
Heat oil in a pan, Add cloves, cardamom, Cinnamon Stick and Star Anne seed.
After it becomes light golden, Add ginger-garlic paste.
Add tomato paste/puree, red chilli powder, salt, and fenugreek stirring in between until the sauce becomes thick.
Add Baked Chicken, lightly stirring for 2-3 minutes.
Add 4 cups of water. Mix and bring to a boil.
Now add butter and cream, simmer for a few minuets on slow heat.
Garnish with cream and butter on top and serve hot.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake chicken for 5 minutes. Baste with little oil or butter. Bake for another 5 minutes.
While the chicken is baking, prepare the sauce.
Heat oil in a pan, Add cloves, cardamom, Cinnamon Stick and Star Anne seed.
After it becomes light golden, Add ginger-garlic paste.
Add tomato paste/puree, red chilli powder, salt, and fenugreek stirring in between until the sauce becomes thick.
Add Baked Chicken, lightly stirring for 2-3 minutes.
Add 4 cups of water. Mix and bring to a boil.
Now add butter and cream, simmer for a few minuets on slow heat.
Garnish with cream and butter on top and serve hot.
Roast chicken with lemon and rosemary roast potatoes
Serves 4
Serves 4
A good roast chicken recipes is a comfort food favourite to be cherished wherever home is. I have a lemon chicken dish too which involves boiling of the carcass but I'll post that another day. However years of practising this opened my eyes to how good lemons could be to flavour the spuds too.
Its good to parboil the potatoes, washed and peeled with half a lemon for about 15 mins. Then when you're done with the lemon put the potatoes in a tray laden with goose fat or lard.
Season the chicken skin with rough salt crystals, a little extra virgin olive oil and ground black pepper. Do this the night before and refrigerate if you are a good time manager, otherwise it doesn't matter.
Preheat your oven to 375ºF. Drain the tatties and allow to steam dry for 1 minute (this will give you crispier potatoes), then remove the lemon and garlic. Toss the potatoes in the roasting pan while they steam – this will make them succulent and crispy when they roast.
Now take the chicken, add garlic cloves and thyme into the fleshy carcass, then put in the preheated oven for around 40 minutes. Remove. Some delicious chicken fat residue should be languishing and swilling around the pan, so place the potatoes into this with the rosemary leaves and mix. Shake the tray around, then make a gap in the centre of the potatoes and put the chicken back in.
Now take the chicken, add garlic cloves and thyme into the fleshy carcass, then put in the preheated oven for around 40 minutes. Remove. Some delicious chicken fat residue should be languishing and swilling around the pan, so place the potatoes into this with the rosemary leaves and mix. Shake the tray around, then make a gap in the centre of the potatoes and put the chicken back in.
If using the bacon, lay the rashers over the chicken breast and cook for a further 45 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked and the potatoes are nice and golden.
Remove garlic cloves from the chicken when cooked and then use a thick knife to smear the soft hot garlic into the meat.
Remove garlic cloves from the chicken when cooked and then use a thick knife to smear the soft hot garlic into the meat.
If you have some great chicken recipes, please reciprocate and I'll try them and take some pictures and post them.
did you see the HBO movie(still available on demand) about Temple Grandin working in the feedlots to provide cattle with a kinder, less stressful demise? Perhaps, like the chickens, this results in a tastier meat. Temple Grandin, an autistic professor believes we owe this to the creatures who provide us with our sustenance. I agree.
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