A Culinary Student’s Guide to Cooking Chicken

Basics

Chicken is by FAR the most popular protein in the US.

Mastering how to cook at least a few chicken dishes perfectly is the difference between the successful culinary arts student and the home cook looking up something to make on their cell phone, 20 minutes before dinner time.

There are quite a few techniques you will have to master to be successful with chicken and a bit of understanding you’ll need to gain on cooking properties of different cuts and market forms…. but once you get the basics down, you’ll be able to make just about any chicken dish you can imagine!

BASICS

These are the questions you should be able to answer when you are a chicken expert:

• What are the various grades of poultry?
• What are the forms of poultry?
• What are the procedures for receiving poultry?
• How do you fabricate poultry?
• What are the basic cooking techniques used to prepare poultry?
• What are the specific methods for dealing with different forms of poultry?

Key Terms

Introduction

Poultry is arguably the most versatile protein. You can find it on the menu of virtually all restaurants and foodservice operations across the country, spanning all different price points and cultures. Poultry can be served as a main course, in a casserole, in a sandwich, and even on pizza. Poultry items such as roast chicken or turkey breast are popular, cost-effective, high-quality products to offer on a menu.

INSPECTION AND GRADING OF POULTRY

U.S. poultry inspection and quality grades apply to chicken, turkey, duck, geese, guinea fowl, and pigeon. Quality grades are available for whole poultry, poultry roasts, poultry tenderloins, and poultry parts, including those with or without skin or bone, and either fresh or frozen. The USDA is responsible for both inspecting and grading poultry.

Poultry receives an inspection stamp for wholesomeness, and a Grade of A, B, or C (with A being the highest), based upon a number of guidelines: 

• Poultry must have a good structure and shape and be free of deformity (such as a bent leg or curved backbone) in the natural form of the product.
• Other factors taken into account involve flesh, fat covering, defeathering, discolorations, signs of broken or disjointed bones, and freezing defects.
• Boneless poultry roasts should be free of all bones, cartilage, tendons, visible bruises, and blood clots.
• Tenderloin, a boneless portion of poultry cut from the breast area, is expected to have tendons; however, the tendons must not extend more than one-half inch beyond the meat tissue.

Use Grade A poultry as is, meaning cook the bird and its parts and consume them in their entirety without processing. Use Grade B and Grode C poultry in processed products where the poultry meat is cut up, chopped, or ground.

Products sold at retail are usually not grade identified. Although all poultry must be inspected, no grade standards exist for some poultry parts, such as the neck, wing tips, tail, and giblets (which includes the heart, liver, and gizzard).

When it comes time to choose a chicken for a particular application, there are two issues: whether the meat is white or dark and the class of the poultry.

White or Dark Meat

White meat is from the areas of the fowl (bird) where little muscle use takes place. An example is the breast. As a result, white meat is low in calories and fat content. White meat also cooks faster, which can result in a dryer product if the chef is not careful. White meat can be both grilled and sauteed, When roasting poultry, add fat under or over the skin of white meat, or baste it with stock or melted butter, to help retain moistness.

Dark meat, on the other hand, is from areas where the bird’s muscles are used more heavily, such as the leg and thigh region. Dark meat is higher in calories and fat. Dark meat also tends to be the richer, more flavorful meat. It requires more time to cook. Dark meat may be cooked with either dry-heat or moist-heat cooking methods, depending on the amount of tendon and fiber in these parts. For example, chefs may grill or saute the thighs, whereas the drumstick lends itself to braising or to roasting .

Poultry Class

Class is defined mostly by the age and gender of the bird. A bird’s age generally affects the tenderness, look, and feel. It also affects the cooking methods necessary to obtain maximum flavor quality. Older birds are less tender than their younger counterparts and are best prepared using moist-heat cooking methods, such as stewing and braising. More tender, younger birds are suitable for all cooking methods, including barbecuing and frying.

To understand how class effects recipe application, consider the following chart:

Other typically available poultry include turkey, duck, and quail:

PURCHASING, RECEIVING, AND STORING POULTRY

Domestic poultry is readily available and less costly than most other meat. A recent change in the market is the greater availability of free-range poultry, which is birds raised in large yards and given a lot of space to roam and get exercise. The meat is darker in color than other poultry and has a slightly different flavor and texture.

New interest also exists in game birds such as partridge, pheasant, squab, duck, goose, and quail. Many game birds are now raised on farms year-round in conditions similar to those for free-range poultry. These birds are at their best from October through December or January. In general, game birds have a stronger, more distinctive taste.

Take the first basic step in purchasing poultry by deciding on the type and quality of product that are needed for the particular menu item-the intended use of the poultry. Restaurant and foodservice operations usually use U.S. Grade

A quality for poultry. Received birds should have soft, smooth, pliable skin. The breastbone cartilage should be flexible, and the flesh should be tender. Many of the guidelines for poultry receiving are similar to those used for meat receiving.

They are summarized here:

• Form: The operation determines whether dark meat or white meat is preferable depending on its particular needs and makes purchases accordingly.
• Freshness: As with meat products, high-quality frozen poultry does not look different from a fresh poultry product. Any quality lost, such as through freezer burn, is usually due to improper handling; reject these products upon delivery.
• Cost: As with meat purchases, in-house fabrication (the process of butchering or cutting an animal into usable portions) is a way to reduce costs. Operations often choose to fabricate poultry because the birds are smaller in size and easy to butcher. The more fabricating an operation does itself, the better the quality and the better the price. Also, the trim can be used for stocks, soups, sauces, hors d’oeuvres, and forcemeat (finely chopped, highly seasoned meat, sometimes used as a stuffing).

Criterion for Accepting or Rejecting a Shipment of Poultry

Fresh poultry should be delivered at 41*F or lower. Frozen poultry should be received solidly frozen. To be accepted or rejected during delivery, poultry must meet the criteria outlined below: 

Store fresh, raw poultry at an internal temperature of 41 *F or lower. Store frozen poultry at a temperature that keeps it frozen. If poultry has been removed from its original packaging, place it in airtight containers or wrap it in airtight material. Remember to store poultry below ready-to-eat food if they are both stored in the same cooler. Whether whole or ground, raw poultry should be stored below all other ingredients. Finally, be sure to follow FIFO (first in, first out).

FABRICATING POULTRY

Breaking down poultry into pieces is a useful technique. Poultry fabrication includes disjointing, boning (separating meat from bones), and cutting a bird into pieces. Fabricating poultry is relatively simple because poultry bones are small and easy to cut through. Essential tools include a clean work surface, boning knife, and chef’s knife.

Knowing how to disjoint and bone chicken breasts is also an important part of fabricating poultry. Of course, not all birds are fabricated or cut into smaller pieces; larger birds are often roasted whole. 

Safely Storing and Fabricating Poultry

Strictly observe the following food safety rules in poultry fabrication to prevent cross-contamination:

• Clean and sanitize cutting boards and all cutting utensils before and after fabrication.
• Refrigerate poultry when it is not being fabricated. Work in batches and take precautions to prevent time/ temperature abuse.
• Store poultry in leak-proof containers at 41*F  or lower.
• Store raw poultry below ready-to-eat food, meat, and seafood.
• Wash hands with soap and warm water before and after working with poultry.

Techniques

Fabricating Chicken

Sometimes, I come across a site that does the job better than I think I could. When it comes to identifying different market forms of chicken and explaining how to fabricate a whole bird to the 8 basic cuts, no one does it better than Culinary Pro. Click the link for how to FABRICATE.

https://www.theculinarypro.com/meat-and-poultry-fabrication-methods-1

Recipes

Print

Chicken Piccata

The chicken may easily be substituted with any firm, white, mild fish like Tilapia or Sole

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts butterflied and then cut in half
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• All-purpose flour for dredging
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1/2 cup unsweetened white grape juice
• 1/4 cup brined capers rinsed
• 1/3 cup fresh parsley chopped

Instructions

• Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.
• In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 3 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add 2 pieces of chicken and cook for 3 minutes. When chicken is browned, flip and cook other side for 3 minutes. Remove and transfer to plate. Melt 2 more tablespoons butter and add another 2 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add the other 2 pieces of chicken and brown both sides in same manner. Remove pan from heat and add chicken to the plate.
• Into the pan add the lemon juice, white grape juice, stock and capers. Return to stove and bring to boil, scraping up brown bits from the pan for extra flavor. Reduce by one third. Check for seasoning. Return all the chicken to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove chicken to platter. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to sauce and whisk vigorously. Pour sauce over chicken and garnish with parsley.
• Serve with fresh pasta, roast or mashed potatoes, or rice pilaf