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Home > Archive > Apr 17, 2008

Becoming a Poultry Pro
By Bev Rankin
If you want to master the art of cooking with chicken you will certainly have to have a chicken checklist handy at all times.  The basics for chicken preparation has changed greatly over the last 10 years and we all need to be concerned about how we prepare and cook our poultry. 
Keep in mind the following:
1.  When purchasing chicken you will often see chicken labeled “broiler-fryer” or “roaster”.  What this label is telling you is about the bird’s age, size and how to cook it.  As many of us know, nothing bad will happen if we roast a “broiler” or stew a “roaster”.  When a whole chicken is labeled “for stewing”, it is best that they really are used for stewing because of their age and toughness.  You probably have all noticed that the more that has happened to a chicken from its original state, the more costly it will be per pound.  For instance, chicken breasts cost more per pound than say a half of a chicken.  Boned chicken breasts cost more than bone-in breasts and tenders even cost more.
2. Dark meat is usually cheaper and has a lot more flavor than white meat.  However, white meat is generally leaner and cooks more quickly than dark meat.
3.A rule of thumb for calculating portion size is: Six ounces of boneless chicken or eight ounces of bone-in chicken is equal to a serving.  A three- pound whole chicken feeds about four people, unless you have a son like mine!  Then you possibly might only get 2 servings from that whole chicken.
4. When baking, roasting or rotisseriing a chicken, always remember to freeze the bones.  Then, at a more convenient time, you can boil the bones in a little water, strain it and have a wonderful broth you can use in soups, sauces, etc.
5.   Poultry keeps better if kept in the coldest part of the refrigerator away from other foods.  Because of salmonella (food poisoning), I always put my chicken in a zip lock bag and then in a bowl to protect any leakage of liquids from happening.  If chicken is kept in the refrigerator, cook it within two days, otherwise, freeze it for up to 4-5 months.  (Longer if packaged correctly).
6.  New up-to-date recommendations tell us that we no longer need to wash our poultry because if the internal temperature is 180 degrees, all the bacteria will be killed.  However, I always wash mine and then use a bacterial disinfectant in the sink, on the cutting board, knives, counter tops and my hands.  I have one cutting board for meats and another for fruits, vegetables and breads.  I guess I am a little compulsive about salmonella.  When my three daughter were in high school, they went to a lovely dinner dance.  Whoever prepared the chicken used the same cutting board to cut the salad greens as they did the chicken.   I can, to this day, say I have never seen my children become so sick, so fast, and with such intensity.  It took all three of them many years before they would ever eat poultry again!
Now that the spring vegetables are coming on, there couldn’t be a better time than the present to rustle up some new and exciting chicken/vegetable recipes.  Here are just a couple that you might find fun to make and good to eat.
Chicken and Asparagus Crepes
2 Tbsp. butter
1 can cream of mushroom soup
½ small onion, chopped
1/4 cup shredded Fontina cheese
1 cup chopped cooked chicken
8 asparagus spears, steamed until crisp-tender
Crepes, recipe below
½ cup shredded Swiss cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease a 13x9x2 inch baking dish.  In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat.  Add cream of mushroom soup and onion and cook for 2 minutes.  Stir in cheese and chicken.  Stir until cheese is melted.  Spoon 1/4 cup chicken mixture down center of 1/3 of each crape.  Place 2 asparagus spears over chicken mixture.  Fold edges of crepe over filling, placing seem up in baking dish.  Sprinkle ½ cup Swiss cheese over crepes.  Bake for 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and crepes are hot.
Crepes
3/4 cup flour
½ tsp. salt
1 1/4 cups milk
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
1 Tbsp. butter, melted
In a bowl, combine flour and salt.  In another bowl, whisk together milk, egg, egg yolk, and butter.  Gradually add flour mixture to milk mixture, whisking until smooth.  Heat a nonstick skillet over medium high heat.  Spoon approximately 2 ½ tablespoons of batter into skillet; cook for 30-45 seconds.  Loosen crepe with a spatula and carefully turn over.  Cook for 30-45 seconds.  Transfer to plate.  Repeat with remaining batter, until all crepes are cooked.
Chicken and Vegetable Spring Rolls
3 ounces cellophane noodles
2 tsp. sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. minced ginger
2 cups cooked, diced chicken breasts
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup shredded cabbage
2 Tbsp. soy sauce ( reduced-sodium is okay, too)
2 Tbsp. freshly chopped scallions or green onions
12 spring roll wrappers
Lettuce leaves
Soak cellophane noodles in hot water for 10 minutes, until tender.  Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add garlic and ginger and cook 1 minute.  Add chicken, carrots, cabbage and soy sauce and cook 2 minutes until vegetables wilt.  Stir in noodles and onions/scallions and toss to combine.  Arrange spring roll wrappers on a flat surface.  Top each wrapper with an equal amount of chicken mixture across the center (from point to point).  Roll up bottom point, tuck in sides and roll up.  Using moistened fingers, wet the last point and roll up to seal.  Arrange lettuce leaves in the bottom of a steamer basket or colander over simmering water.  Place spring rolls on lettuce, cover and steam 5 minutes, until wrappers are translucent.  Yum!

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