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thefourthvine) wrote2010-02-12 07:10 pm
thefourthvine) wrote2010-02-12 07:10 pm
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Chicken Help Requested!
Dear meat-cooking faction of my friends list,
I would like to make some chicken. I want it to be a mix of white and dark meat, something that I can easily convert into small pieces, and fairly tender (not dry, not very chewy). It does not need much of a sauce, because most of it will go into the freezer for Earthling Chicken Salad. (Chicken pieces + diced fresh tomatoes + olive oil + choice of flavoring.) Ideally, it should keep all the fat it came with.
What do I need to buy? (Keep in mind that I am buying this for Tiny Alice Waters, and thus should probably go for higher-quality chicken, if there is a variation in quality amongst chickens; also, for reasons of personal moral qualms, I am willing to pay more for more humanely-treated chicken, if that exists.) Where should I buy it? What do I need to do? How can I make chicken happen?
Please keep in mind that although I am a good home cook, I have never made meat. I was a vegetarian long before I learned to cook, so meat has always been a total blind spot in my kitchen vision, if that makes sense. If there is a ritual anointing that anyone would know to do? I don't know it. If there's some safe-handling thing that is so insanely obvious that no one ever mentions it? I won't do it unless you tell me to do it. You know those exercises you had to do in school where you had to pretend the teacher was an alien (generally not much of a feat of imagination, there) and explain to her how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? Please pretend I am an alien, because I am. I have never visited Planet Meat before. I need a very thorough travel guide.
I have a crockpot, and if a crockpot can produce this kind of food, I would prefer to use it, since mine has three crocks and one can just become the Meat Crock. But if there is an easy, non-crockpot method for producing chicken, I would also enjoy hearing about it. (Please nothing that requires setting fires. I would prefer to emerge from this with all my parts basically intact.)
I would really appreciate your help. (And Tiny Alice Waters would, too.)
<3,
TFV
I would like to make some chicken. I want it to be a mix of white and dark meat, something that I can easily convert into small pieces, and fairly tender (not dry, not very chewy). It does not need much of a sauce, because most of it will go into the freezer for Earthling Chicken Salad. (Chicken pieces + diced fresh tomatoes + olive oil + choice of flavoring.) Ideally, it should keep all the fat it came with.
What do I need to buy? (Keep in mind that I am buying this for Tiny Alice Waters, and thus should probably go for higher-quality chicken, if there is a variation in quality amongst chickens; also, for reasons of personal moral qualms, I am willing to pay more for more humanely-treated chicken, if that exists.) Where should I buy it? What do I need to do? How can I make chicken happen?
Please keep in mind that although I am a good home cook, I have never made meat. I was a vegetarian long before I learned to cook, so meat has always been a total blind spot in my kitchen vision, if that makes sense. If there is a ritual anointing that anyone would know to do? I don't know it. If there's some safe-handling thing that is so insanely obvious that no one ever mentions it? I won't do it unless you tell me to do it. You know those exercises you had to do in school where you had to pretend the teacher was an alien (generally not much of a feat of imagination, there) and explain to her how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? Please pretend I am an alien, because I am. I have never visited Planet Meat before. I need a very thorough travel guide.
I have a crockpot, and if a crockpot can produce this kind of food, I would prefer to use it, since mine has three crocks and one can just become the Meat Crock. But if there is an easy, non-crockpot method for producing chicken, I would also enjoy hearing about it. (Please nothing that requires setting fires. I would prefer to emerge from this with all my parts basically intact.)
I would really appreciate your help. (And Tiny Alice Waters would, too.)
<3,
TFV
no subject
1. Really Easy Roast Chicken. Set oven to 450. Let it preheat. Set a large skillet (cast iron, steel, something ovenproof) in the oven for 15-20 min to let *it* heat. While oven and skillet are heating, take chicken. Rub well with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Add in lemon juice or garlic if you like.
Open oven. Very carefully drop chicken into skillet so the legs and thighs are in contact with the hot metal. Use oven mitts so you don't kill yourself getting skillet back in the oven and closing door.
Leave for anywhere from 35-45 min depending on how calibrated your oven is - when a thermometer in the thigh is about 170 I think you are done (but I may be off by a few degrees). My general test is whether the juices are clear. If they are, yay. If not, keep cooking.
Option 2, which will also make you chicken stock (which is a wonderful thing you should always have available):
1. Take chicken. Take out giblets. Put chicken in big stockpot. Add chopped carrots, celery, onions if you like them (I prefer not to), salt (be generous), pepper, a bay leaf or two, any other spices you want - I tend to throw in dill because I love it. Fill pot with cold water and put on stove. Turn on burner to high.
Allow contents of pot to boil and skim away the froth on top. When froth is skimmed away, turn heat to low and allow to simmer. Bonus: This makes your house smell fantastically amazing (or so say I, a devout meat eater). I generally let it go about two hours, but you can do it in one if you're pressed for time.
When done, remove solids, strain liquid (i use a mesh strainer but cheesecloth would work too) and chill for 24 hours - this will allow the fat to solidify on top and be easily gotten rid of (or used if you like schmaltz). You now have really yummy chicken stock for use in any kind of recipe. And the chicken will be tender and poached and perfect for shredding and throwing in whatever recipe you like.
Note: You can make the chicken using option 1, take the meat off the bones, and use the carcass for option 2.