Nowadays, on the shelves of stores, there is a large selection of chicken, both fresh and frozen. It's no wonder to get lost from such abundance. How to choose the right chicken, tasty and healthy?
Contents:
- Which chicken should I prefer?
- How to choose a quality chicken
- What part of the chicken to buy?
Which chicken is more delicious?
The taste of chicken and the texture of chicken meat will be affected by the conditions in which a chicken was grown, than it was fed and, of course, its age. Those birds that moved a lot will be more delicious than broilers who spent their lives in a cage.
In a young chicken, the meat will be more tender, although in a more adult chicken the taste of meat is more saturated. Of the meat of a younger chicken, it is best to cook a grilled, baked or chicken grilled, but from the meat of an adult bird it will perfectly turn out a braised chicken or stew. But, of course, do not buy too old a bird, its meat will be tough and tasteless.
How to choose a quality chicken
Here is the list of items you need to rely on when choosing a chicken:
- Appearance. Pay attention to the skin, it should not be wounded, scratches, lumps of blood. The chicken should be proportional, otherwise it is grown on hormones.
- Shape and elasticity of meat. Press the carcass with your finger, if the meat is fresh, it should immediately return to its previous form. If there is a dent, it is a sign of old meat.
- Chicken color. The young chicken has a pinkish coloration with pale yellow fat. In adult chickens, the skin is thicker with a yellowish tinge.
- Odor. Always smell meat, it should not give off unpleasant odors.
- Peel. It should be dry and clean. Sticky and slippery skin is a sign of stiffness or even of the fact that the chicken was sick.
- Buy chilled meat. Meat, which was frozen harder.
- Packing. It is better to buy a bird in a transparent package, through which you can see the meat. The package must have a shelf life, GOST, a mark of Rospotrebnadzor, a veterinarian.
- The choice depends on the dish you are about to cook.
What part of the chicken should I buy?
On sale we can find both whole chicken carcasses, and already cut into pieces. If you do not have time to independently chop the chicken, then you can get a cut bird.
Chicken is divided into the following parts: the whole leg;thighs;breast;half or quarter;wings;shanks. Also on the shelves of the store you can find a chicken fillet - this is meat, which was removed from the bone.
Carcass
This is a whole chicken, perfect for a holiday. It can be cooked on the grill or stuffed.
Breast
The main advantage - low cholesterol, because the meat is very low-fat. Great for those who can not eat fat, and of course, for those who watch their shape.
You can cook everything from such meat: about ragout and escalopes to pilaf and shish kebab. However, it is drier than other parts of the chicken.
Leglet
You can cook a lot of dishes from chicken legs. The way of preparation for them is suitable for almost any, you can extinguish, fry, bake, pass through a meat grinder on cutlets, etc. Combine with any garnish.
Thighs
Whatever way you prepare your hips, they will always be very gentle, fragrant and juicy. Perfect for a shish kebab or frying in oil until crisp.
Shins
It's good that they need very little time to prepare them. The meat is not too greasy, so it is perfect for preparing meals for children. You can show your imagination, bake them in pouches or puff pastry envelopes.
Wing
In chicken wings, meat is lean, very tender, so it is great for dietary recipes. But if you sprinkle with pepper or rub garlic, fry on a grill and frying pan until crispy, you will get a wonderful snack for beer.