Some Chicken Know-How

Parts of a Chicken

Parts of a Chicken

Sometimes I look back on my experiences outside of Canada and realize that the grass IS sometimes greener. Particularly when it comes to food.

My 2 years of living in Costa Rica were a culinary adventure. All of my preconceived notions of food were challenged and I learned many things about sourcing and preparing food. None of these lessons came without sacrifices but they almost always came with benefits. One of those benefits was with chicken.

Never in my life have I eaten such tasty chicken. In fact, since then, I have never enjoyed chicken as much. I think Costa Rica’s chicken ruined me for any other.

There are essentially 4 cuts of chicken to contend with at your local grocery store: the breast (white meat), the thigh, the drumstick and the wing (the dark meat). All other packages of chicken come from these 4 areas of meat on the bird. Ground chicken can be comprised of any combination of them.

The most cost effective way to buy chicken is whole and then butcher it yourself. Next to that would be any pieces that still include the bones and skin; the more work the butcher puts into preparing the meat, the more you pay.

The breast is the most popular cut of meat from a chicken and the most expensive. It is also the most bland and least nutritious. The wings used to be thrown away or eaten by the butchers themselves as they were considered inferior; now they sell for almost as much as the breasts! (Those darn sports bars driving up the price!)

The juiciest part and the most flavourful and nutritious is the thigh and leg (drumstick). This meat has the most nutrient density which makes it more flavourful. These are my favourite cuts for just that reason. If I have to buy chicken in Canada, it’s always these cuts.

Here is a great recipe for drumsticks that will make your guests swoon and keep you OUT of the kitchen:

Recipe: Baked Teriyaki Chicken

Ingredients

  • 12 – 16 chicken drumsticks
  • 1/4 cup of soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup of honey
  • 1 tbsp. of Eurasian Spice Mix
  • 1/2 cup of water

Instructions

Place the chicken in a large rectangular baking dish. In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, honey, spice mix and water and whisk until smooth. Pour the sauce over the chicken and marinate for as long as you can. (30 minutes – 2 days, refrigerated) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and roast the chicken for 45 minutes. Serve with rice and steamed vegetables for a tasty meal!

Recipe by on.
Microformatting by hRecipe.

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