Chicken

Chicken is meat from chickens. The muscle, skin, giblets (liver, heart, and gizzard), feet, and head are eaten, as well as the egg. The bones from chicken are used to make stock.

Chicken has a mild taste and is easily accompanied by sides or sauces. It can be prepared by baking, frying, or roasting. It is also used as a part of soups, salads, and sandwiches.

Cooking temperature

Eating raw poultry puts you at risk for salmonella, which is why chicken is always cooked well-done. Whole chicken should be cooked to an internal temperature of 180°F. Bone-in parts should be cooked to 170°F, and boneless parts should be cooked to 160°F.

Chicken is done when, if it is pierced with a knife, the meat is opaque and the juices run clear (not pink).

Preparing whole chicken

Buying whole chickens is cheaper than buying chicken that is already prepared. It also provides bones for making stock.

To debone and cut a whole chicken, begin by removing the leg quarters. Pull one of the legs outward, cut the skin around the thigh joint, then bend the leg back until the joint pops; slice through the joint, getting as much of the thigh meat as possible, and remove the leg, then do the same on the other side. The thigh and drumstick can be separated by cutting through the joint. Remove the breast quarters: cut down along the side of the center breast bone, following the ribcage, and cut through the wishbone. Separate the wings from the breasts by cutting through the wing joint - avoid cutting breast meat along with the wing.

Further detail on separating and dressing the parts of the wing can be found in Chinese Drumsticks.

Recipes

Recipes for chicken are filed in Category:Chicken.