How to Choose and Cook Chicken Carcass Cuts

Ayamkita.com - Fried chicken is the chicken dish most people love. The best fried chicken usually starts with birds raised under strict quality control. Birds raised the right way yield the best carcass meat, which in turn makes the best chicken dishes. A chicken carcass (dressed chicken) is a bird that has been plucked, had its head and feet removed and been cleaned of its innards. Only once the bird has been dressed do you get the chicken carcass cuts that can be turned into crispy fried chicken or any other dish.

That's why we need to know exactly what kind of chicken we're cooking with. We should know how clean and healthy the bird and its carcass are. Ideally, the carcass comes from top-quality broilers that received the best care. Top-quality broilers produce carcass cuts with thick, good-quality meat. Even fresh, thick meat is not enough on its own to make the chicken healthy, though. It has to be prepared and cooked properly so the nutrients in each carcass cut don't lose their quality.

Also read Favorite Chicken Cuts and Chicken Carcass Yield

Quality control for chicken meat has to run from the hatchery all the way to the moment the birds are ready for slaughter. That's why it's important to know what a good farm looks like, so the chicken we eat is of the best quality too. The best chickens don't just have carcass cuts with fresh, thick meat; the meat also keeps its nutritional value. You get that nutritional value from fresh chicken, so it's best to cook the bird soon after it has been slaughtered. This avoids the loss of nutritional quality that comes with long storage and lengthy distribution. You can also spot a good chicken carcass by its skin, which should be smooth, unblemished and free of bruises. The cut people usually check to judge whether a carcass is good is the leg. A fresh chicken carcass has legs that feel soft to the touch.

The carcass cuts most often used in cooking are the breast and the thigh. Both remain favorites for fried chicken, served everywhere from roadside food stalls to high-end restaurants. People who prefer a meatier piece usually choose the breast. The thigh carries less meat than the breast, but its meat tastes richer. That's because the thigh has more fat than the breast, which contains more protein.

As for nutrition, each of these two favorite cuts contains different amounts of nutrients. You get more protein and iron from the breast. When it comes to fat, the thigh has considerably more than the breast. These nutrient levels can go up or down depending on the seasonings used to cook the breast and thigh. For example, adding sauces and seasonings when serving breast and thigh pieces raises the carbohydrate and calorie content of each piece.

Also read What Is a Chicken Carcass? Signs of a Healthy Carcass