How to Recognize a Good Chicken Carcass and Store It Properly

Dishes made mainly with chicken are a crowd favorite. That is why so many restaurants and eateries put chicken at the center of their menus. When chicken is the star of the menu, the quality of the base ingredient, the chicken carcass (dressed chicken), deserves close attention.

Quality chicken carcasses start with the poultry farmer, since that is where the carcasses are produced. An honest farmer will produce chicken carcasses by fair, proper methods. However, more than a few farmers cut corners because they are flooded with demand for chicken carcasses.

To avoid being cheated, it pays to learn how to recognize a good chicken carcass. A good chicken carcass is a high-quality one, which means it is healthy and safe to cook into any dish. Here are a few tips you can use to identify a high-quality chicken carcass.

How to recognize a good chicken carcass

Everyone wants high-quality dressed chicken. A high-quality chicken carcass looks healthy and fresh, and you can easily check for this by looking at the meat itself. Here is how to spot a good, high-quality chicken carcass.

• The carcass is whole, without a single defect.
• The skin is white, clean and glossy, with no bruising along the blood vessels, and every part of the body is clearly visible.
• Cut muscles, such as at the neck, show a wide and uneven gap.
• There are no pin feathers left on the meat.
• The smell is normal, not pungent, let alone rotten.
• No preservatives or artificial flavorings are used.
• No hormones or similar substances have been added.
• It contains no trans fat at all.

Once you can recognize a good chicken carcass, decide right away whether to cook it or store it. If you decide to store it, keep it in the right place. Where and how you store it will affect the quality and flavor of the chicken when you cook it later. Here are some tips for storing a chicken carcass properly.

Also read Chicken Carcass Cuts You Often See on Restaurant Menus

How to store a chicken carcass properly

After you know how to recognize a good chicken carcass, the next step is storing it correctly. If you plan to cook the chicken right away, wash it first with clean water, then pat it dry with a clean cloth. Once it is dry, the chicken is ready to prepare.

If the chicken has to be stored before cooking, wash it under clean running water, then dry it with a clean, dry cloth. Once dry, it can be kept in the chiller for one day. If you need to store it longer, move it to the freezer, where it will keep for up to 30 days.

Storing a chicken carcass properly really matters, because the storage conditions affect its quality. Poor storage lowers the quality of the carcass, which in turn affects how it tastes when served.

Knowing how to recognize a good chicken carcass is essential for serving quality, delicious dishes. But choosing a good carcass means little if you then store it carelessly. The carcass will inevitably lose quality, and the flavor will suffer. That is why it is just as important to learn how to store a chicken carcass properly.

Also read 4 Tips for Calculating Chicken Carcass Yield Accurately