Breeding

The modern chicken is a descendant of Red Junglefowl hybrids with the Grey Junglefowl first raised thousands of years ago in the northern parts of the Indian subcontinent. Chicken as a meat has been depicted in Babylonian carvings from around 600 BC. Chicken was one of the most common meats available in the Middle Ages. It was widely believed to be easily digested and considered to be one of the most neutral foodstuffs. It was eaten over most of the Eastern hemisphere and a number of different kinds of chicken such as capons, pullets and hens were eaten. It was one of the basic ingredients in the so-called white dish, a stew usually consisting of chicken and fried onions cooked in milk and seasoned with spices and sugar. U.S. chicken consumption increased during World War II due to a shortage of beef and pork. In Europe, consumption of chicken overtook that of beef and veal in 1996, linked to consumer awareness of Bovine spongiform encephalopathy or B.S.E.

Modern varieties of chicken such as the Cornish Cross, are bred specifically for meat production, with an emphasis placed on the ratio of feed to meat produced by the animal. The most common breeds of chicken consumed in the US are Cornish and White Rock. Chickens raised specifically for meat are called broilers. In the United States, broilers are typically butchered at a young age. Modern Cornish Cross hybrids, for example, are butchered as early as 8 weeks for fryers and 12 weeks for roasting birds. Capons (castrated cocks) produce more and fattier meat. For this reason, they are considered a delicacy and were particularly popular in the Middle Ages.

Marketing & Sales

Whole chickens are marketed as fryers, broilers, and roasters. Fryers are the smallest size, and the most common as chicken reach this size quickly. Most dismembered packaged chicken would be sold whole as fryers. Broilers are larger than fryers. They are typically sold whole. Roasters, or roasting hens, are the largest chickens sold and are typically more expensive. They are meant to be prepared in a method similar to a turkey or roast.

Chicken is also sold in dismembered pieces. Pieces may include quarters, or fourths of the chicken. A chicken is typically cut into two leg quarters and two breast quarters. Each quarter contains two of the commonly available pieces of chicken. A leg quarter contains the thigh, drumstick and a portion of the back; a leg has the back portion removed. A breast quarter contains the breast, wing and portion of the back; a breast has the back portion and wing removed. Pieces may be sold in packages of all of the same pieces, or in combination packages. Whole chicken cut up refers to either the entire bird cut into 8 quarters (8-piece cut); or sometimes without the back. A 9-piece cut (usually for fast food restaurants) has the tip of the breast cut off before splitting. Pick of the Chicken, or similar titles, refers to a package with only some of the chicken pieces. Typically the breasts, thighs, and legs without wings or back. Thighs and breasts are sold boneless and/or skinless. Dark meat (legs, drumsticks and thighs) pieces are typically cheaper than white meat pieces. Chicken livers and/or gizzards are commonly available packaged separately.

Other parts of the chicken, such as the neck, feet, combs, etc. are not widely available except in countries where they are in demand, or in cities that cater to ethnic groups who favor these parts. Raw chicken can be frozen for up to two years without significant changes in flavor or texture and is typically eaten cooked--as when raw it often contains salmonella; raw or rare chicken dishes appear in Ethiopian cuisine and Chinese cuisine

Chicken production

Chicken can be cooked in innumerable ways; it can be made into sausages, put in salads, grilled, breaded and deep-fried, or used in various curries. There is significant variation in cooking methods amongst cultures; historically common methods include roasting, baking and frying. Today, chickens are also cooked by deep frying and prepared as fast food as Fried Chicken, chicken nuggets or Buffalo wings.

Chickens often come with labels such as "roaster", which suggest a method of cooking based on the type of chicken. While these labels are only suggestions, ones labeled for stew often do not do well when cooked with other methods.

Some chicken breast cuts and processed chicken breast products include the moniker "with Rib Meat." This is a misnomer, as it is the small piece of white meat that overlays the scapula, and is removed with the breast meat. The breast is cut from the chicken and sold as a solid cut, while the leftover breast and true rib meat is stripped from the bone through mechanical separation for use in chicken franks, for example. Breast meat is often sliced thinly and marketed as chicken slices, an easy filling for sandwiches. Often, the tenderloin (pectoralis minor) is marketed separately from the breast (pectoralis major). In the US, "tenders" can be either tenderloins or strips cut from the breast. Although chicken bones are not edible, they can be simmered with vegetables and herbs for hours or even days to make chicken stock.

Arsenic

In Asian countries it is possible to buy bones alone as they are very popular for making chicken soups, which are said to be healthy. In Australia the rib cages and backs of chickens after the other cuts have been removed are frequently sold cheaply in supermarket delicatessen sections as either "chicken frames" or "chicken carcasses" and are purchased for soup or stock purposes.

Factory farmed chickens are routinely administered with 4-Hydroxy-3-nitrobenzenearsonic acid, an organoarsenic compound which decomposes into inorganic arsenic compounds in the flesh of chickens, and in their feces, which is often used as a fertilizer. A Consumer Reports study in 2004 reported finding "no detectable arsenic in our samples of muscle" but found "A few of our chicken-liver samples has an amount that according to EPA standards could cause neurological problems in a child who ate 2 ounces of cooked liver per week or in an adult who ate 5.5 ounces per week." However, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is the organization responsible for the regulation of feeds and most foods in America, and all samples tested were "far less than the... amount allowed in a food product.Preparation

Cayenne pepper hot sauce and melted butter or margarine are the basis of the sauce. Buffalo wing sauce can be made with a variable amount of heat/spiciness, with the names of these sauces generally corresponding to the level of heat, such as mild, medium, or hot. Typically, the wings are deep-fried, drained, placed in a bowl with the sauce, tightly covered, and shaken until the wings are evenly coated.

History

In most cases, each contains the same base sauce but varies in the amount of butter or margarine and hot sauce used. Wings can also be served dry with the sauce on the side. In Buffalo, wings are almost always served with cut celery and blue cheese dressing. In other regions, establishments may also serve their wings with ranch dressing.There are four different legends about how the Buffalo wings came to be.

One story is that Buffalo wings were first prepared at the Anchor Bar, located at 1047 Main Street (between North Street and Best Street) in Buffalo, New York, United States on October 3, 1964, by Teressa Belissimo, co-owner of the Anchor Bar with her husband Frank. Upon the unannounced, late-night arrival of their son, Dominic, with several of his friends from college, Teressa needed a fast and easy snack to present to her hungry guests. It was then that she came up with the idea of deep frying chicken wings (normally thrown away or reserved for stock) and tossing them in cayenne hot sauce. While the wings were deep frying, Teressa decided to serve left over celery sticks with blue cheese to her son and his friends to tide them over.

A second version, as told by Dominic Bellisimo (Frank and Teressa's son) to The New Yorker reporter Calvin Trillin in 1980, stated: "It was Friday night in the bar and since people were buying a lot of drinks he wanted to do something nice for them at midnight when the mostly Catholic patrons would be able to eat meat again." He stated that it was his mother, Teressa, who came up with the idea of chicken wings.

Bowl of wings from Duff's

Restaurants also serve "boneless wings", which are made of breaded chicken breast strips. They are called "boneless wings" because they are tossed in wing sauce, like Buffalo wings. Morningstar Farms produces a vegetarian analogue to Buffalo wings.Chicken feet are a part of chicken that is eaten in Chinese, Jamaican, South African and Philippine cuisine. T

he majority of the edible meat on the feet consist of skin and tendons, without much muscle. This gives the feet a distinct texture different from the rest of chicken's meat. There are many small bones which may make it difficult to eat for some, and are often picked out before service. Being mostly cartilage, chicken feet are also very gelatinous.Chinese cuisine, it is often an option at dim sum restaurants, served as "phoenix talons" . The chicken feet are deep fried first in order to make them puffy before being stewed and simmered in a sauces flavoured with black fermented beans, bean paste and sugar. Sometimes duck feet are used in dim sum instead of chicken feet. Duck feet with mustard, which is often served with vinegar, fresh green pepper and crushed garlic, is a popular salad/appetizer.

Restaurants

The third version of the origin involved a mis-delivery of wings instead of backs and necks for making the bar's spaghetti sauce. Faced with this unexpected resource, Frank Bellisimo says that he asked Teressa to do something with them. The fourth version has nothing to do with the Bellisimos or the Anchor Bar. Calvin Trillin stated in his 1980 New Yorker article that a man named John Young also claimed credit for serving chicken wings in a special "mambo sauce". Chicken wings in mambo sauce became the specialty at his Buffalo restaurant in the mid-1960s. Young had registered the name of his restaurant, John Young's Wings 'n Things, at the county courthouse before leaving Buffalo in 1970. Buffalo wings are used in competitive eating events, such as Philadelphia's Wing Bowl and at the National Buffalo Wing Festival.

While wings served in Buffalo are almost always unbreaded, some national restaurant chains sell breaded wings. Some wing restaurants offer wings spiced with other styles of sauces or hot spices, such as Cajun or Caribbean-style jerk spices. Another variation are wings "from the pit" or simply "pit". These wings are fried, tossed in barbecue sauce, then placed on the grill for a quick charring. Lemon garlic or Greek wings are a non-spicy variant also offered by some restaurants.

Some restaurants bread their wings and then toss them in a mixture of seasonings, varying from hot to mild, rather than a sauce. A popular New England variant is to serve the wings, sometimes breaded and sometimes not, with no spices or sauce or with the sauce on the side.

Chinese cuisine

Restaurants also serve "boneless wings", which are made of breaded chicken breast strips. They are called "boneless wings" because they are tossed in wing sauce, like Buffalo wings. Morningstar Farms produces a vegetarian analogue to Buffalo wings.Chicken feet are a part of chicken that is eaten in Chinese, Jamaican, South African and Philippine cuisine. The majority of the edible meat on the feet consist of skin and tendons, without much muscle. This gives the feet a distinct texture different from the rest of chicken's meat. There are many small bones which may make it difficult to eat for some, and are often picked out before service. Being mostly cartilage, chicken feet are also very gelatinous.

* 1 Chinese cuisine
* 2 South African cuisine
* 3 Jamaican cuisine
* 4 Philippine cuisine
* 5 References

In Chinese cuisine, it is often an option at dim sum restaurants, served as "phoenix talons" . The chicken feet are deep fried first in order to make them puffy before being stewed and simmered in a sauces flavoured with black fermented beans, bean paste and sugar[1]. Sometimes duck feet are used in dim sum instead of chicken feet.[2] Duck feet with mustard, which is often served with vinegar, fresh green pepper and crushed garlic, is a popular salad/appetizer.

Philippine cuisine

In South Africa, chicken feet are mainly eaten in Durban and Soweto, where they are known as "walkie talkies" (together with the head) and "chicken dust" respectively.[3] They are mostly prepared and eaten in the inner cities and townships. The feet are boiled to remove the hard skin and are then covered in seasonings and grilled. The name "chicken dust" derives from the dust that chickens create when scratching the ground with their feet.

In Jamaican cuisine, chicken feet are mainly used to make soup, known as chicken foot soup. The soup contains yams, potatoes, dumplings and special spices in addition to the chicken feet and is slow cooked for a minimum of 2 hours. In the Philippines, chicken feet are marinated in a mixture of calamansi, spices and brown sugar before being grilled. A popular staple in Philippine street food, chicken feet are commonly known as "Adidas" (named after the athletic shoe brand).[Fats can reach much higher temperatures than water at normal atmospheric pressure. Through frying, one can sear or even carbonize the surface of foods while caramelizing sugars. The food is cooked much more quickly and has a characteristic crispness and texture. Depending on the food, the fat will penetrate it to varying degrees, contributing richness, lubricity, and its own flavour.

Frying techniques

Frying techniques vary in the amount of fat required, the cooking time, the type of cooking vessel required, and the manipulation of the food. Sautéing, stir frying, pan frying, shallow frying, and deep frying are all standard frying techniques. Sautéing and stir-frying involve cooking foods in a thin layer of fat on a hot surface, such as a frying pan, griddle, wok, or sauteuse. Stir frying involves frying quickly at very high temperatures, requiring that the food be stirred continuously to prevent it from adhering to the cooking surface and burning. Shallow frying is a type of pan frying using only enough fat to immerse approximately one-third to one-half of each piece of food; fat used in this technique is typically only used once. Deep-frying, on the other hand, involves totally immersing the food in hot oil, which is normally topped up and used several times before being disposed. Deep-frying is typically a much more involved process, and may require specialized oils for optimal results.

Deep frying is now the basis of a very large and expanding world-wide industry. Fried products have consumer appeal in all age groups, and the process is quick, can easily be made continuous for mass production, and the food emerges sterile and dry, with a relatively long shelf life. The end products can then be easily packaged for storage and distribution. Examples are potato chips, french fries, nuts, doughnuts, instant noodles, etc.Stock is a flavoured liquid. It forms the basis of many dishes, particularly soups and sauces. Stock is prepared by simmering various ingredients in water, including some or all of the following:

Mirepoix

Veal, beef, and chicken bones are most commonly used. The flavour of the stock comes from the cartilage and connective tissue in the bones. Connective tissue has collagen in it, which gets converted into gelatin that thickens the liquid. Stock made from bones needs to be simmered for longer than stock made from meat (often referred to as broth). A combination of onions, carrots, celery, and sometimes other vegetables. Often the less desirable parts of the vegetables (such as carrot skins and celery ends) are used since they will not be eaten. The herbs and spices used depend on availability and local traditions. In classical cuisine, the use of a bouquet garni (or bundle of herbs) consisting of parsley, bay leaves, a sprig of thyme, and possibly other herbs, is common. This is often wrapped in a cheesecloth "bag" and tied with string to make it easier to remove it once the stock is cooked.

Broth is very similar to stock, and often the terms are used interchangeably. Usually, broth refers to finished product, while stock is used as an ingredient (thus stock may become broth). Other times, broth is used to refer to a liquid made in the same way as stock, but meat is substituted for bones. However, with some stock/broth made from vegetables and some made from both bones and meat, this cannot be considered a hard-and-fast rule.

Today, ready-made stock and stock cubes consisting of dried, compressed stock ingredients are readily available. These are commonly known as bouillon cubes (or oxo cubes, after a common brand of stock cube sold in Britain) or cooking base

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• Breeding
• Marketing & Sales
• Chicken production
• Arsenic
• History
• Bowl of wings from Duff's
• Restaurants
• Chinese cuisine
• Philippine cuisine
• Frying techniques
• Mirepoix
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