Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Food, Cooking, and Game Preparation Do Your Best Chicken?

How do you like to cook up a chicken? There are many good ways, talk about what you like?

Hard to beat beer can chicken.

Salt, pepper, a bit of olive oil and garlic under the skin, put it on a rack in a roasting pan, potatoes and carrots underneath, then let the skin get crispy and the fat render as the potatoes cook.

Cornell method:
https://whatscookingamerica.net/Poultry/CornellChickenBarbecue.htm
http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/cornell-chicken-barbecue-sauce-upstate

Cornell Chicken Barbecue Sauce

1 cup cooking oil
1 pint cider vinegar
3 tablespoons salt*
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 egg
Beat the egg, then add the oil and beat again. Add other ingredients and stir. The recipe can be varied to suit individual tastes. Leftover sauce can be stored in a glass jar in a refrigerator for several weeks.
(Adapted from Cornell Cooperative Extension Information Bulletin 862.)

* Adjust the quantity or eliminate salt to meet individual health needs and taste. Barbecued chicken basted frequently during cooking will be saltier than chicken that has been lightly basted.

To Grill the Broilers:

Place the broiler halves over the fire after the flame is gone. Turn the halves every five to ten minutes, depending on the heat from the fire. Use turners or a long handled fork. The chicken should be basted with a fiber brush at each turning. The basting should be light at first and heavy near the end of the cooking period.

Test the chicken to see whether it is done by pulling the wing away from the body and using a meat thermometer. If the meat in this area splits easily and the meat thermometer reads at least 165°F in the breast and thigh, the chicken is done.

Unless we but skinless, boneless, chicken breasts for something in particular, we cook our home-raised broilers.

Typically I cut into pieces and grill, or if the weather is terrible, I'll bake the chicken.

In the winter I'll add the variability of putting a whole bird in the crackpot.

chicken and dumplings.

I was at Walmart a few weeks back, and the wife had asked me to pick up some chicken thighs. Every part of a chicken they had except whole fryers, was skinless. Fresh (frozen and thawed I think) and frozen parts, it was all skinless. Now me, if I was going to make chicken and dumplings
or mostly any thing else, I want the skin on. I wonder what they do with all the chicken skins. miles

Miles, chicken necks seem about as scarce as hen's teeth, I did find a neck in the last whole bird I bought, but they are rarely in the birds.

Miles, if we debone and skin chicken, I throw the bones and skin in a pot with just enough water and cook it.
Strain. And it makes good gravy, or add some to store bougte stock to pump it up a bit.

I am getting tired of the meat choices in the grocery stores.
They are going the WalMart way.
"You will buy, what we want to sell."

Just try buying a beef tongue, or brains anymore.
Everything is boxed boneless meat. Hell, they do
giveaway sales on bonless porkloin, but you have
to pay premium for a bone in loin.

even in my small North Florida town, there are markets that sell 'real meat'. The only thing I have difficulty in finding is real beef suet. Other than that, I can pick up any part, cut or style at Ward's Market

I did see beef tongue somewhere in the last month, but can't remember where. I think I might have been in Little Rock, but can't say for sure. I think they had oxtail too. miles

Beef tongue runs about $40.00 each here.

On the grill with a dry rub.

I have two good sized grocery stores within 3 miles, almost have to pass one to go anywhere.
Nearest real butcher shop is 30 miles. Not many left that walk an animal in the back door, and
sell meat in the front. Most custom butchering is being done by people with small, maybe legal,
shops that don't retail.

Funny how the world changes, poor folk used to buy at the butchers or raise their own.
Now the grocer is much cheaper than the butcher, and if you are not born into farming,
you better be well off if you want to buy in.

My rendition of cacciatore.

We generally don't eat the backs from our whole chickens. Regardless of cooking method, they are saved and then filled in a stock pot and simmered for hours. Usually with some carrots and bits of celery that are otherwise not very usable.

That was a favorite as a kid as Mom made awesome cacciatore.

Gumbo

Never had cacciatore so I just looked up a few recipes.
It sounds pretty good so I'll give it a go as soon as I can round up the bits and pieces.

What do you serve it with.

ok, but thanks for not saying "Chicken Tetrazzini".