Poultry Lesson 7

Poultry

  

  Poultry is a collective term for domesticated birds bred for eating.  They include, Chickens, Ducks, Geese, Guineas, Pigeons, and Turkey.  


  Poultry is generally the least expensive and most versatile of all proteins.  It can be cooked by almost any method, and its mild flavor goes well with a wide assortment of sauces. 

  The USDA recognizes Six categories or kinds of poultry, Chickens, Ducks, Geese, Guineas, Pigeons, and Turkey.  Each kind of poultry is divided into classes based on the birds age and tenderness.  The charts below will explain each categories class .

Chicken

Chicken is the most popular of the Poultry.  It is widely used around the world.  It contains both light and dark meat and is relatively low in fat.

Class	Description	Age	Weight	Cooking Method
Game Hen	Young immature Chicken    That’s meat is very flavorful.	5-6 Weeks	2 LBS   Or less	Split and Broil, Grill           or Roast
Broiler/Fryer	Young with soft, smooth textured skin, relatively lean	13 Weeks	3 LBS 8 oz Or Less	Any cooking method
Roaster	Young with tender meat and smooth textured skin	3-5 Month	3 LBS 8 oz – 5 LBS	Any cooking method
Capon	Surgically castrated male, tender meat with soft smooth textured skin. Great Flavor	Under 8 Weeks	6-10 LBS	Roasting
Hen	Mature Female , flavorful but less tender	Over 10 Month	2.8 LBS- 8 LBS	Stew or Braise

Chicken Con Broccoli

Makes: 1 Serving

Ingredients:

1 lb chicken breasts

2 tsp olive oil

4 oz dry orecchiette pasta

1 c heavy whipping cream

2 Tbsp butter

2 tsp minced garlic

2 tsp cornstarch

1 c broccoli florets

salt and ground black pepper to taste

SPICE MIXTURE

2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

2 tsp dried basil

2 tsp dried parsley

2 tsp dried rosemary

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

salt and pepper to taste

Directions: preparation

Combine ingredients from Spice Mixture. Rub onto the chicken breasts. Cook chicken in the olive oil until done and browned. Set aside.

Cook orecchiette in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and return pasta to pot.

Stir butter and garlic into saute pan. Cook until garlic caramelizes, then add the cream and the cornstarch. Cook over medium heat until sauce thickens. Add to pasta.

Stir chicken and broccoli into the pasta. Simmer until everything is heated through. Remove from heat and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

Duck

Duck is used most often in commercial businesses. It contains only dark meat and large amounts of fat.  In order to make the fatty skin palatable, it is important to render as much fat as possible.  Duck has a high bone and fat to meat ratio, for example, a 4 LBS duck will feed 2 adults whereas a  4 LBS chicken will feed 4 adults.

Class	Description	Age	Weight	Cooking Method
Broiler/ Fryer	Young bird with tender meat	8 Weeks	3 LBS 8oz -4 LBS	Roasting at high Temperature
Roaster	Young bird with tender meat and rich flavor	16 weeks or less	4 -  6 LBS	Roasting
Mature	Old bird with tough flesh	6 months or older	4 – 6 LBS	Braise

Goose

 A Goose contains only dark meat and has very fatty skin.  It is usually roasted at high temperatures to render the fat.  Roasted Goose is a popular bird most often served on holidays with an acidic fruit based sauce to offset the fattiness

Class	Description	Age	Weight	Cooking Method
Young	Rich tender dark meat with large amounts of fat	6 Months or  less	6 – 12 LBS	Roast at high heat  serve with acidic sauce
Mature	Tough Flesh	Over 6 months	10 – 16 LBS	Braise or Stew

Guinea

  A Guinea or Guinea Fowl, is the domesticated descendant of a game bird.  It has both light and dark meat and similar flavor to a Pheasant.  Guinea is tender enough to Sauté. Because it has so little fat is is usually *Barded, prior to cooking.  It is relatively expensive and is not as popular a poultry in the United States as it is in Europe. 

Class	Description	Age	Weight	Cooking Method
Young	Tender Meat	3 Months	12 oz – 1LB	Bard and Roasted
Mature	Tough Flesh	Over 3 Months	1 – 2 LBS	Braised or Stewed

*Bareding; Tying thin slices of fat, such as Bacon or Pork fat over the meat or poultry that have very little fat, covering in order to protect and moisten during cooking.

Pigeon

  The pigeon that is used in Commercial food service is referred to as Squab.  Its meat is dark and tender and well suited for broiling, sautéing or roasting.  Squab has very little fat and benefits from *Barding.

Class	Description	Age	Weight	Cooking Method
Squab	Immature Pigeon, very tender dark meat	4 Weeks	12 oz – 1 LB	Broil, Roast or Sauté
Pigeon	Mature Pigeon, coarse skin and tough meat	Over 4 Weeks	1 – 2 LBS	Braise or Stew

*Bareding; Tying thin slices of fat, such as Bacon or Pork fat over the meat or poultry that have very little fat, covering in order to protect and moisten during cooking.

Turkey

Turkey is the second most popular poultry in the United States.  It has both light and dark meat and a relatively small amount of fat.

Class	Description	Age	Weight	Cooking Method
Fryer/Roaster	Immature bird of either sex. Tender meat with smooth skin	16 Weeks	4 – 9 LBS	Roasting, or cutting into scallops and pan sautéing
Young	Tender meat, smooth skin	8 month or less	8 – 22 LBS	Roast or Stew
Yearling	Fully matured bird, reasonably tender meat and slightly coarse skin	15 months or less	10 – 30 LBS	Roast or Stew
Mature	Older bird with coarse skin and tough meat	15 months or older	10 – 30 LBS	Stew, Ground, or processed

Pan Roasted Squab with a Fig and Red Wine

Reduction Sauce

Prep Time: 25 M | Cook Time: 1 H 5 M | Makes: 4

servings | Difficulty: Intermediate

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 cup dried figs, stems removed and diced
3 cups fruity red wine
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
2 cups dark chicken stock
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 squab
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Directions:

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the shallots to the pan and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the figs, wine, and thyme, and cook, stirring, to de-glaze the pan. Cook at a brisk simmer until wine has reduced enough to coat the back of a spoon and the figs are tender, 25 minutes. Add the chicken stock and cook again until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat, add the butter and stir until the butter is melted and the sauce is thickened. Adjust the seasoning, to taste and set aside, covered, to keep warm. Do not allow the sauce to boil or it will separate.
Cut the backbone out of the squab and gently flatten with the palm of your hand. Lightly season the squab on both sides with salt and ground black pepper.Heat the remaining oil in a large saute pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the squab, skin-side down, and cook for 3 minutes. Turn and place in the oven. Roast until the birds are cooked through and tender, about 7 minutes. Remove from the oven, transfer to a platter, and set aside to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Drain the remaining fat from the skillet and add the sauce to the skillet to rewarm, scraping to dislodge any browned particles clinging to the bottom of the pan.
Serve the squab with the sauce ladled over all.
Wine Recommendation: Napa Valley Syrah

See you next time.

Darcy