Rubbery Chicken......Same Old Cooking Methods
I have always loved the versatility of chicken and the taste and moistness and tenderness. I could eat it 5 days a week........or I used to feel that way. Lately, if I roast, broil or grill, it doesn't taste as tender and isn't as juicy. I'm not overcooking it. Tenders work fine and so does frying. I have to take what I get (I refuse Perdue), now that I'm forced to get food delivered from Acme, but are they doing something different with chicken on the poultry farms?
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16 Comments:
Try poaching it, then drizzle it with seasoning. It's moist and tastes like chicken should taste!
To poach, I bring water to a boil, add the chicken and turn down to a soft simmer. For chicken breasts, I'll poach them for about 12-14 minutes, then remove from the water. I'll cut it into smaller pieces, then season it with salt, plus other herbs or sauces. (Try drizzling it with a simple vinigrette of olive oil, balsamic and Dijon mustard.) Plus, it keeps and reheats well.
chgoeditor at 4:09PM on 02/14/08
To be honest, I don't buy supermarket chix anymore. I get it from either Fresh Market or Whole Foods - a place like that. It's more expensive but for crying out loud, it tastes like chicken!
As far as poultry farms, I know there's more going on than I need to know - the whole thing is a nightmare. But I'd like to think that due to the higher quality available at the better grocers, those chickens might be fed and treated better.
chiff0nade at 4:09PM on 02/14/08
Sorry - maybe I wasn't being clear. I have cooked chicken in every conceivable manner and recipe for 40 years. I wondered if others have noticed a discernible change in taste, texture, etc.
chiff - did you quit supermarket chix because quality changed? I wish I had alternatives. Being disabled makes everything so much harder, but I'm just so diappointed that I can't enjoy one of my favorite affordable foods. I've tried whole and pieces. I prefer bone in, but boneless is fine for some applications. None of them are as good as they used to be. Anyone else feel the same?
PerkyMac at 4:20PM on 02/14/08
chiff - did you quit supermarket chix because quality changed?
I quit supermarket chix because I got a mouthful of roasted chix that started out in Fresh Market's butcher case! I am not a white meat eater by any stretch. I usually find it bland and dry. After swooning over my thigh meat, I actually sliced myself off a piece of breast. OMG, THAT's what everyone's raving about!! (I still prefer dark meat but at least now I don't think all white meat eaters are nuts.)
Perky - have you tried Kosher chix? This is the next best thing to brining a good quality bird. I remember Empire Kosher being a big brand in NY. Try Kosher chix - they are definitely cleaner and handled under strict dietary rules. Roast as though you brined the bird. It's worth a try!
chiff0nade at 4:30PM on 02/14/08
I'm already looking for kosher coke, and that matzo ball soup sounds delicious. I love corned beef.......I could go on and on. This Irish lass is going to seriously start shopping kosher. Thanks for the tip chiff and the recipe chgoeditor!
PerkyMac at 8:49PM on 02/14/08
Yes -- I think the quality of most food products is declining. In an effort to maximize profit, producers cut lots of corners. Have you ever noticed how much extra fat & skin are attached to chicken parts these days? Garbage that we are paying $4/5/6 a pound for? Sleazy way to increase prices...
Do you brine your chicken? It can improve the texture and flavor of even mediocre chicken. I rarely cook poultry -- even parts -- without brining them first.
I use a ratio of 1/2 c. (Diamond brand) kosher salt to 1 qt. of water. Soak a whole chicken 2-4 hours. Breasts (bone in) about 1 - 1 1/2 hours, thighs a little less. You can add a fat pinch or two of sugar if you wish. You can season your brine with the same herbs and/or flavors of your recipe. But just a soak in salty water will help alot.
kjgibson at 10:12PM on 02/14/08
@ Perky - I was just about to suggest brining. I agree wholeheartedly with kgibson. We have been brining a lot since my husband became the grilling mac daddy and smokemaster extraordinaire. It makes a huge difference in the basic grocery store chicken. If price is not an object we go for the Whole Foods free range birds. It's a world of difference.
We have been buying pieces and parts (frozen and not) from Costco for a while and the problem is all the broth and water injected to plump up the bird parts. I used to buy them all the time for convenience sake but the sacrifice is the real flavor. I'm reading the labels much more carefully these days.
frederika at 10:53PM on 02/14/08
Thanks guys and gals. I have brined whole turkeys and chickens, but not pieces. I usually marinate them in buttermilk or lemon/oil herbs or some concoction. Certainly worth a try. I'm sick of rubbery chicken. It ends up wasted. Maybe it's just Acme, but I used to like Lancaster chicken, certainly better than Perdue. I wish I had more options, but there is only one store that delivers and I'm truly grateful because I'd be up the creek without food - literally.
I plan to check the label next order and see if there is any mention of broth or other injectable. I don't want chemicals, but you'd think that might make for a more tender piece of meat, not a recycled tire. Chicken used to be delicious and I want that again. Might have to stick to tenders - haven't had any problem with them. Appreciate your thoughts......keep 'em coming!
PerkyMac at 11:24PM on 02/14/08
Perky I never buy chicken local to us. I don't know what they are feeding the chickens but they are just not great chicken. However I do buy chicken at Shady Maple. Costco whole chix are not bad
JerzeeTomato at 11:51PM on 02/14/08
Hey Jerz - I've missed you! I can't walk anymore, so shopping anywhere is out. I used to shop at both places. I hate to impose on friends, you know? One did bring me a bunch of stuff from Costco last weekend though - including awesome blueberries and chicken sausages. They never let me pay them, so I hate to ask for anything. I've explained I'd rather pay and give them a small list, but they won't hear of it.
Off topic.....big problem for me.......haha. I'm glad you agree about the chix and I'm not losing my mind or my cooking skills!
PerkyMac at 12:05AM on 02/15/08
Perky, for what it's worth, I never cook chicken without brining or marinating it first, be it pieces or whole. Then again, I am a big fan of brining or marinating, and I'll never make, say, a shrimp dish without brining the shrimp first, either. My few experiences of ordering chicken when eating out have been very unsuccessful - regardless of the way of preparation, the sauce, etc., the meat itself was always quite tasteless (needless to say, I don't order chicken when eating out any more). So I agree with Jerzee, it seems that they are just not great chicken.
brooke29 at 12:21AM on 02/15/08
You should be able to roast a regular chicken with some seasoning and a few throw ins (lemon, wine, celery, carrot, half an onion etc) and have it come out amazing every time.
I will say this though Costco has the best DAMN rotiserie chicken EVER. for 4.99 its worth every damn cent. Perky tell them you want some of those and slip them a 20.00 Iam sure they would bring you back some.
I pick up 2 every other week. We eat some hot, then we have some shredded for quesadillas, then picked chicken salad, then I take whats left and throw it on some pasta with olives, celery, onions, spinach, feta cheese, grape tomatoes, marinated articokes and a greek style vinagrette.
Sooo good. You get a few meals out of them.
JerzeeTomato at 5:01AM on 02/15/08
Hey Jerzee-
Agree with you about Costco...great stuff!
iswhaticrave at 7:24AM on 02/15/08
I'm gonna do it Jerzee! I can't remember the last time I had good rotisserie chicken and it's one of my favorite foods.
PerkyMac at 3:34PM on 02/15/08
You know, I have ranted for a few years about the altered taste after cooking raw meats. At first it was definitely pork. Then my husband went off chicken. In my opinion, the health industry has put a damper on taste and an emphasis on less blah blah and blah blah. Talk to a southern BBQ retailer and they will tell you the breeding of animals has become a politically correct issue and breeders are breeding flavor out of meats. What happened to Julia Child and all foods in moderaion?
yayajac at 10:33PM on 02/24/08
yayajac.........thanks for the confirmation. Now that you mention it, I quit buying pork for the same reasons, but I didn't cook it as often. It started tasting blah and wasn't as tender or juicy. What are they doing to our meats, to our tastebuds, to our meals, to our dinner tables?
PerkyMac at 12:22AM on 02/25/08