A Beginner’s Guide to Baking Chicken
Probably one of the easiest of all dishes to master, baking chicken is not only nutritious but delicious as well. Beginner cooks can easily make chicken their specialty meal once they have learned the basics about poultry.
The first obstacle to overcome is which type of chicken to purchase. The vast array of chicken parts and labels on whole chickens in the grocer’s refrigerated case may be a bit overwhelming at first glance. There are various types and cuts of chickens that have different purposes for cooking, so it important to know and understand the differences to achieve the result you desire.
A chicken’s age is a telling feature of the type of meat it will be. Young chickens are nice and tender; generally, they cook quickly. Older chickens, because they’ve been around a while and using their muscles, may be a bit tougher, so they will need a long cooking process in order to produce a juicy, tender meat.
When choosing chicken at the grocer’s, the following labels will likely be associated with the chicken cuts:
● Fryers
● Broilers
● Roasters
● Stewing
● Capons
The youngest of chickens are the fryers, with the broilers following very closely behind. They generally weight under 3 – 3 ½ pounds; sometimes appearing as small as 1 – 1 ½ pounds. Because they are so young when butchered (usually under 3 months), the muscles on these birds have not had the opportunity to develop and strengthen. This results in a very tender meat that has a mild, delicate flavor. Ideal methods for cooking fryers and broilers is broiling, grilling, frying and roasting the meat.
Next in the progressive age category are the roasting chickens. To fit into this category, the birds must be around 4 months old. Roasters are still young enough to be tender, but because of the additional age, a slower cooking method such as oven roasting or rotisserie cooking is best for them. When baking chicken whole, this is the variety of chicken that should be purchased.
Capons are young birds as well, but only castrated male roosters are able to be categorized as a capon. These usually have a greater body mass, with weights averaging at around 6-7 pounds each. Because of a higher fat content, capons also possess more flavor than other birds.
Finally, there are stewing chickens. To stew meat means that it will be simmered for an extended period in water or broth. The moist cooking method infuses a tougher meat with the fluid and serves to tenderize it. Chickens that are prepared for stewing are older hens, averaging around 1 to 2 years old. They are often larger birds, up to 7 pounds. Using these birds for preparing soups, stews and chicken stock are perfect methods.
Chicken meat can be purchased in whole form or as cut up pieces. You will notice that the labels will apply to either form; cut up fryers, for example, or whole roasters. Most meat cutters will use only fryers or broilers for cut up chicken pieces, due to their tenderness. Cut up chicken pieces will usually include legs, thighs, breast quarters and wings; the neck may or may not be included. The form of chicken you purchase will largely depend upon the specific recipe for baking chicken that you have chosen to prepare. Keep in mind that, should you be lucky enough to find that your grocer is advertising a special price on whole chicken, it is an easy matter to section the bird into pieces yourself if the recipe calls for it. Simply ensure that you are not buying a stewing hen when the recipe calls for a short cooking time.
For those who wish it, chicken is also available packaged in specific forms. Different cuts can be packaged; breasts, thighs, legs and wings are the common cuts enjoyed. But the variety does not end there. Breasts and thighs can be purchased bone in or boneless; with skin or skinless. Wing sections can be divided into drummies and tips or all together.