{"id":204,"date":"2012-06-22T22:53:47","date_gmt":"2012-06-22T22:53:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.assaggiare.com\/blog\/?p=204"},"modified":"2012-06-22T22:53:47","modified_gmt":"2012-06-22T22:53:47","slug":"the-chicken-conundrum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.assaggiare.com\/blog\/2012\/06\/22\/the-chicken-conundrum\/","title":{"rendered":"The Chicken Conundrum"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Chicken\u2026.it seems like the perfect food, right?\u00a0 Reputed to be simultaneously budget-friendly, easy to prepare and popular; many clients ask for it on their event menus.\u00a0 The surprising fact about chicken in a banquet context, it is often neither inexpensive nor easy to prepare.\u00a0\u00a0 How many bad \u201cmystery\u201d chicken entrees have you endured at weddings, parties, galas and BBQ\u2019s?\u00a0 Who can forget the boneless, skinless roast chicken breast that seems to grow in your mouth as you chew?\u00a0 How many times can you remember tasting chicken at a large event that was savory, flavorful, juicy and tender?<\/p>\n

In the kitchen, chicken goes from hero to zero in a matter of minutes.\u00a0 The most popular form, the skinless and boneless breast filet, has no internal fat to baste the meat as it cooks.\u00a0 Thought to be a frequent source of food poisoning, chicken must be cooked to an internal temperature of at least 165F.\u00a0 This almost guarantees that a breast filet will be dry and tasteless.\u00a0 On the other hand, legs and thighs are perceived to be less elegant, more suited to a picnic than to fine dining.\u00a0 In fact, a chicken thigh is the one piece of the bird that stands the greatest chance of remaining supple and juicy when cooked to a safe temperature.\u00a0 However, it is often red or pink at the bone, even when cooked to the proper serving temperature, causing guests to suspect it is undercooked or even raw.<\/p>\n

Chicken\u2019s saving grace as a banquet entr\u00e9e is its portion size.\u00a0 A single 6-8 ounce portion (breast or thigh) serves one guest.\u00a0 How many other proteins arrive in the kitchen already portioned?\u00a0 If you choose to serve whole roast chicken at a function, you are faced with either carving to order or hacking the bird up Chinese-style into serving portions.\u00a0 Neither option is particularly attractive or easy to serve to a large group, especially if the meal is served plated.<\/p>\n

In an attempt to add flavor to a commodity boneless, skinless chicken filet, chefs resort to stuffing, pounding, stewing, frying or saucing.\u00a0 The net result is stunningly predictable; dry and mealy meat swimming in a flavorful fat or sauce.\u00a0 In kitchen parlance, boneless, skinless becomes \u201cb\/s,\u201d and we all know what B. S. really means.\u00a0 I have yet to meet a chef that really enjoys preparing boneless, skinless chicken filets.\u00a0 While enjoying fine dining status in the early 1980\u2019s (as the chicken paillard, a thinly pounded cutlet seared and served hot from the pan with a light sauce), this cut is noticeably absent on restaurant menus outside the mainstream chains.\u00a0 Favored by cardiologists and dieticians for its low level of fat, this cut is almost impossible to serve flavorfully outside the a la minute environment of a small restaurant.\u00a0 The only way to add moisture is to brine, adding enough salt to send a chill down the spine of any self-respecting health professional.\u00a0 Yet are Americans just accustomed to dry, white chicken meat on their plates?<\/p>\n

At a recent event, we prepared an apple stuffed boneless, skinless breast roulade; roasted, sliced and sauced with a cider-mustard beurre blanc.\u00a0 The guests consumed it with gusto, but while tasting a slice in the kitchen, I personally found it dry, mealy and insipid despite the well balanced flavors in the sauce.\u00a0 As an experiment, I prepared the same dish using skin-on boneless breast filet and boneless, skin-on chicken thighs.\u00a0 The skin-on breast was juicier, but still largely dry.\u00a0 The skin-on thighs were unctuous, savory and tender.\u00a0 The crisp skin provided a necessary counterpoint to the tender meat and moist stuffing.\u00a0 It was almost as if the meat of the breast filet actually pulled moisture out of the stuffing, leaving the entire entr\u00e9e somehow unfinished, even after the addition of sauce.\u00a0 The thigh, on the other hand, remained moist and delectable even after three days in the cooler and reheating in the microwave.<\/p>\n

We use primarily California raised, free-range chicken for our dishes.\u00a0 Since these chickens are active, and consume feed that is supplemented by foraging, the meat is more deeply colored than the factory farmed counterpart.\u00a0 Because these chickens are larger, they are often slaughtered at a younger age, and their bones are softer, leaching hemoglobin into the surrounding muscle, especially in the legs and thighs.\u00a0 What this means is that the dark meat of these birds resembles duck or turkey more than chicken.\u00a0 Americans are taught from childhood to fear raw chicken, and they are also taught that the primary indication of raw chicken is red or \u201cbloody\u201d meat near the bones.\u00a0 However, per the USDA, \u201cDarkening of bones and meat around the bones occurs primarily in young (6-8 weeks) broiler-fryer chickens. Since the bones have not calcified or hardened completely, pigment from the bone marrow seeps through the bones and into the surrounding area. Freezing can also contribute to this darkening. This is an aesthetic issue and not a safety one. The meat is safe to eat when all parts have reached a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 \u00b0F as measured with a food thermometer.\u201d\u00a0 (source:\u00a0 http:\/\/www.fsis.usda.gov\/Fact_Sheets\/Color_of_Meat_&_Poultry\/index.asp#15<\/a>)<\/p>\n

As a requirement of our food safety training, chefs are taught not only to cook potentially hazardous foods, such as poultry, to the correct finish temperature; but we are also taught to record the cooking temperature, conditions, time and finish temperature in order to maintain a controlled process .\u00a0 As a result, we are very aware of how chicken is cooked before serving to the customer.\u00a0 Yet time and again, chicken legs and thighs are sent back as \u201cunderdone\u201d or \u201craw\u201d by guests.\u00a0 In our kitchen, we actually increase the cooking time and look for a finish temperature of 180F at the bone in legs and thighs, hoping to produce a finished dish that is delicious as well as visually appealing to the customer.<\/p>\n

When a client begins menu discussions, chicken is almost always on the list.\u00a0 As a result of our experience, we have begun to discuss not only the presentation and the flavors with our customers; we also discuss the cuts and methods of preparation.\u00a0 An added complication today is that many recipes for boneless skinless breast filets also include a crust or coating of nuts to make up for the lack of fat in the meat itself.\u00a0 With the emergence of nut allergies as a concern, we have been forced to look for new ways to add flavor and texture.\u00a0 Many of our tastiest recipes for chicken are not pretty on the plate or platter.\u00a0 In buffet service, the use of chafing dishes and other means of keeping chicken at a safe serving temperature almost guarantee it will be overdone for at least half of the guests.\u00a0 We have found the best way to preserve the texture and flavor of chicken on a buffet is to serve it over a vegetable saut\u00e9 or braised white beans with greens.\u00a0 The moisture in these items helps maintain moisture in the chicken, and the layer of food underneath insulates the chicken itself from the drying heat of the pan.\u00a0 For plated meals, we prefer roulades or stuffed pieces that can be shingled or cut offset to display the filling, then sauced.\u00a0 Our ultimate aim is to see that our customers get a preparation that will meet or exceed not only their expectations, but those of their valued guests.\u00a0 This means we do a lot of talking about chicken, and we ask a lot of questions.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, a tasting may be the best way we, as caterers, can address the chicken conundrum.\u00a0 Under these conditions, we can serve the same recipe prepared with different cuts, or with skin on or off.\u00a0 When a customer actually tastes the difference, most agree with our recommendations and swap out the boneless skinless breast filet for another option.\u00a0 After all, we really want the same thing; happy and satisfied guests who feel they have been treated to an exceptional and celebratory meal, while still respecting the customer\u2019s budget preferences.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Chicken\u2026.it seems like the perfect food, right?\u00a0 Reputed to be simultaneously budget-friendly, easy to prepare and popular; many clients ask for it on their event menus.\u00a0 The surprising fact about chicken in a banquet context, it is often neither inexpensive nor easy to prepare.\u00a0\u00a0 How many bad \u201cmystery\u201d chicken entrees have you endured at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[19,14,21,4,15,5,7],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.assaggiare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.assaggiare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.assaggiare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.assaggiare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.assaggiare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=204"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.assaggiare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":207,"href":"https:\/\/www.assaggiare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204\/revisions\/207"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.assaggiare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=204"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.assaggiare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=204"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.assaggiare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=204"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}