Poultry Tips
Read these 15 Poultry Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Gourmet tips and hundreds of other topics.
Creamy Wine & Mushroom sauce
Chicken in White Wine Mushroom Cream Sauce
4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
3 Tbs. butter
2 small cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 tsp. thyme
Pepper to taste
1/2 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 cup whipping cream
Saute chicken breasts in butter over medium heat until lightly browned on both sides; remove from pan.
Saute garlic, and mushrooms until tender and liquid has cooked off.
Pour white wine over mushrooms, add thyme and stir. Add chicken breasts, bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat. Simmer chicken for 30 minutes, remove from pan.
Stir cornstarch into whipping cream and stir into mushroom sauce in the pan. Season with pepper.
Bring to a boil and stir constantly until thickened.
Pour over chicken and serve.
This is excellent paired with Rice Pilaf with Peas.
Hoisin Chicken Satay
The Hoisin sauce in this recipe gives the Satay a little something different and delicious.
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in 1/4" strips
4 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut in 1/4" strips
12 wooden skewers for grilling (soak in water)
Spicy Peanut Sauce:
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 green onions, minced
1/2 cup dry sherry
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tablespoons pure sesame oil
2 Tablespoons creamy peanut butter
2 Tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Thread the chicken strips onto the skewers and place on a foil-lined sheet pan, in 1 layer.
Mix sauce ingredients thoroughly and pour over the chicken.
Cover tightly with plastic wrap and marinate for several hours.
Remove the satays from the marinade, and divide marinade in half.
Heat half to a low simmer in a small saucepan, and use the other half to baste the chicken while it grills.
Barbecue the chicken over low coals, basting constantly to prevent it from drying out.
Pour the heated marinade over the chicken and serve.
These can also be done successfully under a broiler ~ cook about 6 minutes.
Chevre and Pesto Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Make these for an elegant dinner time entree. Serve with 3 Rice Pilaf and Sugar Snap Peas with Mint.
4 ounces chevre cheese
6 ounces basil pesto
4 whole skinless boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, to taste
fresh ground pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 400°F.
In a small bowl stir together pesto, goat cheese, and pepper to taste until well combined.
Pat chicken dry and season with garlic powder, salt and pepper.
Form a pocket in chicken for filling: Put a chicken breast half on a cutting board and, beginning in middle of 1 side of breast half, horizontally insert a sharp thin knife three fourths of the way through center, moving knife in a fanning motion to create a pocket. Form pocket in remaining breasts in the same manner.
Divide filling between pockets and spread evenly with a finger. Close pocket and pinch edges to seal a bit.
In a small heavy ovenproof skillet heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and brown chicken, about 3 minutes. Turn chicken over and brown about 3 minutes more.
Transfer skillet to middle of oven and bake chicken until cooked through, about 7 minutes.
Thawing a Turkey
Using the following chart, simply place the turkey in its original wrap on a tray or in a pan in the refrigerator for the time indicated.
NEVER thaw poultry or meat on the counter at room temperature.
Whole Turkey:
8 to 12 pounds 1 to 2 days
12 to 16 pounds 2 to 3 days
16 to 20 pounds 3 to 4 days
20 to 24 pounds 4 to 5 days
COLD WATER METHOD:
Place the bird in its unopened bag in the sink or in a
large container and cover it with cold water. If
the wrapping is torn, place the turkey in another plastic
bag, close securely, and then place in water. You
will need to change the water frequently to assure safe but effective
thawing. The National Turkey federation recommends every 30 minutes as a rule of
thumb.
Whole Turkey:
8 - 12 pounds 4 to 6 hours
12 - 16 pounds 6 to 9 hours
16 - 20 pounds 9 to 11 hours
20 - 24 pounds 11 to 12 hours
Storing Chicken
Refrigerate raw chicken promptly after purchase. Tray-packed chicken can be
refrigerated about 2 days in its original wrapping.
Pounds to cups
Many recipes call for a certain amount of "cups" of cooked chicken and knowing how much raw chicken to buy can be a challenge.
Next time you're faced with this dilemma, just remember that it's basically a 1:1 ratio.
1 whole chicken, about 3-4 pounds, will yield 3-4 cups cooked chicken.
Raspberry Balsamic Glazed Chicken
Raspberry Balsamic Glazed Chicken
This recipe with serve 4.
4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/3 cup seedless raspberry jam
2-3 tablespoons good quality balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Heat oil in nonstick skillet; over medium-high heat till hot.
Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes.
Combine thyme and 1/4 teaspoon salt; sprinkle over chicken.
Add chicken to the skillet and for sauté 6 minutes on each side or until done.
Remove chicken from skillet; keep warm.
Reduce heat to medium-low. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, raspberry jam, balsamic vinegar,
and black pepper, stirring constantly until the jam melt.
Return the chicken to the pan, turning once or twice to coat well.
Serve immediately spooning remaining sauce on top of chicken.
Poultry cooking temperatures
Always cook chicken well-done, never "medium" or "rare." An internal
temperature of 180F is recommended for a whole chicken or parts with bones,
160F for boneless parts.
Marinating Chicken Pieces
When marinating chicken with its skin still on as you would with wings or legs, try piercing the skin a few times with the tines of a fork.
This allows the marinade to soak into the meat, resulting in more flavor.
Chicken Quesadilla
If you like a moister filling add 1/2 a cup of salsa to the chicken filling. I like to serve with Cilantro Guacamole
Chicken & Sundried Tomato Quesadillas
1 cups shredded Monterey Jack or mozzarella cheese
4 6 inch flour tortillas
non-stick vegetable cooking spray
4 teaspoons sour cream
3 tablespoons green onion, minced
8 sun dried tomatoes, soaked and drained
1/2 cup shredded cooked chicken
1/2 cup refried beans
Lightly coat a baking pan with the cooking spray. Combine the cheese, green onions, tomatoes, chicken and beans. Divide evenly among the tortillas. Fold the top of the tortillas over. Bake 8 minutes or until the
cheese is melted and tortillas are browned. Top with sour cream just before serving.
Turkey & Wild Rice Casserole
2 cups long-grain with wild rice mixture
1 large onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup flour
9 ounces sliced mushrooms, liquid reserved
3 cups half and half (table cream)
2 cups turkey broth
6 cups turkey, cooked and chopped
1 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1/2 cup pimiento, diced
4 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
bread crumbs
Prepare rice according to package directions. Sauté onions in butter.
Remove from heat and stir in flour. Drain mushrooms and save liquid.
Combine mushroom liquid with cream, broth and additional liquid if required to make 4 cups. Stir
slowly into flour mixture. Cook and stir until thick.
Add rice, mushrooms, turkey, toasted almonds,pimiento, parsley, salt and pepper.
Put in a 9" x 13" pan and top with bread crumbs.
Bake for 40 minutes at 350º.
How much to serve
A basic serving of chicken is 4 ounces per person or 1/4 of a pound.
When purchasing, buy an extra ounce per serving to allow for shrinkage.
If the chicken is still on the bone, purchase an additional 2 ounces per person.
Turkey Pot Pie
This is such a delicious and comforting meal, you'll wish you had turkey leftovers more often.
1 1/2 cups onions, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
1/2 cup carrots, chopped
1/2 cup canned or frozen peas
1/2 cup canned corn
1/2 cup margarine
6 tablespoons flour
3/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
1 teaspoon ground pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups turkey broth (or chicken)
3 cups turkey, cooked and cubed
4 1/2 cups biscuit mix
1 cup milk
paprika
parsley
1. Cook onion, celery, green pepper in butter until soft. Blend in flour, salt, pepper and garlic.
2. Add turkey broth, peas, corn and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened and bubbly.
3. Combine onion mixture with turkey and pour into a greased 2 qt casserole.
4. Put in a hot oven 425 to heat while you make the biscuits.
5. Prepare biscuits mix, according to package directions and cut into either 2 inch round biscuits or squares.
6. Place on the hot turkey mixture in the casserole, sprinkle with paprika and parsley and bake until the biscuits are lightly browned, about 20 minutes.
Carving a chicken
It will take a little practice to get the carving just "perfect" following these basic directions.
1. Place chicken on platter, breast side up, with legs to carver's right.
Hold drumstick firmly with fork and using a sharp carving knife, cut
through skin between leg and body of chicken. Press flat part of blade
against body of bird and gently pull drumstick forward; cut through skin and thigh joint.
2. Place leg on side platter. Separate drumstick and thigh by cutting down through the joint.
3. Holding chicken with fork, remove wing at joint in much the same manner.
4. Insert fork across breastbone. Starting halfway
up the breast, cut downward into long, even slices of white meat. To
carve other side of chicken, turn platter and repeat.
Parts vs. Whole
If you prefer to use chicken parts vs. a whole chicken you'll find this chart helpful.
To equal one whole chicken buy:
3 whole breasts
6 half breasts
9 Whole legs (thigh and drumstick)
12 Thighs
14 Drumsticks
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