Making the Most of a Chicken

[GaryD]

Hi,

While we usually have our own home-grown chicken meat, our first broilers for the season are just over five weeks old, so we've had to buy some from Aldi (one of the few places I'll buy chicken meat).

While we like roast whole chicken, we find that we can make much better use of chicken portions, so we buy four chickens at a time and break them up into legs, thighs, breasts and wings. This allows us to create meal-sized packs of meat. Chicken Schnitzel is our preferred way to eat breast meat and tenderloins.

Our Maltese terrors get the fresh wing tips.

We boil up the carcasses with a few herbs and end up with a beautiful chicken stock which we use for soups and a variety of other dishes. We separate the carcass meat from the bones and mix this cooked rice and vegetables for our dogs.

When we process our own chickens (usually about eight at a time), we also harvest the hearts and livers.......a delicacy that we pan-fry in butter and serve on toast.

I have yet to learn how to cook chicken feet like Chinese people do but that's next on the list.

Gary

[Shane]

I have yet to learn how to cook chicken feet like Chinese people do but that's next on the list.

Did you ever end up giving the Chicken feet a go Gary?

[JohnMc]

Hi,
We boil up the carcasses with a few herbs and end up with a beautiful chicken stock which we use for soups and a variety of other dishes. We separate the carcass meat from the bones and mix this cooked rice and vegetables for our dogs.
Gary

I am sure the dogs appreciate it. But the horrors. We take the carcass meat and add it to some of the homemade soup stock for cabbage-barley soup. Feeds an army for just a few dollars.

I do like the idea of purchasing or processing multiples. Simple and works to maxiumum effect. Will give it a go.

[Pugo]

Chicken feet huh? I really hate that job glad I don't have to do it anymore. I grew up around people from Mexico, So i picked up a few things so here goes. Cleaning chicken feet is not the most glamorous thing you could be doing, but this is one way to clean the skin off the feet.

If you find a better way, please let me know!

First thing is to bring a pot of water to a boil. Oh! You will get your hands very slimy while doing this task.
Now drop in a few feet into the boiling water. Let them sit for a few minutes. use some tongs to remove the feet let them cool for a little while so you don't burn your hands. Then just start removing skin best place to start is the ankle. now if there is some black looking stuff stuck on sole of the foot, use a knife to remove. and that's the end of the story. Cleaned chickens feet.

As far as Chinese chicken feet there are numerous versions on the internet..