Chicken is highly regarded by chefs, cooks, nutritional specialists, doctors, and home cooks alike. The reasons are numerous and varied. Chicken is economical, versatile, healthy, and easily prepared. Poultry figures prominently in world cuisine, with dishes such as Chicken Marsala, Chicken Parmigiana, Chicken a la King, Chicken Cordon Bleu, and more. However, some people are intimidated by this noble bird because they don’t understand how to cook a whole chicken.
Many believe that cooking a cut-up chicken is easier, but that is not necessarily true.
There are many advantages to cooking a whole chicken:
- It is more economical. Chicken pieces are generally priced 30% more per pound (or even more) than whole chicken. In fact, whole chicken is probably the least expensive meat you can buy. On sale, a whole chicken can sometimes be purchased for as little as 50 cents a pound. Dog food costs more than that.
- It may seem like there is more waste with a whole chicken because of the bones, neck, gizzards, and liver, but nothing could be further from the truth. The entire carcass, skin, fat, bones, liver, neck, and gizzards can be boiled into delicious chicken stock, which can be used in other recipes, to make gravy, soups, etc. The liver, gizzards, and neck can also be broiled, baked, or fried and eaten by themselves.
- Whole chickens retain more moisture, are less prone to drying out, and retain more flavor than pieces.
- Whole chickens require less manual labor during preparation.
- Whole chickens can be cooked in more ways than pieces.
- Serving a whole chicken is more elegant and impressive than serving pieces.
From a nutritional standpoint, chicken is an all-star. It has less fat and cholesterol than any other meat except fish, is high in protein, and contains no carbohydrates.
Any great chicken dish starts long before the bird gets anywhere near an oven or grill. You need to know how to select the best bird, proper care and handling, and safety tips. Chickens can be contaminated by E. coli bacteria, but proper selection, handling, and cooking techniques reduce the risk to near zero.
When selecting a chicken, always buy from a supplier you trust. Most reputable markets keep their coolers clean and monitor temperatures closely. Stick to brand-name chickens, like Tyson, Pilgrim’s Pride, or my favorite, Perdue. The larger producers exercise more quality control than smaller suppliers.
Next, decide what type of chicken you want. You can get a chicken in three ways: live, fresh, and frozen. Live is best, but most people are too squeamish about killing one themselves for that to be an option. Likely, a live chicken will wind up as a pet rather than an entrée, so this is not a practical option. The next best option is a fresh chicken, meaning it is not frozen. This is a good choice if you plan to cook it within a few hours. If not, then you need a frozen chicken.
For fresh chickens, make sure the cooler they are kept in is at least 40°F or cooler, the bird is tightly wrapped with no leaks or tears in the packaging, and it is within its sell-by date. Never buy a chicken with a strong ‘birdy’ smell.
For frozen chicken, be sure it is rock-solid frozen with no tears or rips in the packaging, and it is within the sell-by date. Select your chicken at the very end of your shopping trip to ensure it stays cold as long as possible.
When checking out, be certain that your chicken is not bagged or in physical contact with any other unwrapped groceries, like produce. Chicken should be bagged separately from all other groceries.
You should go directly home and place your chicken in the cooler or freezer as soon as possible. Your chicken should not be out of a cooler or freezer for more than 30 minutes. Never re-freeze a thawed chicken. When handling chicken, wash your hands before touching anything else, and do not use any utensils, knives, cutting boards, rags, or towels that have had contact with raw chicken or its juice until they have been washed in very hot water with chlorine bleach.
How you cook a whole chicken depends on the desired end result. There are many different ways to prepare a whole chicken, but certain tips and guidelines are common to all methods.
Never leave a chicken out of the cooler or freezer for more than 30 minutes. You can cook a whole chicken without thawing it out. Just multiply the cooking time by 1.5. If you plan to thaw the bird in the sink, clean the sink thoroughly with a chlorine bleach solution (at least 10%), place the chicken in very cold water, and change the water every 30 minutes. Freezers should be at or near 0°F.
If you plan to use the microwave to thaw your chicken (not recommended), follow the manufacturer’s directions. When thawing in the refrigerator, allow 5 hours per pound. If you are thawing the bird in the sink, allow 30 minutes per pound. After the bird is thawed, examine it closely. If there is any gray coloring, slime, sour, or strong ‘birdy’ smell, return it to the store. Do not use it. If everything seems fine, make sure you cook it the same day it is thawed.
Always remove the bag inside the cavity of the bird that contains the neck, liver, and gizzards before cooking, and wash the bird inside and out thoroughly. Avoid cross-contamination of towels, knives, cutting boards, etc. Wash your hands before handling any other foods or utensils. Once your chicken is thawed, get it prepped and cooking as soon as possible. Never leave a chicken sitting out for more than 30 minutes.
Always truss a chicken if you are stuffing it or putting it in a rotisserie. This keeps the stuffing inside the bird during cooking, prevents the legs and wings from hitting the heating elements and burning in a rotisserie, and helps the entire bird cook evenly.
Most importantly, never serve chicken until it has reached an internal temperature of at least 180°F at the thickest point, or if smoking it, 165°F.
Always allow a cooked chicken to “rest” for 10-15 minutes before serving. This allows the juices to settle and the flavors to develop more fully. It also prevents your dinner guests from burning their lips and mouths on very hot chicken.
There are many opinions on how to cook a whole chicken. It can be roasted, baked, cooked on a rotisserie, slow-cooked in a crockpot, pressure-cooked, boiled, steamed, grilled, smoked, or even cooked on a campfire. Here are a few common tips:
- Assemble all your ingredients and tools before prepping the bird.
- Turn on the oven, start heating the water for boiling or steaming, or fire up the grill or smoker before starting to prep your bird. This way, everything will be ready to cook when the chicken is.
- Make any basting sauces or glazes ahead of time. If you are stuffing the chicken, have the stuffing mixed and ready to go.
- When cooking a chicken, temperature is more important than time. Use a meat thermometer to monitor the chicken’s internal temperature. It is done when it reaches 167°F if smoking, or 180°F for all other methods.
- If you intend to remove the skin, do it after cooking. Otherwise, the bird will become dry, tough, and inedible.
- If you are using marinade or brine as a baste, sauce, or gravy, boil it before reusing it.
- When brining a chicken, always do it in the refrigerator. Never leave a raw chicken out of the cooler for more than 30 minutes.
- Save the carcass, bones, skin, and any unused parts. Pick as much meat as possible from them, and use it later in chicken salad, soup, etc. The bones, skin, and carcass can be placed in boiling water with spices for an hour or so, then removed and discarded. The remaining liquid is chicken stock, known to most kitchen professionals as ‘liquid gold’. This can be used in soups, gravies, or for cooking rice, potatoes, etc.
