Poultry Cooking:
Raw chicken has little or no flavour; it develops during cooking. The principles of cooking poultry are basically the same as for cooking meats. The cooking method is selected on the basis of the tenderness of the poultry and its fat content, both influenced mainly by the age of the bird. Moist heat methods are applied to older and tougher birds in order to make them tender and palatable. Dry heat methods are applied to young tender birds.
The changes that take place during the cooking of poultry are similar to those of other meats. To obtain tender, juicy, and uniformly cooked poultry, low to moderate heat is to be used. Intense heat results in the toughening of proteins, shrinkage, and loss of juiciness.
Broiling and Frying: Young tender poultry is cooked by broiling, frying, baking, or roasting. For broiling, the bird is placed in the broiler with the skin side down. The whole bird or halves may be broiled. The broiler is placed about 10 cm from the flame or heating element and cooked at a broiling temperature of 177°C until the internal temperature of the breast muscle reaches 95°C (about 45-60 min.). Because of the low fat content of the young birds, basting with melted fat will improve the flavour, palatability, and appearance of the preparation.
Frying and deep fat frying are particularly suitable for cooking low-fat, young, tender poultry and more frequently used than broiling. The halves of the birds are frequently fried. Before frying they are coated with seasoned flour or beaten eggs and bread crumbs. They are then carefully cooked to prevent overbrowning before the meat is tender. If deep-fat-fried, the bird must be steamed until the stage of doneness before being dipped in flour or in egg and crumbs, and fried slowly. The time required for browning in deep fat is too short to promote thorough cooking of meat.
Roasting: Poultry may be roasted, stuffed, or unstuffed. When the whole bird is roasted, tender parts, such as the breast, may be overcooked before the legs and thighs are cooked to the desired state. For stuffed birds, roasting should be continued until the internal temperature of the stuffing reaches 74°C. This eliminates the possibilities of bacterial food poisoning. When the poultry is roasted without stuffing, it is cooked at an oven temperature of 163°C till the internal temperature of the thigh muscle reaches 85°C.
Tandoor chicken: This is a well-known and popular Indian chicken dish. This is barbecued chicken. The cooking is done in a clay oven called a tandoor. Tandoor is a long earthenware pot embedded in clay and earth. Charcoal is put inside, and the oven is made red hot. Other types of ovens are designed and used. Tender chicken, either whole or cut, is used. The skin is removed from the chicken, and the flesh pricked with a fork and sprinkled with salt. Tandoor sauce is then smeared on the chicken, which is then left aside for 6-8 hours. It is then cooked in the tandoor. Halfway through the cooking time, it is removed from the oven and brushed all over nicely with butter or oil and cooked again until the chicken is fork tender. Chicken cooked this way is delicious.
Braising and Stewing: The older tougher birds are cooked this way. Disjointed pieces of chicken are generally braised. Generally, they are first browned by frying, after which water is added and the bird simmered until it is tender. For stewing, the whole bird or cut pieces are used. They are cooked in water with seasonings and vegetables until they are tender.
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