# Isn't chicken a REALLY great food? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 6, 2005, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-chicken-a-really-great-food/325045 "2005-10-06T14:14:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2005, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-chicken-a-really-great-food/325045/21 "2005-10-06T22:15:17Z")
> [@Scruloose](#): > > Put me down for $20 on Cafe Society. Dude, you owe me a double sawbuck. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2005, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-chicken-a-really-great-food/325045/22 "2005-10-06T22:21:01Z")
I used to not care for chicken that much because we had so much of it while I was growing up. My father, now a retired doctor, was then a practicing doctor in the first flush of anti-redmeat and anticholesterol hysteria, so the family tried to avoid red meat. My brother wouldn’t eat fish…ergo chicken several times each week. But I love the stuff. I don’t have a particular favorite recipe, but tend to like the ones where the whole bird goes in the oven. On the other hand, I do make a decent coq-au-vin. But then, who doesn’t? ---
**Author:** ![fortytwo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f9ae1b/32.png) [@fortytwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fortytwo)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2005, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-chicken-a-really-great-food/325045/23 "2005-10-06T22:53:46Z")
I probably have chicken about 3 times a fortnight, it’s okay. It used to be much better when it was a lot harder to get though. When I was a kid we had chicken at Christmas and that was it. You really appreciated it then. ---
**Author:** ![Scruloose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Scruloose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruloose)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2005, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-chicken-a-really-great-food/325045/24 "2005-10-06T23:07:48Z")
> [@Malacandra](#): > > Dude, you owe me a double sawbuck. 😃 Aw crap! I’ll uh - just write you a check, yeah that’s it. ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2005, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-chicken-a-really-great-food/325045/25 "2005-10-07T02:29:09Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I almost agree with you. I don’t know what it is, but I swear American chickens have had all the taste bred out of them. Eggs, too. When I lived in Euroland, I swear, the poultry and pork there tasted so much more flavorful out there. And the eggs. Hungarian yolks were a deep, vibrant orange and tasted like the very essence of egg itself. Here? Even free-range eggs have a pathetic, lemon yellow yolk–at least the ones available at my supermarket. We have chicken about four times a week, because I love chicken. I’ve found the chicken in Australia to be much better than what you can find in the U.S. It seems like about 5-10 years ago, someone came up with the idea to inject chicken with chicken broth to either make it moister or to cause there to be more water that you’re paying for and less chicken. Whatever the reason, it seems like I couldn’t find chicken that wasn’t rubbery and decidedly un-chicken-like in flavor. That trend hasn’t caught on in Oz, yet, so I can easily find really chickeny chicken. We mostly do chicken breasts in a variety of ways, but nothing beats a good roast chicken with stuffing and potatoes (and something green, too, probably). We’re having chicken parmagian tonight. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2005, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-chicken-a-really-great-food/325045/26 "2005-10-07T03:02:43Z")
Chicken’s all right, but beef is where it’s at. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2005, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-chicken-a-really-great-food/325045/27 "2005-10-07T03:20:03Z")
At my previous job (god, 12 years ago.) There was a Family owned chinese restaurant. Had Walnut chicken for $5. Hot tea, soup, eggrolls and a Coke included (cuz one of my cow-orkers was the resturant owner’s neighbor) Ner-Freaking-Vahna I love chicken, but can’t southern fry it to save my life. ---
**Author:** ![GrizzRich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7ba0ec/32.png) [@GrizzRich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrizzRich)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2005, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-chicken-a-really-great-food/325045/28 "2005-10-07T05:53:39Z")
Two words…_CLAY POT_ There’s several brands of clay pot cookery out there. I HIGHLY recommend them for the cooking of chicken. I’ve NEVER had a dry tasteless bird come out of one. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2005, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-chicken-a-really-great-food/325045/29 "2005-10-07T06:32:24Z")
Two more words: Kosher chicken. You can’t make a decent chicken soup without it. And what a soup it is! Everytime I make some the whole house smells like the Garden of Eden for a week. Frankie Purdue baby may know from breasts but for a whole birdy with flavor you have to go with the rabbi approved item. ---
**Author:** ![Winston\_Smith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e95f7d/32.png) [@Winston\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Smith)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2005, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-chicken-a-really-great-food/325045/30 "2005-10-07T12:22:03Z")
When I was a boy, we kept chickens. I am proud to say we fed them well, and kept their habitats clean. We treated them very humanely. Then we chopped their heads off with an axe, and devoured their flesh. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2005, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-chicken-a-really-great-food/325045/31 "2005-10-07T12:58:54Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I almost agree with you. I don’t know what it is, but I swear American chickens have had all the taste bred out of them. Eggs, too. When I lived in Euroland, I swear, the poultry and pork there tasted so much more flavorful out there. And the eggs. Hungarian yolks were a deep, vibrant orange and tasted like the very essence of egg itself. Here? Even free-range eggs have a pathetic, lemon yellow yolk–at least the ones available at my supermarket. You can get eggs like you describe, but you need to go to a small farmer. Next time you’re out driving in the country and you see some farm with a sign that says, “Eggs” next to it, go for it. The yolk in an egg like that stands up, and they’re almost nuclear looking. Anyway, for me, the pecking order (pause for laughter). . . Beef Lamb Pork Fish Shellfish Chicken But that’s not to say, I don’t like chicken. It’s still way above “potato”, my favorite vegetable. I love having a leg of chicken and nibbling on all the little bits of meat stuck to the bone. Tender, juicy, flavorful. I can spend some time with a chicken leg, brother. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2005, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-chicken-a-really-great-food/325045/32 "2005-10-07T13:27:58Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I almost agree with you. I don’t know what it is, but I swear American chickens have had all the taste bred out of them. Eggs, too. When I lived in Euroland, I swear, the poultry and pork there tasted so much more flavorful out there. And the eggs. Hungarian yolks were a deep, vibrant orange and tasted like the very essence of egg itself. Here? Even free-range eggs have a pathetic, lemon yellow yolk–at least the ones available at my supermarket. If you haven’t yet, try buying whole kosher chickens. I think they have a lot of flavor, compared to your average Tyson or Perdue chicken. Also, in neighborhoods with good sized Hispanic populations you can often get good chicken. I think the chickens they sell to that market are slaughtered at an older age than the ones they sell in my lily-white neighborhood. One of the supermarkets I go to sells something they label as “Fowl for Stewing.” It’s a pretty large bird, and very flavorful. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2005, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-chicken-a-really-great-food/325045/33 "2005-10-07T15:21:34Z")
> [@Winston Smith](#): > > When I was a boy, we kept chickens. I am proud to say we fed them well, and kept their habitats clean. We treated them very humanely. > > Then we chopped their heads off with an axe, and devoured their flesh. It was meat and right that you did this. Chicken is _potentially_ a great food. But it must be paper-bag fried, slow-smoke BBQed, or Sunday-dinner roasted, and for the love of all that’s holy, _please leave the skin on._ “Poultry skin is a major food group.” -Roy Blount Jr. ---
**Author:** ![jlzania](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/67e7ee/32.png) [@jlzania](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jlzania)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2005, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-chicken-a-really-great-food/325045/34 "2005-10-07T19:44:20Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I almost agree with you. I don’t know what it is, but I swear American chickens have had all the taste bred out of them. Eggs, too. When I lived in Euroland, I swear, the poultry and pork there tasted so much more flavorful out there. And the eggs. Hungarian yolks were a deep, vibrant orange and tasted like the very essence of egg itself. Here? Even free-range eggs have a pathetic, lemon yellow yolk–at least the ones available at my supermarket. I raise pastured poultry. There is no comparison between our birds and tofu prison chicken. And our eggs are bright bright orange. If you are what you eat-by definition you are also what you food eats. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2005, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-chicken-a-really-great-food/325045/35 "2005-10-07T22:18:57Z")
I just made my Dad’s famous Chicken and Dumplings. I guarantee it is the best and easiest recipe for Chicken and Dumplings ever. It is intensely chickeny and so delicious. Dad’s Chicken and Dumplings 1 large whole chicken breast 1 medium onion chopped 2 stalks of celery chopped 1 large potato peeled and cubed 1 large carrot chopped 1 can of cream of celery soup 1 can of chicken broth (14.5 oz.) 2 cups of bisquick 1/4 to a 1/2 of a cup of milk Sautee the vegetables in a large pot with a tablespoon of oil until slightly softened/translucent. Add the chicken broth and cream of celery soup, plus a soup can of water. Bring to a boil and add the whole chicken breast to the pot, cover with a lid. Reduce heat to low and simmer for one hour. Remove chicken breast after an hour and cut into bite size chunks. Add the chicken back to the pot. Mix the bisquick and milk to make a very stiff batter. Add spoonfuls of the batter on the surface of the Stew to cover. Replace lid and let simmer for ten minutes. Serve up the chickeney goodness. ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2005, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-chicken-a-really-great-food/325045/36 "2005-10-08T01:38:39Z")
Frying is the worst way to make chicken. Frying robs chicken of it’s flavor. Why do you think every fried chicken place has to pump the thing full of salt and other spices? But chicken is wonderful for the versitility… Chicken and dumplings, chicken paprika, chicken teriyaki, baked chicken, baked chiken and rice, orange chicken, general tso’s chicken and that’s just what I do with it. And i agree with the comment about the turkey, never tasted a good turkey either. Although the leftovers can be good. Turkey tetrazini turkey noodle soup ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2005, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-chicken-a-really-great-food/325045/37 "2005-10-08T02:40:42Z")
> [@Odinoneeye](#): > > Frying is the worst way to make chicken. Frying robs chicken of it’s flavor. Bite your tongue! There’s nothing that can’t be made better with the application of breading and deep fat frying. 😃 We alternate our turkes between the big ol deep fat fryer method (with aromatics placed between the skin and meat) and Alton Brown’s Patented Brined Turkey. ( [http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD\_9936\_8389,00.html](http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_8389,00.html) ) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-chicken-a-really-great-food/325045.md?page=1)