Butcher Rob Adams of Adams of Oxton talks us through Chicken and his delicious Grilled Chicken with Chorizo & Chickpea Stew .
THE BUTCHERS CUT
BY ROB ADAMS
Butcher Rob Adams of Adams of Oxton talks us through Chicken and his delicious Grilled Chicken with Chorizo & Chickpea Stew .
Britain ’ s undisputed favourite meat … The Great British Chicken .
There are many hundreds of varieties of hens ; the light Sussex in England ; the Faverolles and Bresse in France ; the White Cornish and the White Rock in America ; and the way these breeds have been developed is a closely guarded secret .
Birds are rated by their performance – that is how many days to achieve a certain weight . Chickens are such a versatile food , with virtually no waste , especially if you use the carcase for preparing delicious chicken stock for soups , broths and sauces .
Chickens are available throughout the year , fresh or frozen and are usually sold oven ready . Supermarkets usually sell packaged birds by oven ready weight , but a fresh bird bought from a butcher is preferable as it can be prepared in the way you want to cook it . Generally a larger bird gives better value because the ratio of meat to bone is higher . As well as being available whole , birds can be bought in individual portions – legs , wings , thighs , drumsticks , halves and quarters . Ask your butcher – we are always happy to portion the bird however you may wish . Chicken is a delicate meat and needs considerate cooking since it has a rapid rate of shrinkage in high heat – But much depends on the age of the bird : tender , young poultry can be barbequed , fried , grilled or roasted ; old birds need long , slow braising or stewing . Traditional dishes such as the Scottish ‘ cock-a-leekie ’ and the French ‘ coq au vin ’ are unlikely to have been prepared with cockerels but with capons or boiling fowl . The age and the type of chicken therefore determine the method of cookery and the recipe .
To roast a chicken – brush with oil or fat , season with salt and white pepper – Birds that are roasted in foil or in a covered chicken pot roaster are in fact cooked by steam and not by radiant heat . They will need a final 20 -30 minutes browning , uncovered .
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