The Lemon Fool

What's the point?

The skins unhealthy so we don't eat it.

And the skin stops any seasoning getting onto or into the chicken meat.

So is there any other good reason to season with salt, pepper, herbs, spices...?

Eat the skin it's the best part. Cut down on something else instead.

Scott.

swill453 wrote:Eat the skin it's the best part. Cut down on something else instead.

Scott.

Regardless is the seasoning just flavouring the skin?

Would my chicken meat taste any different without it?

You could be right, I guess the skin is impermeable. Alternatives are to add flavour in these ways:

-cut a lemon (say) in half and put in the cavity;
-cut shards of garlic and with a knife push them through the skin.

bluedonkey wrote:You could be right, I guess the skin is impermeable. Alternatives are to add flavour in these ways:

-cut a lemon (say) in half and put in the cavity;
-cut shards of garlic and with a knife push them through the skin.

I always put stuff in the cavity - onion, carrot, garlic, lemon, though I am not 100% how much flavour this imparts tbh.

Just wondering if the chicken meat always needs some seasoning or sauce on the plate. I know roast should always come with gravy but I don't always. Sometimes we do it with rice.

GrandOiseau wrote:
The skins unhealthy so we don't eat it.

In what way?

genou wrote:

GrandOiseau wrote:
The skins unhealthy so we don't eat it.

In what way?

Presumably expected way with the mouth delivered by knives and forks though with the fingers I could imagine.

bluedonkey wrote:You could be right, I guess the skin is impermeable. Alternatives are to add flavour in these ways:

-cut a lemon (say) in half and put in the cavity;
-cut shards of garlic and with a knife push them through the skin.

Both things we've done that have worked on chicken and turkeys. Garlic and rosemary sprigs is another nice combo.

Make a herb butter, what combo is your choice. Gently lift the skin on the top of the bird by the cavity, lift back say 4-5" until you can rub said paste onto the top of the breasts (ooh ah). Pin the skin back down around the cavity with cocktail sticks or similar. You can do exactly the same to stuff under the skin, both help the crown/breasts from becoming too dry. We also stuff in this way when we do an Xmas turkey.

ps. with a typical chicken a lot of flavour seems to come via the skin. We certainly eat the crispy sections, all the fat has been cooked off. The odd areas, like underneath, where it has remained under-cooked or fatty, we simply pass on those.

DiamondEcho said:

The odd areas, like underneath, where it has remained under-cooked or fatty, we simply pass on those.

I do the opposite, but there again I roast the chicken upside down as I find the breast meat keeps moister that way. And I add salt and pepper to chicken cavity before inserting the lemon I normally put inside the bird and then sew up both ends.

Eb.

Have you tried submerging the chicken for a day in a saline solution before drying and cooking. Seasons and plumps up the meat gives a better texture, French housewife gave me the tip years ago.

genou wrote:

GrandOiseau wrote:
The skins unhealthy so we don't eat it.

In what way?

Saturdated fat.

GrandOiseau wrote:

genou wrote:

GrandOiseau wrote:The skins unhealthy so we don't eat it.

In what way?

Saturdated fat.

No, chicken skin is unsaturated fat.

Scott.

swill453 wrote:

GrandOiseau wrote:

genou wrote:In what way?

Saturdated fat.

No, chicken skin is unsaturated fat.

Scott.

Nobody sent me that memo!

So it's perfectly healthy!?

todthedog wrote:Have you tried submerging the chicken for a day in a saline solution before drying and cooking. Seasons and plumps up the meat gives a better texture, French housewife gave me the tip years ago.

That's a process common in the US, brining. It's also the process that leaves some pans of frying bacon swilling in white foam and liquid. It does tend to make meat more juicy increasing it's weight and volume, perhaps why it's quite common in much take-away food, especially Asian IME.

DiamondEcho wrote:

todthedog wrote:Have you tried submerging the chicken for a day in a saline solution before drying and cooking. Seasons and plumps up the meat gives a better texture, French housewife gave me the tip years ago.

That's a process common in the US, brining. It's also the process that leaves some pans of frying bacon swilling in white foam and liquid. It does tend to make meat more juicy increasing it's weight and volume, perhaps why it's quite common in much take-away food, especially Asian IME.

Its one of those processes (like sous vide) that's found a home at both extremes of the cooking spectrum
- It's high end and artisanal; especially if you do it yourself
- but most of the time it is found in "ready meals"

- sd

Soaking in brine at home is different from industrial processes which inject brine and sugar into the flesh, why sell meat when you can sell water!
As is making home made bacon which involves brining but no nitrates and leaves no traces in the pan when cooking.
The similar materials are used but the results are totally different

GrandOiseau wrote:

swill453 wrote:

GrandOiseau wrote:Saturdated fat.

No, chicken skin is unsaturated fat.

Scott.

Nobody sent me that memo!

So it's perfectly healthy!?

I'm pretty sure all meat and dairy and eggs contain saturated fat as do some nuts, chocolate, cakes, biscuits.

Well, I usualy brine a chicken for roasting. I just dilute some salt in a bowl of cold water, add the chicken and leave in the fridge overnight. If you are a purist though, you may want to cook the brine with herbs and whatever, leave it to cool and brine as before. The flesh is definately plumper and juicier. We always eat the skin of chicken, roasted or grilled and if I take the skin off for casserole, curries, pies etc. it is grilled or baked for a crispy chicken skin treat. As to seasoning; if I don't brine it, I will always insert seasoned butter under the skin, it goes in easily using a dessert spoon handle for example. Also, I only buy free range grain fed chicken, juicier and tastier. Don't forget to use the carcase for stock, even cooked bones make a good broth. However, as we are only two, I joint the bird, use what I need for now and freeze the remaining parts to use for another dish later. All bones without exception are used for stock, raw bones are paricularly good if you want to make a reduction for a rich sauce, the gelatin holds the butter liason together for a professional quality, restaurant style sauce, what is called “Monter au beurre”. If I don't have enough bones to make stock right away, they go in the freezer.

john

Eboli wrote:DiamondEcho said:

The odd areas, like underneath, where it has remained under-cooked or fatty, we simply pass on those.

I do the opposite, but there again I roast the chicken upside down as I find the breast meat keeps moister that way. And I add salt and pepper to chicken cavity before inserting the lemon I normally put inside the bird and then sew up both ends.

Eb.

Can you expand on this suggestion please. It sounds like a statement of the blindingly obvious. Are there any (hm) downsides ?

regards, dspp

FWIW, chicken fat is fairly healthy. See https://theconsciouslife.com/foods/chic ... -04542.htm.

That being said, I usually just brine my chickens, turkey, etc. in a 3.5% to 4.0% salt brine. Herbs & spices can be added to the brine, along with fresh herbs, slices of lemon, etc. in the cavity or under the skin, but I don’t usually bother.

Down here in Loosiana, many people inject their birds, mostly turkey, with “marinades”, etc. (see https://www.webstaurantstore.com/35429/ ... 20Injector ) and allow the bird to “age” in the fridge for a day or two for the stuff to distribute around the bird so one doesn’t get a pocket of “Boudreaux’s Hot & Spicy Marinade” in one bite and nothing in the rest of the drumstick.


Back about 40 or 35 years ago, I was out at our Ship Shoal Block 120 K Platform in the Gulf of Mexico and watched the cook preparing chickens for roasting for supper. He made up a mixture of herbs, spices and butter, which he smeared on the meat under the skin - very tasty, them birds but I doubts my M.D. would approve, no. Y’all might try something like that using an unsaturated fat.


C.J.V.