My first fight with whole chicken
By Suggar
@Suggar (3606)
Bulgaria
December 19, 2010 6:31am CST
Hello friends, today i thought only to respond other discussions, not to post one, but i'm on my way to buy whole chicken for second time, since i'm the cooker at home and i'm little scared.
First time when i bought chicken, i was so scared of all happened, that next times when i cooked chicken, i bought only parts of it.
Today is a new day and i plan to try again. First time when i took it whole, it was frozen, so i had to keep it in warm water for hours. When it unfreeze, i took it off the package and started to look for everything. It had a fat ball in the whole of the stomach, i took it off, because i hate to cook fatness. It was kind of disgustingly for me. After that, listening my mother's advices on the phone, i started to cut it on parts, but it was so slippery, that the skin started to move away from the meat. Because i don't like chicken skin, my boyfriend too, i decided to take it off before cooking. That was wrong move for sure. I couldn't move it all, just on parts and i was so squeamish, that i could act only with two fingers :D.
At the end we didn't have whole chicken, only few parts of it, like the breast of the chicken and few other parts. A lot of the meat went out with the skin.
But today i decided to take it whole, so i can make chicken soup tomorrow with the while meat, so i'll got fight again. Cross fingers for me and with me luck.
Also i would be really glad if you share your first experience with cutting whole chicken on parts - how did you felt, what did you do and so on. :)2 people like this
5 responses
@pergammano (7682)
• Canada
19 Dec 10
Good morning, Suggar! Is there a reason that you are not roasting the Chicken WHOLE? Baked chicken is wonderful, you can take the skin off easily after it is baked, use the chicken bones and carcass for soup, and you will have the benefit of all the meat. The cavity, where the intestines were, you can make a wonderful stuffing for that...easily searched on line! A good site is; www.allrecipes.com, and just type Baking or Roasting Chicken or use myLot's "Search the Web."
One thing that you are doing is SCARING ME! YOU MUST NOT unthaw the Chicken in warm water..it promotes the growth of salmonella, which can be a deadly poison.
UNTHAW your chicken in the fridge, or at the VERY LEAST ice-cold water. It does take way more time, but is much, much safer!
Poultry in all forms, should be handled carefully. Wash your hands, knife and cupboards with hot, soapy water, then rinse with vinegar....and DO NOT cross-contaminate by handling or cutting other foods, until you have completed the cleaning process.
Take care...and have a great day!
@Suggar (3606)
• Bulgaria
19 Dec 10
Thanks for the advices friend, just now i remember that my mom told me that the meat didn't have to be in water at all, because it's taste will change and it will loose it.
The problem here is that when you buy whole chicken in my country, you have to check everything around it, because sometimes when the big companies are doing the chickens ready for package they stay little short fur on some places on the body of the chicken, and this is why we have to check everything before cooking. 
I'm going to buy the chicken right now and will follow your tips. Thanks.
I'm going to buy the chicken right now and will follow your tips. Thanks. 1 person likes this
@ladynetz (968)
• Canada
21 Dec 10
My one and only experience with a whole chicken was at around the age of 10 when my mom was sick and she was planning to cook the chicken. She explained me how to cut it in parts and what to do with them.
I must say she explained very good, I understood perfectly, but when I got to actually do it, I did swear on that day that this will be my first and last time I'm going to deal with a whole chicken.
It slides, it's greasy, and if you don't know precisely where to cut, you get into bones and chp everything instead of cutting nicely.
I knew how to cook lots of things by then, but always handled small pieces.
I like to cook, I like to bake, but never ever I did touch another whole chicken again for more than 30 years now.
So, everyone out there, if you want your children to have a great experience while cooking, give them assignamnets proper for their age.
So, Suggar, good luck and all the appreciation for your task!
@DarlingGirl (745)
• United States
19 Dec 10
I'm so sorry that you had a hard time! Defrosting the chicken in a fridge for a day or two is the best way. Sometimes I've had to warm the cavity with hot water to get the giblets out, but usually two days is plenty of time for a full defrost.
As for butchering the chicken, I was looking for a video of Jacques Pepin doing it, but I only found his recommendations for cutting down cooking time. Instead, I found a culinary school video that you will love! The chef cuts up the chicken for frying in only a few minutes.
Here's the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SNjIzsKXfo
@ANTIQUELADY (36440)
• United States
19 Dec 10
LOL, I never heard anybody fighting w/a chicken before. U gace me quite a chuckle. It's been so long since i cut up my first chicken i don't recall any trouble w/it. Be glad u didn't have to clean it's insides out like my grandmother use to do. I have watched her many times but never had to do thank heavens.
@marcmm (1804)
• Malaysia
19 Dec 10
I never had any problem with chicken. I like to buy it by parts but to be more economical, I will buy the whole chicken. At first I find it difficult to cut the chicken to parts but after a few time I found it relatively easy.
To avoid yourself struggle with the chicken, always buy the fresh chicken rather than frozen chicken.
