Many recipes begin with the words: "Cut the boiled chicken into a salad into oblong slices ...". Or even like this: "Fry a blanched chicken ...". Perhaps culinary experts from God believe that an ordinary person is already born with knowledge of how and how much to cook a whole chicken. But this is not so. Moreover, there are many ways to boil chicken. This can be done in a conventional pan or connected to the business of modern kitchen appliances. A double boiler, for example, is convenient in that when cooking healthy substances do not pass from meat to water. And then you need to take into account what dish we plan to make from chicken. Bouillon? Then both the cooking method and the time spent on the process will be different. If in the future we will bake or fry the chicken, then it will be blanched or allowed before it. It takes very little time. In a word, in this article we will pay attention to methods of cooking chicken, and especially whole carcasses.
Broiler and poultry
It is no secret that the taste of a dish directly depends on the quality of its ingredients. Many housewives, wanting to cook chicken, go for it to the supermarket. But poultry products are sold there. To quickly grow chickens, they are stuffed with special feeds, hormones and antibiotics. Of course, all these not quite useful substances "settle" in meat and, as a result, in our organisms. Poor chickens during their very short lives did not even see the light of day and were constantly in stress. This directly affects the quality of broiler meat. But in appearance, these chickens are fat and juicy, with white skin. They do not cook for long. True, the broth from them turns out tasteless.
Home chickens are sold in the markets. They do not look as impressive as broilers: less greasy, with yellowish pimpled skin. But they ate natural feed. Poultry is good for stock. The answer to the question of how much to cook a whole chicken also depends on its age. Young chickens cook faster, old chickens take longer. It is believed that the most delicious boiled meat is from a rooster. It is sinewy, cooked for a long time, but the broth from it is very useful and rich. European cuisine also uses fowl and capons - castrated chickens and roosters, whose meat is especially tender. But on our open spaces you will not find birds of this kind.
Blanching, steaming, cooking
Now consider the methods of heat treatment of chicken using hot water. Blanching can not be called cooking in the truest sense of the word. The French invented this culinary device. It consists in the quick processing of boiling water (steam or hot vegetable oil) of products - meat, vegetables, almonds. This technique allows you to "seal" the juices inside the chicken. It is used when you plan to fry or bake meat in the future. Chicken is dipped in boiling water. When the water begins to gurgle again, meat is taken out. It remains raw, only brightens. Therefore, the technique is called "blanching", from the French word blanchir - "bleach."
Relishing is a short cooking in a small amount of water, milk or in one's own juice. Chicken is dipped in cold liquid and cooked under a lid. Reception allows you to get juice, which can then be used for sauce. How much to cook a whole chicken in the “poaching” mode? It depends on the size of the bird. You should not look at the clock, but look regularly at the stewpan. Standing out juice will show that the meat is stained enough.
And finally, the actual cooking. We will pay special attention to this method of heat treatment of meat .
Water: what should it be?
Before we take up the issue of "how much to cook the whole chicken until cooked," we will understand the beginning of the culinary process. In which water to put the carcass - cold or hot? The answer to this question depends on what you are going to do next with the chicken. If you fry, bake, use for salads - throw in boiling water. From high temperature, the blood will immediately coagulate and remain inside the fibers. Therefore, the meat will become juicy and tasty. But if you want to cook a delicious, rich, fragrant broth, put the bird only in cold water. As it warms up, the meat will give off liquid fat and other substances. Therefore, the soup will be delicious.
How long does it take to cook a whole chicken in a broth pan?
From the above information, it becomes clear that the methods of heat treatment of meat with hot water depend on the prepared dish. So, the first option: broth. Fill the gutted carcass with cold water. We put the pan on the fire. What should it be like? Many chefs believe that at the beginning of cooking, the flame needs to be made strong. But as soon as the water reaches a boil, the fire should be reduced to low. It is necessary to remove the "noise" - the released blood. If this is not done, the broth will turn cloudy, with an unpleasant odor. Then, the roots for the soup - onions, parsley, carrots and celery are laid in the pot. How much to cook a whole chicken after boiling? It also depends on the size and age of the bird. Broilers will be ready in 60 minutes. Domestic chicken is boiled for about two hours. A sinewy cock will take 30 minutes more time. It should be said that meat after a long processing becomes less tasty, although edible. Therefore, the idea of too thrifty housewives “I’m cooking soup and then making chicken in Kiev from the same chicken” is a bad idea.
How to cook jellied meat
A rooster is most suitable for this dish. In his meat there are a lot of gelling substances, which is required for the freezing of the jelly. But you can cook a dish from home chicken. True, then you will have to add a little edible gelatin to the broth. We start to cook the jelly in the same way as the broth. Fill the carcass with cold water, after boiling, reduce the heat and remove the foam. The only difference is how long it takes to cook the whole chicken on the jelly. Three hours, no less! It is necessary that the meat is boiled enough so that it itself falls off from the bones and crumbles into fibers. Jellied meat from a rooster takes about five hours.
How much do you need to cook the whole chicken for other dishes
It happens that we need ready-made meat. A lot of diet dishes are made from boiled chicken. It is added to salads, such as, for example, Caesar. So that the meat does not convey its taste and aroma of the liquid in which it will be cooked, it is placed in boiling water. Does this increase the cooking time? As soon as we put the chicken in the pan, the water will stop boiling. Soon she will begin to gurgle again. We must remove the noise, reduce the heat and cover the pot. After 15 minutes, salt should be added, add aromatic roots, bay leaves and other spices. Cooking time depends on the size and age of the chicken. On average, the process will take about an hour.
How to determine if a chicken has been cooked?
To make sure that the bird is ready, you need to pierce the meat with a fork in the thickest part of the carcass, in the shin area. The tip should go in easily. If juice is emitted from the hole, and not an alternate, then it is ready. As you can see, chronometers will help us little in the preparation of chicken. Too many factors to consider. Even the size of the pot and the amount of water can speed up or slow down the process. If you are in a hurry and want to cook the chicken as soon as possible, cut the carcass into pieces. Quarters will be cooked in half an hour (for broilers) and 45 minutes (for poultry).
Cooking with kitchen assistants
To facilitate our work, we will connect modern technology to the cookery. How to cook a whole chicken in the microwave? Only 20 minutes at full power. But in the middle of the process, the carcass should be turned over. In the multicooker, the whole bird is cooked for an hour in the "Stew" mode. It turns out a very healthy meat, which was processed with steam, and not with water. But the process of cooking chicken in this unit will take 45 minutes. From a pressure cooker, meat can be served to the table in 20 minutes.