Don't Be Chicken

Tonight I'm roasting a chicken. I will fill the cavity with chopped onion, lemon, garlic, parsley, rosemary, salt and pepper.

I will then truss it, (this allows the entire bird to roast evenly. If the legs are loose they can burn by the time the internal section is properly cooked).

Next I will brush it with olive oil and sprinkle it with rosemary, salt and pepper. Then I will place it in the roasting pan on top of a bed of chopped carrots and celery.

Finally, I will cook it at 375 degrees until the deepest part of the thigh meat reaches a temperature of 165 degrees. (The thigh takes the longest to cook). I will not rely on the color of the juices to determine doneness.

Most chickens are slaughtered young before sufficient calcium has built up in their bones. Thus, blood can seep from the bones creating an illusion that it is undercooked. Temperature is the only reliable way to know.

As I thought about my menu tonight I found my mind pondering the array of reactions individuals have to this wonderful fowl. I think about things like that. That's why I'm a food writer.

There are a variety of "issues" that people have with chicken. Distinct dichotomies exist in its consumption. Some people will eat the dark meat, other's will not.Likewise for the skin.

The dark meat is "dark" because the leg and wing muscles are used more. Thus, they require more oxygen. Myoglobin is an iron containing protein that transfers oxygen from the blood to the muscles and in turn alters their color.

The dark meat is also higher in intramuscular fat which is why it is juicer than the dry, dull breast. (Did you see that? I just slipped in one of my own prejudices).

Many people consider chicken a "dirty" bird. I'm not exactly sure what this means. A woman I know washes her chicken like a surgeon sterilizing her pre-operative hands. Her husband, afflicted by the same phobia, will not eat any chicken unless she has prepared it.

The truth is, every land animal we consume lives and dies in slop. Trust me when I tell you that your average pig, cow, or bird is not washing its hooves or feathers with anti-bacterial soap or practicing good hygiene when Mother Nature calls.

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