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Chicken

What is chicken? About the ingredient chicken. Including 4,247 recipes with chicken, nutrition data, and where to find it.

About

The meat of the chicken, also called "chicken", is a type of poultry meat. Because of its relatively low cost, chicken is one of the most used meats in the world. Nearly all parts of the bird can be used for food, and the meat can be cooked in many different ways.

Popular chicken dishes include roasted chicken, fried chicken, chicken soup, Buffalo wings, tandoori chicken, butter chicken, and chicken rice. Chicken is also a staple of many fast food restaurants.

Farming

More than 50 billion chickens are reared annually as a source of food, for both their meat and their eggs. Chickens farmed for meat are called broiler chickens, whilst those farmed for eggs are called egg-laying hens. In total, the UK alone consumes over 29 million eggs per day. Some hens can produce over 300 eggs a year.

Chickens will naturally live for 6 or more years, but broiler chickens typically take less than six weeks to reach slaughter size. For laying hens, they are slaughtered after about 12 months, when the hens' productivity starts to decline.

The vast majority of poultry are raised using intensive farming techniques. According to the Worldwatch Institute, 74 percent of the world's poultry meat, and 68 percent of eggs are produced this way. One alternative to intensive poultry farming is free range farming.

Chicken Eggs

Chicken eggs are widely used in many types of dishes, both sweet and savory, including many baked goods. Eggs can be scrambled, fried, hard-boiled, soft-boiled, pickled, and poached. The albumen, or egg white, contains protein but little or no fat, and can be used in cooking separately from the yolk.

Egg whites may be aerated or whipped to a light, fluffy consistency and are often used in desserts such as meringues and mousse. Ground egg shells are sometimes used as a food additive to deliver calcium.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 cup, chopped or diced (140g)
Amount per Serving
Calories 266Calories from Fat 93
 % Daily Value *
Total Fat 10.4g 16%
Saturated Fat 2.9g 14%
Trans Fat ~
Cholesterol 124mg 42%
Sodium 120mg 5%
Total Carbohydrate 0.0g 0%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Sugars 0.0
Protein 40.5g
Vitamin A 1% Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 2% Iron 9%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your caloric needs.

Where found

Chicken is usually found in the poultry section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.

Food group

Chicken is a member of the Poultry Products USDA nutritional food group.

How much does chicken weigh?

measure grams
1 cup, chopped or diced 140
1 tbsp 8
1 unit (yield from 1 lb ready-to-cook chicken) 146

In Chinese:
British (UK) term: Chicken
en français:poulet
en español:pollo

Recipes using chicken

There are 1235 recipes that contain this ingredient.

Amazing Roast Chicken with Honey Glaze
Andy's Murgh Kurma (Chicken Curry)
Anne's Chicken For Crock Pot
Asparagus Chicken Mousse with Orange Butter
Authentic General Tso's Chicken
Baked Garlic Chicken Legs
Best Cheesy Chicken Chowder
Best Chicken Curry
Best-Ever Crispy Fried Chicken
Biryani Rice Recipe
Bok Choy, Carrot and Mushroom Stir-Fry with Sesame Orange Sauce
Breezy Point Chicken Curry

All 1,235 recipes

References

See more about chiken about 13 years ago
Usda nutrition data over 8 years ago

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