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Chapter 9 Composition and Structure
The flesh of poultry and game birds is muscle
tissue.
• Muscle tissue is composed of:
• Water (about 75%)
• Protein (about 20%)
• Fat (up to 5%)
• Other elements, including
carbohydrate, in small quantities
• Muscles consist of muscle fibers held together in
bundles by connective tissue.
Understanding Poultry & Game Birds
Copyright © 2011 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved 2
Composition and Structure Composition and Structure
Maturity and Tenderness Free-Range Chickens
The tenderness of a piece of poultry is related to Most chickens on the market are:
connective tissue. • Produced by large operations.
• Connective tissue increases with: • Housed indoors in carefully controlled environments.
• Use or exercise of the muscle. • Free-range chickens are allowed to move around freely and eat
outdoors in a more natural environment.
• Maturity or age of the animal or bird.
• There is no legal definition of free-range.
• Young, tender birds are cooked by dry-heat methods,
• Free-range chickens are considerably more expensive than
such as broiling, frying, and roasting, as well as by ordinary chickens.
moist heat methods.
• Many people feel free-range chickens are more flavorful and worth
• Older, tougher birds need slow, moist heat to be made the extra cost.
palatable. 3 4
Composition and Structure Light Meat and
Dark Meat
Light Meat and Dark Meat
Chicken and Turkey Duck, goose, and squab have all dark meat.
• “Light meat”: breast and wings • The same differences in connective tissue hold true.
• Less fat • Breast muscles have more Myoglobin and thus are
• Less connective tissue darker.
• Cooks faster Myoglobin: A protein that stores oxygen for
• “Dark meat”: legs (drumsticks and thighs) muscles to use during periods of great activity.
• More fat • Dark color of dark meat is due to Myoglobin.
• More connective tissue
• Breast muscles of birds are used for flying.
• Takes longer to cook
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Composition and Structure Classification and Market Forms
Light Meat and Dark Meat The following terms are used to classify poultry:
• Kind: the species, such as chicken, turkey, or duck.
Cooking Whole Birds • Class: the subdivision of kind, depending on age and sex.
• A major problem in roasting poultry is cooking the legs • Style: the amount of cleaning and processing.
to doneness without overcooking the breast. • Live: almost never purchased in food service
Cooking Poultry Parts • Dressed: killed, bled, and plucked (also rarely seen in food service)
• Ready to cook: dressed and eviscerated with head and feet removed
• Recipes take into account the different cooking
• Whole
characteristics of each part.
• Cut up, or parts
• State of refrigeration: chilled or frozen.
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Handling and Storage Handling and Storage
Fresh Poultry Fresh Poultry
Fresh poultry is extremely perishable. Store frozen poultry at 0°F (–18°C) or lower until it
• Ideally, use poultry within 24 hours of receiving. is ready to thaw.
• Never hold it for more than 4 days. • Thaw in refrigerator.
• Poultry often carries salmonella bacteria. • Allow 1 to 2 days for chickens.
• Wash all equipment and cutting surfaces after handling poultry • 2 to 4 days for larger birds.
to avoid contamination of other foods. • Do not refreeze thawed poultry.
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Doneness Doneness
Large Roasted Birds Smaller Birds
Internal temperature, as tested with a When cooked by any method, doneness is
thermometer, is the most accurate guide to determined by:
doneness. • Looseness of joints = The leg moves freely in its socket.
• The recommended safe internal temperature for roast whole • Clear juices = Juices are clear yellow rather than cloudy and
poultry is 165°F (74°C). red or pink.
• The more usual practice is to aim for a final temperature of 180°F
• Flesh separating from bone = Muscles begin to pull away
(82°C).
from bones
• Firmness to touch
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Trussing Methods Trussing Methods
Trussing: Tying the legs and wings against the
body to make a compact, solid unit.
• Trussing has two main
purposes:
1. Even cooking
• Extended legs and wings
cook too quickly.
2. More attractive • Place the chicken breast • Press the legs forward
appearance up, with the neck end and down against the
• Especially when toward you. Tuck the first body.
presented or served joint of the wings behind
whole or carved in the
dining room. the back.
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Trussing Methods Trussing Methods
• Pass the center of a • Bring the twine up and • Pass the twine under the • Bring ends of the twine
length of twine under the across the ends of the ends of the legs as toward the neck end of
hip bone just ahead of the legs. shown, and pull tight. the bird. Pull firmly on the
tail. twine while pressing on
the breast portions with
the thumbs as shown.
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Trussing Methods Trussing Methods
• Tie the twine tightly. • The stub of the neck holds
the twine in place,
preventing it from slipping
The Trussed Chicken
behind the back.
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Cutting Up Chicken Cutting Up Chicken
Splitting Chicken for Broiling Splitting Chicken for Broiling
• Hold the chicken up by the • Split the chicken open. • Cut off the back bone as • Pull out the breastbone or
tail. Cut through the bones shown. keel bone—this helps the
to one side of the backbone, chicken lie flat and cook
all the way to the neck. evenly.
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Cutting Up Chicken Cutting Up Chicken
• For a portion size of one-half chicken, cut the chicken
in half down the center of the breast. Make a split in the Portion-size Cornish game hens are
skin below the leg and slip the end of the leg through it
as shown to hold the chicken in shape.
left whole.
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Cutting Up Chicken Cutting Up Chicken
Cutting chicken into quarters and eighths, bone in Cutting chicken into quarters and eighths, bone in
• Place the chicken on the cutting • Spread the chicken open and • Cut off the backbone • Cut through the skin
board breast up. Split the spread through the bones on
chicken down the center of the completely and save for between the leg and the
one side of the backbone.
breast with a heavy knife. stocks. breast.
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Cutting Up Chicken Cutting Up Chicken
Cutting chicken into quarters and eighths, bone in Cutting chicken into quarters and eighths, bone in
• Pull the leg back and cut off the • To cut into eighths, cut the • Cut the breast and wing quarter • The chicken cut into eighths.
entire leg section. Repeat with drumstick and thigh apart at into two equal pieces. Another Note that the first joint of
the other half. The chicken is the joint. method is simply to cut off the each wing has been cut off.
now in quarters. wing.
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Tutorial
• Give the characteristics of poultry (5
Marks)
• Identify the synonym name for free range
chicken (1 mark)
• Differentiates between light meat and dark
meat (8 marks)
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