Winner, winner, chicken dinner. The movie “21” inspired this week's column with its fun-to-say phrase for blackjack dealers who acknowledge the winning efforts of their players.
Honestly, if I won big, I would get a prime rib dinner or shrimp not chicken, but I guess the chicken was super tasty when the phrase was first uttered at Binion's in Las Vegas. Steering away slightly from the standard chicken that we all know and love, the other members of the poultry clan have fallen out of popularity but will hopefully be making a comeback.
The Rock Cornish hen or Cornish game hen is a cross between the Cornish Game and the Plymouth or White Rock breeds.
This hen can be either male or female. The little hybrid is five to seven weeks of age before it is butchered and must weigh two to two and a half pounds.
The hen is sometimes mistakenly called poussin (poo-sahn, not to be confused with poisson - fish), but that particular bird is approximately a pound and a baby. Many recipes say that one hen is a single portion but on ‘trial day' half a hen with starch and vegetables was more than enough for me.
The hens are usually found in the freezer section of the grocery store and cost a little more than a regular chicken.
Why purchase these birds?
For singles or couples, you will get the same if not better taste of the chicken with all the extras and not all the leftovers. Usually two days of eating chicken is enough for most people and regular sized roaster chickens tend to get slimy after a couple of days.
Also by cooking a whole bird as opposed to just purchasing parts you will receive the full round flavor of the hen, and there will be a greater moisture content. The Rock Cornish also has a proportionately larger breast than regular chickens and is all white meat.
Next to those reasons, anything in miniature is cute. Mini Cooper, Hershey's Miniatures, mini-skirts, miniature horses, etc.
The hens are best roasted or grilled. When roasting, the bird can be cooked whole or split in half.
Since the hen is so small, the back and breastbone are easy to break with a chef's knife; the extra skin should be removed. Whether you would like to stuff the hen with wild rice, pecan stuffing or a creation of your own, the hen should be properly thawed and placed in a high degree oven as indicated on the bird's package.
It will take around an hour to cook, and the sign of doneness for most poultry is having the juices run clear.
Grilling was faster and led to more experimentation. I purchased four hens from two different companies, we will call them “turdue” and “pyson.” All of the hens were marinated overnight in the refrigerator and were butchered differently. The first was marinated in lemon juice, pepper and parsley and was broken down into six pieces (legs, breasts, wings).
The second was rubbed with equal parts honey and dijon mustard and had the backbone and breast cage removed opening it like a book.
The third was marinated in a combination of Asian seasonings (soy, rice wine vinegar, ginger, five spice blend) and all the bones except for the wing and leg removed.
Lastly, our fourth hen was dipped in a sweet chili sauce and had only the backbone removed.
It took roughly 20 minutes to cook all the experiments, flipping them once on the grill and then putting the grill lid down. After they were removed from the grill onto a plate, I covered them with aluminum foil and let them sit for a couple of minutes. The four plates were all labeled and brought to the table for a blind tasting.
My “guinea pigs” decided that the lemon pepper and honey mustard hens had the tastiest flavors and the lemon pepper and the chili sauce were the most moist. As far as appearance and ease of cooking, I would recommend either breaking the hen down into the six parts or only removing the backbone.
The “turdue” hens were the overall winners, and they were purchased at the discount grocery store. That brand also included the giblets which you could use for gravies or whatever.
The little bird with the long name can grace your table year round and is easy and versatile to cook with, so pick one or two up and fix yourself one of these cuties.
Valerie Usowski, an Auburn native, is the banquet manager at the Auburn Holiday Inn and a Culinary Institute of America graduate.
The Rock Cornish hen or Cornish game hen is a cross between the Cornish Game and the Plymouth or White Rock breeds.
This hen can be either male or female. The little hybrid is five to seven weeks of age before it is butchered and must weigh two to two and a half pounds.
The hen is sometimes mistakenly called poussin (poo-sahn, not to be confused with poisson - fish), but that particular bird is approximately a pound and a baby. Many recipes say that one hen is a single portion but on ‘trial day' half a hen with starch and vegetables was more than enough for me.
The hens are usually found in the freezer section of the grocery store and cost a little more than a regular chicken.
Why purchase these birds?
For singles or couples, you will get the same if not better taste of the chicken with all the extras and not all the leftovers. Usually two days of eating chicken is enough for most people and regular sized roaster chickens tend to get slimy after a couple of days.
Also by cooking a whole bird as opposed to just purchasing parts you will receive the full round flavor of the hen, and there will be a greater moisture content. The Rock Cornish also has a proportionately larger breast than regular chickens and is all white meat.
Next to those reasons, anything in miniature is cute. Mini Cooper, Hershey's Miniatures, mini-skirts, miniature horses, etc.
The hens are best roasted or grilled. When roasting, the bird can be cooked whole or split in half.
Since the hen is so small, the back and breastbone are easy to break with a chef's knife; the extra skin should be removed. Whether you would like to stuff the hen with wild rice, pecan stuffing or a creation of your own, the hen should be properly thawed and placed in a high degree oven as indicated on the bird's package.
It will take around an hour to cook, and the sign of doneness for most poultry is having the juices run clear.
Grilling was faster and led to more experimentation. I purchased four hens from two different companies, we will call them “turdue” and “pyson.” All of the hens were marinated overnight in the refrigerator and were butchered differently. The first was marinated in lemon juice, pepper and parsley and was broken down into six pieces (legs, breasts, wings).
The second was rubbed with equal parts honey and dijon mustard and had the backbone and breast cage removed opening it like a book.
The third was marinated in a combination of Asian seasonings (soy, rice wine vinegar, ginger, five spice blend) and all the bones except for the wing and leg removed.
Lastly, our fourth hen was dipped in a sweet chili sauce and had only the backbone removed.
It took roughly 20 minutes to cook all the experiments, flipping them once on the grill and then putting the grill lid down. After they were removed from the grill onto a plate, I covered them with aluminum foil and let them sit for a couple of minutes. The four plates were all labeled and brought to the table for a blind tasting.
My “guinea pigs” decided that the lemon pepper and honey mustard hens had the tastiest flavors and the lemon pepper and the chili sauce were the most moist. As far as appearance and ease of cooking, I would recommend either breaking the hen down into the six parts or only removing the backbone.
The “turdue” hens were the overall winners, and they were purchased at the discount grocery store. That brand also included the giblets which you could use for gravies or whatever.
The little bird with the long name can grace your table year round and is easy and versatile to cook with, so pick one or two up and fix yourself one of these cuties.
Valerie Usowski, an Auburn native, is the banquet manager at the Auburn Holiday Inn and a Culinary Institute of America graduate.
Citizen
Hot Jobs
New! Off the Menu
The Citizens' Say
Post your comment - click hereThere are No comments posted.