Chicken Three Ways

[BethV]

This weekend I decided to get very serious about figuring out the chicken mystery.
Yesterday I decided to actually go through the process of making competition chicken thighs. The only thing I didn't do is really worry about their square shape. I was just very curious about what these things would taste like. Well, way too flavorful for us and a bit too salty. Totally yummy but intense if that makes any sense. I scraped the fat from the skin and that makes a significant difference in the bite. The skin was like a part of the entire thigh. Great bite. I won't go through that process again because it's a lot of work, but I love experimenting and this was a very interesting thing to do. There is one picture of the thighs attached. They look much darker than they were. They are a very pretty mahogany color.

Today I cooked two organic whole chickens that I butterflied. One I brined overnight and seasoned lightly with one of my dry rubs.

For the other butterflied chicken, I split it into two halves. Before I split it I took one of the rubs that I made specifically for chicken and dry brined the whole chicken, on top and underneath the skin. This morning I washed all of the seasoning off of one half. I only did this because I am taking over a half of the chicken to elderly neighbors who have strong salt sensitivities. Hoping the dry brine did not over-salt which is why I washed the rub off. The other half I left seasoned.

I coated all of the chicken with duck fat. I cooked at 180 for 1 hour as I wanted to get good smoke on these. Then I raised the temp to 225.

There whole process was 4 hours, 15 minutes. I had my oven inside to 450 and cooked the birds for 12 minutes to crisp up the skin inside instead of the grill.

We haven't tried it yet but the skin is crispy and they look beautiful. Great color. Hopefully they taste good. I'll report back.

 

[BethV]

Okay... Both the wet and dry brine tasted very good. We really like the rub I used for the chicken on the dry brine. The flavor and moistness of this chicken is over the top. I am very pleased with it. I've made chicken pieces and have not been satisfied like this.
From now on, I will spatchcock my chicken, dry brine it under the skin and on top, spray with duck fat, smoke at 180 for 1 hour, then up to 225. Continue to cook until it gets to 160. Pop it in a 450-degree oven for 12 minutes. The result is crispy skin, very moist meat, and great flavor. This one was a big success!

No need to wet brine as they taste the same. And it's a lot more work for not a lot more reward. Just my humble opinion.

 

[Mac2bdr]

Wow! Looks delicious, thank you for sharing your process and results!

 

[BethV]

You're welcome. That's the beauty of this forum. Learning from each other and sharing ideas!

 

[Roaniecowpony]

Looks great! I could never get the skin back on the wings like you did.

 

[BethV]

I was able to put the dry rub on the drumette meat, but the wingette is primarily skin with very little meat. It doesn't seem like there's a way to get anything under that skin without tearing it. Although I must admit, I have never tried. ? It had plenty of flavor and crispness with the exterior rub.

I also forgot to mention that I covered the chicken with Louisiana hot sauce as a binder before I added the rub.

I think I'm going to attempt this method with wings since the wing on this came out so well.

 

[Roaniecowpony]

Not RecTec cooking, but ... Yesterday evening about 6:30, my wife decided I should fix some wings. They were all frozen, so I did my best at a large bowl water bath of the vacuum pack and putting it in the microwave for just enough time to thaw them. I did pat them good with a bunch of paper towels. Then I made a mixture of 1 part baking powder and maybe 6-8 parts cornstarch (didn't measure) and I sprinkled and tossed the wings moderately. No added binder, but they were wet again after the patting with paper towels. In fact, the surface was sort of milky with the mixture. I pre-heated my gas grill for this, then set at a low heat (which is still pretty hot on my grill), oiled the grates and put them on, turning when needed and moving them to indirect heat when browned enough. I let them cook for about an hour (lid closed all the time). The skin came out crisp and so I thought I'd drizzle and toss them with some Frank's Red Hot sauce. They were great with a good crisp skin (even though wet when they went on) and tender meat.

 

[BethV]

Not RecTec cooking, but ... Yesterday evening about 6:30, my wife decided I should fix some wings. They were all frozen, so I did my best at a large bowl water bath of the vacuum pack and putting it in the microwave for just enough time to thaw them. I did pat them good with a bunch of paper towels. Then I made a mixture of 1 part baking powder and maybe 6-8 parts cornstarch (didn't measure) and I sprinkled and tossed the wings moderately. No added binder, but they were wet again after the patting with paper towels. In fact, the surface was sort of milky with the mixture. I pre-heated my gas grill for this, then set at a low heat (which is still pretty hot on my grill), oiled the grates and put them on, turning when needed and moving them to indirect heat when browned enough. I let them cook for about an hour (lid closed all the time). The skin came out crisp and so I thought I'd drizzle and toss them with some Frank's Red Hot sauce. They were great with a good crisp skin (even though wet when they went on) and tender meat.

Sounds great! Love wings!

 

[Plumberguy]

Okay... Both the wet and dry brine tasted very good. We really like the rub I used for the chicken on the dry brine. The flavor and moistness of this chicken is over the top. I am very pleased with it. I've made chicken pieces and have not been satisfied like this.
From now on, I will spatchcock my chicken, dry brine it under the skin and on top, spray with duck fat, smoke at 180 for 1 hour, then up to 225. Continue to cook until it gets to 160. Pop it in a 450-degree oven for 12 minutes. The result is crispy skin, very moist meat, and great flavor. This one was a big success!

No need to wet brine as they taste the same. And it's a lot more work for not a lot more reward. Just my humble opinion.

I know that this is an old thread, but, Beth, if you are still around, when you put the chickens in the oven at 450 for 12 minutes, is that bake or broil? I suspect bake, just because a 12 minute broil seems too long to me. The chicken enigma fascinates me.

 

[BethV]

I know that this is an old thread, but, Beth, if you are still around, when you put the chickens in the oven at 450 for 12 minutes, is that bake or broil? I suspect bake, just because a 12 minute broil seems too long to me. The chicken enigma fascinates me.

Definitely in the oven. Broil would burn the skin. You want it to get nicely crisp.