Chicken Gnocchi

[Cheycanugget]

I just butchered my first chickens today, yay!
After my second chicken I went ahead and threw one in the pot, the meat fell off the bone but is still not tender. I know I should have probably waited, I have the others resting in salt Brine. Is there any hope for my chicken gnocchi tonight if I keep boiling or am I just going to have to deal with tough chicken tonight???

 

[Molpet]

How old of bird? Different cooking method depends on age.

If you can get into the pot before rigor mortis starts you don't need to rest, under an hour from death possibly.

Boiling makes a tough bird in my opinion. Most recipes call for turning down to simmering

 

[FunClucks]

If you can pressure cook it, you might try that for the tough meat. But I'd recommend letting the bird rest until rigor passes prior to cooking, regardless. Once the meat is cooked and tough, the only way to really make it edible that I know of is grinding it up like in a sausage grinder. Or chopping it really finely.

Some folks are fast enough to process the chicken and cook it prior to rigor setting in - I've never managed it.

 

[Penpal]

I let the chicken rest in the refrigerator before cooking or freezing. It makes a difference.

I would opt of the pressure cooker on this bird, or make soup.

 

[Cheycanugget]

How old of bird? Different cooking method depends on age.
View attachment 3582962

If you can get into the pot before rigor mortis starts you don't need to rest, under an hour from death possibly.

Boiling makes a tough bird in my opinion. Most recipes call for turning down to simmering

Yeah I was thinking maybe I shouldn't have cooked it like that. Thanks for sharing this.

 

[Cheycanugget]

I let the chicken rest in the refrigerator before cooking or freezing. It makes a difference.

I would opt of the pressure cooker on this bird, or make soup.

I kept boiling and boiling but it just ended up really stringy

 

[Penpal]

With the soup, it's not so much the boiling to make it soft. You cut it up into little pieces for soup, so toughness or stringiness is not a problem. Canned soup is made from commercial egg layers when they slow down laying.

 

[Molpet]

Canned soup is made from commercial egg layers when they slow down laying.

Used to be. Campbell's soup used to come around and buy spent hens. Then they use CX and the soup doesn't taste like chicken. Now they talk about using healthier breeds.

https://blog.humanesociety.org/2017...announces-major-reforms-broiler-chickens.html

 

[Penpal]

Molpet, thanks for the information.

I was just trying to point out that even older chickens that are tough can be put into soup. Tough meat stands up to overcooking, and when it is cut small you can't tell that it's tough.

 

[Molpet]

Molpet, thanks for the information.

I was just trying to point out that even older chickens that are tough can be put into soup. Tough meat stands up to overcooking, and when it is cut small you can't tell that it's tough.

I fully agree. Best soup comes from older birds.