Just processed....

[Crs1]

an over abundance of layers that had an over abundance of fat
My question is should I cut the fat off or leave it to be cooked with the chicken?
I know that the fat gives flavor but seems like it would make for a greasy chicken?
Was also considering rendering the fat?
I’ve processed Cornish x. But this is my first time with layers
Any suggestions would be welcomed

 

[RUNuts]

You found the schmaltz recipe, so you are good. Heavenly in mashed potatoes, rice or quinoa. I use chicken broth in place of water for these too. A little bit of fat helps.
Enjoy!

 

[Ridgerunner]

What you are seeing is normal with layers. Before a hen starts to lay she builds up excess fat. A lot of that is in a pad in the pelvic area (called a fat pad) but a lot can be scattered throughout the body. It is an evolutionary thing. That excess fat is what a broody hen lives on so she does not have to spend much time off the nest eating or drinking. It is a lot different to processing cockerels or the relatively immature Cornish X.

My suggestion is to experiment. We all have different tastes. Do different things and see what you prefer. Just because I like it one way doesn't mean you will. How do you plan to cook them anyway? Retired layers can be tough if you are not careful how you cook them.

Rendered chicken fat is called schmaltz. It's pretty standard in certain Jewish cooking. I've never tried it but you might really like it.

 

[Crs1]

learn something everday
So the over abundance is not necessarily over eating?
Yes the majority was in the pelvic.
How would you tell the difference?

I have them in salted ice water at the moment. That’s just how I do my Cornish x. Will get to putting in the freezer on Monday. I will cut the excess fat off then and make the schmaltz

I plan on pressure or slow cooking them. They didn’t seem to skinny. Might even cut a few up for baking. Maybe try fried Never had an older hen so not sure what it’s like other than reading here

 

[Ridgerunner]

Do not try frying them. They will be tough as shoe leather. If you bake hem try about 3-1/2 hours at 250 degrees in a pot with a tight-fitting lid. The secret (other than a pressure cooker) with older birds is slow and moist.

 

[Crs1]

Thanks. Frying is out then!

 

[AudieWarren]

My favorite way to cook a tough bird is to let it cook in a pressure cooker, then baked in a pot pie. I always have to make 2 9x13 pans bc it's always a hit. Let us know how it all goes

 

[Crs1]

Just got through with the schmalz and a rooster in the pressure cooker.
First- the recipe I followed for the schmaltz said cook until the skin got brown and crunchy well we weren’t going to eat that so when the fat melted out I stopped. Now I’m afraid that I didn’t get the full flavor for the chicken fat?
Second- the rooster was a 6 month old speckled Sussex. The white meat was good but the dark meat was strong flavored. The meat was tender tho. And maybe in a chicken pot pie it would taste better Will the layers who were older be the same?
Oh and I also tried my hand at chicken feet broth. Still deciding on that one

 

[Ridgerunner]

When the cockerels hit puberty and the hormones start flowing the meat can get a "gamey" flavor. The older they are the stronger that flavor. Some of us like that, some don't. The layers who are older will also have more flavor than the store-bought chicken that are butchered at 6 to 8 weeks. It will not be quite as strong as the males that have had the hormone flavoring and have some age on them.

I use the back, neck, wing tips, gizzard, heart, and feet to make broth. I put those pieces in a crock pit with a bay leaf, about a dozen peppercorns, coarse chopped carrot, celery, onion, and garlic, plus a generous amount herbs, oregano, basil, maybe thyme, parsley, or chives. Cover it all with water and cook it on low overnight, anywhere from 14 to 20 hours. Strain the solids out, de-fat it, and you have the best broth ever. I find the feet have a lot of gelatinous material in them, really thickens it up and adds to the flavor. But like everything else, it depends on hat your personal preferences are.

 

[Morrigan]

When the cockerels hit puberty and the hormones start flowing the meat can get a "gamey" flavor. The older they are the stronger that flavor. Some of us like that, some don't. The layers who are older will also have more flavor than the store-bought chicken that are butchered at 6 to 8 weeks. It will not be quite as strong as the males that have had the hormone flavoring and have some age on them.

I use the back, neck, wing tips, gizzard, heart, and feet to make broth. I put those pieces in a crock pit with a bay leaf, about a dozen peppercorns, coarse chopped carrot, celery, onion, and garlic, plus a generous amount herbs, oregano, basil, maybe thyme, parsley, or chives. Cover it all with water and cook it on low overnight, anywhere from 14 to 20 hours. Strain the solids out, de-fat it, and you have the best broth ever. I find the feet have a lot of gelatinous material in them, really thickens it up and adds to the flavor. But like everything else, it depends on hat your personal preferences are.

Very good advice. I do my broth the same way, except that I don't use the gizzard or heart (my dogs get first dibs on those). When I first started with broth making I did it on the stove, but found letting it go in the slow cooker overnight gave superior results with a lot less fuss.

On the chicken fat, I did not render mine until I had true cracklings either. I found it had a subtle chicken flavor, which I personally liked.