Rubbery chicken

[Oregon Blues]

I've eaten Leghorn roosters and they were really delicious.

If you want tender fried chicken, I suggest one of the fast growing hybrids that are ready to butcher at 8-10 weeks.

Once a rooster gets to be 5-6 months old, you will do better with slow moist cooking methods. The older the chicken gets, the slower the cooking method you use.

Also, follow the advice to allow the bird to rest for a couple of days after butchering.

 

[BirdEggs]

Try making Coq au vin. That is my favorite dish to make and it is great for roosters and older birds with a lot of connective tissue.

 

[silkiechicken]

I butcher leghorn roosters at about 16 weeks old. Let them rest for 3 days in the fridge. I Love how you have to actually CHEW the meat. Never felt meat was to melt in your mouth like a mush myself. I'm also not a fan of breast meat, which makes leghorns pretty tasty in my book.

Older the birds, more excersise they get, the longer they will net to rest before they are tender. If you want your leghorn to be soft and mushy like a store bird, the use by date on those is about a week after packaging for the store...

 

[4catslotschickens]

Thanks for all the advice, just to make sure I am doing it right, how dose one "rest" the meat before cooking or freezing, I do not want the rest of the frig. to get all contaminated and stuff, do you wrap it in sranwrap, or just cover it in a pot can you layer up the birds and parts, or do they need to lay out flat to get a lot of air??

 

[Bring]

I just put mine in a plastic bag. A large kitchen garbage bag and tied it.

 

[Saltysteele]

i think the issue here is the time which you let the meat rest.

next day, as in how many hours? I could butcher a chicken at 11 p.m. on the 1st, cook and eat it at 3 a.m. on the 2nd, and technically it's the next day.

the one you did the same day, i guarantee is due to not enough resting time. rigor mortis sets in rather quickly with chickens, and does not let up for 12 or more hours. you try eating it within that time frame (unless a very long, slow cook process), you will have rubbery shoe leather.

you do not need to let them rest 3 days. we let ours rest overnight (usually done killing by 1 p.m.), then bag them up and freeze around 9 a.m.

they should be more firm then store bought chicken, though. they are not full of preservatives, flavor enhancers and meat tenderizers.

 

[silkiechicken]

How long and the temp does make a difference too. If your fridge is set at 33F, it'll take more time to relax than if your fridge is set at 40... that said, my mom has left fresh butchered chickens on the counter in a 72F house for 12 hours before cooking it well.

Just wiggle the legs, if they move freely, it has probably rested long enough, if they are still stiff, give it more time. The more the wiggle, the more squishy and "tender" the meat should end up.