Young cockerel recipes

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Hello, we bred backyard mixes that are primarily of layer background and now have five, 7 week old cockerels that we plan to process. They still seem so little to me. I read the cream legbar thread below with interest, and thought that the poussin idea sounded interesting. The only recipes that I could find are Martha Stuart and the like, but they seem to call for birds with skin on. I have butchered a rabbit, but not a chicken, and find the feather plucking to be a daunting thought, so had planned to skin instead... Any recipes for light breed cockerels that are skinned? Or, will it be easier to pluck than I think? We don’t mind keeping the cockerels until older than 7 weeks but need to get them out of the laying flock and into a tractor soon or go ahead and butcher next weekend. Trying to get a plan together... Thanks for any help!

 

[sourland]

I think I was raised on pan fried leghorn cockerels, but no one can cook them like Mom did.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

I think I was raised on pan fried leghorn cockerels, but no one can cook them like Mom did.

Yeah, my frying skills in general leave a lot to be desired! I’m sure I wouldn’t manage your moms recipe well at all...

 

[FowlWitch]

Maybe you could bake the meat and make chicken parmesan

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Maybe you could bake the meat and make chicken parmesan

Isn’t chicken parm something you use broiler breast for? I’ve never done it, but I guess I could try the spatchcock technique and then treat the whole thing like a breast? Or maybe I should be googling Cornish game recipes or something? What else do you do with a whole skinny bird without skin?

 

[FowlWitch]

Isn’t chicken parm something yiubuse broiler breast for? I’ve never done it, but I guess I could try the spatchcock technique and then treat the whole thing like a breast? Or maybe I should be googling Cornish game recipes or something? What else do you do with a whole skinny bird without skin?

Maybe chicken tacos or burritos! You can also use the bones to make broth And if you don't plan on eating the organs, you could probably boil them and feed them to your cats or dogs if you have any.

 

[sourland]

Soup, stew, chicken and dumplings -

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Those are good ideas! I had originally planned something stewed or slow cooker or some such. When I read the thread about the poussin I thought that sounded kinda fun and fancy. Just didn’t know if there was a way to do that skinless or a similar skinless dish!

 

[archeryrob]

How about spatchcock style cooked on the grill and rubbed with a southern style dry rub?

Umm, I'm hungry.

 

[Morrigan]

Plucking is not that hard, and IMO, it's worth it to get crispy skin and give you more cooking options.

Heat a large pot of water to around 150 degrees. After you have dispatched the bird and allowed the blood to drain out, hold it by the feet and dunk the carcass a few times in the scalding water. You can test if you dunked it enough by pulling on a wing feather. It should come out fairly easily. If you are plucking inside, pluck on something to help contain the feathers. A shallow plastic tub works well, or you can cut open an old feed bag and lay it flat. It's a bit if a learning curve, but once you get the hang of it, it is a fast and straightforward process.

If you butcher around the 12-14 week mark, you should have a better sized bird, but one still tender enough to grill or deep fry. They are smaller than store birds, but very tasty.