Chicken 1/4s ideas needed.

[Grits-N-Gravy]

Hi. Just a little background. I am in the process of trying to open a little southern style restaurant here in Orlando. Its going to be very casual. In an effort to maximize cross usage of ingredients and keep my price point low, Ive decided to use Chicken 1/4s, and Sirloin as the focus of my menu.
Both of these are inexpensive, and profitable.
I have , as of now, have decided on the following entrees:
*B.B.Q the 1/4s (I'm doing spares, so it makes sense)
* Chicken Pot Pie
* Chicken and Dumplings.

My question's are:
# Is Boiling the chicken the best way to get the meat off the bone?
# Any hints on easiest way to get it off the bone after boiling?
# Can I cook off the chickens and hold it? This is to keep me from hqaving to boil and "pull" the chicken daily.


Also, I would welcome any recipe ideas you may have (simple is better).

I plan to do a rotating menu, so the more ideas the better.

Thanks!!

 

[AllenOK]

I buy mainly leg-and-thigh quarters for my family, for the same reason you stated. They're dirt-cheap!

I grill, smoke (BBQ), bake, and do the boil-and-pull thing that you describe. For starters, don't "Boil" the chicken, but poach or simmer it until it's done. I usually poach/simmer my chicken for 30 - 40 minutes, lay the pieces on a pan, and place them in the fridge to cool. I usually pick the chicken meat after the chicken has cooled enough to handle. If you wait until the chicken is completely cooled, it'll be a little harder to pick.

You should be able to safely cook, pick, and store the meat, properly refrigerated, for 4 days, at least. If you're opening a restaurant, do you have a commercial steamer? You could steam the chicken in that, then hold it for later use. If you go that route, I would recommend a steamer that doesn't pressurize the cooking chamber. A pressure steamer could make the chicken a little on the tough side.

 

[Jeff G.]

Not much is more southern than fried chicken....or broasted if you can swing getting a broaster.. Broasting is fast, juicy chicken with great flavor in a much shorter time than frying..

For the pulled chicken(de-boned chicken) using a big canning pressure cooker you can do a lot of chickens at once, fast! Presto sells a 23 quart pressure cooker, fill that baby with chickens and some water. It should cook the chickens in half the time(or less) Put some spices in with the water and you can have some nicely flavored chicken. The pressure will help put the flavor into the meat.

I would invest in a vacuum sealer. You can do a bunch of boned chicken and freeze it. Pull what you need for the next day out and let it thaw in your cooler. Doing it that way you dedicate one day for prepping the protein. The rest of the days you just have to cook the food...

As a small restaurant you will be buying large quantity supplies to save money on bulk buying, but you won't be using bulk quanities. A vacuum sealer can really help keep things fresh.

Here is a tasty sounding chicken thigh recipe...
Honey-Pecan Chicken Thighs Recipe - Poultry - MyRecipes.com

 

[Steamboater]

Hi AllenOK:
The only problem I find with poaching or even boiling chicken is that when you pull the chicken off when it's still hot or even warm it comes off almost like it's shredded. It's hard to pull off good small whole pieces. I would put it in the fridge and then cool it and then pull it. Frankly, I wait until the following day and do it.
I seldom boil chicken anyway unless I'm making chicken soup. I usually brown the chicken in a frying pan with some olive oil and then cover the pan and put it on a very low heat and braise it but, I do that when adding tomatos and any other spices and even a little water. Watch it carefully though so the liqquid doesn't evaporate. You can always add more water (or tomato juice as you go).

 

[Robo410]

I presume you are talking about for the chix n dumplings. Chicken gives up its flavor to a broth in about an hour. A "fricasee" cooks the chicken till it falls off the bones, then thickens the broth made (creating a veloute) much what you want to do in chix n dumplings. Dark meat holds up better than white to such cooking.

As you are talking about public consumption of your food, you need to observe all food safety and handling rules. Your broth and meat will have to be cooled quickly rather than by sitting on the back table, etc.

The meat will come off the bone easily when it is hot or warm, and much less so when it is cool/cold.

 

[AllenOK]

Hi AllenOK:
The only problem I find with poaching or even boiling chicken is that when you pull the chicken off when it's still hot or even warm it comes off almost like it's shredded. It's hard to pull off good small whole pieces. I would put it in the fridge and then cool it and then pull it. Frankly, I wait until the following day and do it.
I seldom boil chicken anyway unless I'm making chicken soup. I usually brown the chicken in a frying pan with some olive oil and then cover the pan and put it on a very low heat and braise it but, I do that when adding tomatos and any other spices and even a little water. Watch it carefully though so the liqquid doesn't evaporate. You can always add more water (or tomato juice as you go).

I see we think on the same wavelengths! It is easier to do when the chicken is still warm, but it does tend to shred. Lately, I've been letting my leg-and-thigh quarters cool completely before picking the meat from the bones.

Sometimes I even save the skin and fat when I pick the meat, and start the dish by rendering the chicken fat out of those two. This adds a nice "caramelized chicken" layer of flavor to the dish, especially if you are going to deglaze the pan.

 

[Steamboater]

Allen: I never use chicken skin. Always cut it off and then as much of the fat as I can. It's just something I automatically do after having done it for so many years. There's so many ways you can flavor chicken that, besides being healthier, it doesn't make that much a difference in taste. I remember the days though when my mom would cook using chicken fat. Just sumptuous. Of course, those were the days when there was no Zocor LOL.