2dogsmom;
I am not sure exactly what it is you are afraid of but let me see if I can help at all. The following is from the cookbook;
General Notes on Chicken
The science of producing Chickens has advanced a long way. At one time the raising of Chicken, like any other agricultural endeavor, was hit and miss. Disease or poor quality feed or any one of a number of things could wipe out your entire flock. This is not so any more. Modern Poultry production techniques have ensured both a stable flock and a consistent level of sizes and quality.
There has been a down side to this. Flavor, unfortunately has suffered. The upswing, on recent years, of Free Range poultry is testament to this fact. A Free Range chicken is one that has been allowed to scratch for its food in the style of the old time Chicken farmer. While modern production Poultry is confined and diets are strictly controlled, a Free Range Chicken is neither so tightly confined nor is its diet controlled. They are given feed to encourage fattening up, but they are also allowed to wander around eating insects and grubs as well as wild plant seed in addition to the feed provided by the farmer. This results in a leaner chicken with a substantially more pronounced flavor. They are also quite a bit more expensive as well. I only use them for special occasions.
When buying a Chicken, please be sure to select a fresh Chicken that has a good appearance and smells clean and fresh. ANY discoloration should cause you to PASS on that particular bird. Also be sure to check the dates and avoid those birds whose expiration date is within 3 days. Even these precautions need to be backed up by ABSOLUTELY IMPECCABLE hygiene standards at home. The danger of cross contamination still exists so: Always thoroughly WASH the Chicken before you start preparing it. Pat it dry with paper towels and immediately toss those towels in the trash. Wash your hands well with antibacterial soap BEFORE, DURING and AFTER handling ANY poultry. ANY implements you use in preparing Poultry should be THOROUGHLLY cleaned BEFORE you use them on anything else. This includes knives, cutting boards, counter tops and anything that comes in contact with the poultry. DO NOT STUFF YOUR POULTRY. It has been estimated that more cases of food poisoning result from the tradition of bread stuffing in the cavity of Poultry than any other single source. INSTEAD, fill the cavity with a mixture of herbs and aromatics. Safer and makes the bird taste better. Poultry must be COMPLETELY cooked. Let the internal temperature reach at least 165 degrees and then let it rest for a bit before carving. Use a meat thermometer, don’t guess. Don’t let these simple precautions scare you off. The Chicken is a magnificent food product that requires a little more common sense than most. It lends itself to a tremendous variety of cooking styles and flavors so don’t be afraid to experiment. Remember! Cooking can be fun!
Copyright 2003 The Bubba Gourmet Steve Lapan used by permission
In addition, whole chickens can be cooked so many different ways. Roasted, boiled, baked, deep-fried, smoked, barbecued...the list is endless.
Recently I tried an organic chicken. I was amazed by the taste! Free-range chickens (which are not necessarily organic) cost about 4 bucks a pound here. A whole organic goes for $1.50/lb and it tastes better than the free-range!
I hope I at least headed in the right direction.
