How to Properly Dress a Chicken

Chicken is a type of animal that is mainly raised to be eaten. Taking care of them and raising them yourself is a great way to ensure that the chicken you’re eating has been raised humanely, fed properly, and also cooked well. We’ll be providing you with a brief guide that should help you wrap your head around the proper ways to dress a chicken.

Removing the Head and Tail

The removal process isn’t loved by many because the wrong approach can cause a lot of mess, in addition to damaging the meat itself. You’ll need to start by cleanly removing the head using either a butcher’s knife or a sharp scissor. Some people prefer to cut the head short to save the neck, otherwise, you can cut it below. The crop can be full if the chicken has eaten recently, so make sure to clean it properly after cutting it. Remove the tail and the scent gland by creating a circular-cut below it. When you are cutting into the gland, avoid puncturing the insides of the chicken because it can lead to the distribution of harmful bacteria in its body.

Plucking Feathers

The first step in any dressing process is plucking the feathers off the chicken. To be able to do this efficiently and without a lot of mess, you need to scald the chicken in a boiler that is big enough to handle it. The hot water should be poured into the pot at a temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit. If you are dressing a lot of chicken, you may want to opt for a propane burner to ensure that the pot stays hot consistently. You may want to use plucker kits to prepare more than one chicken or if you want to make this process to be smoother. There are many sizes and styles for mechanical pluckers, so explore the market before you purchase one. Make sure that the temperature reaches the mark before you submerge the chicken in it. It shouldn’t take more than 45 seconds before you pull the chicken out. If you want to make sure you’ve done this properly, you can try pulling a few feathers and see if it was easy. Make sure you don’t leave them in the water too much or raise the temperature too high to avoid damaging the meat.

Creating an Opening

Gutting the chicken after the removal of the head and tail shouldn’t be a difficult process. It may seem a bit hard at first, but you’ll get used to it pretty quickly and get it over within no time. You can either use a knife or a scalpel, if you have access to it, to create an incision above the vent, and make sure to not cut too deep. The cavity you’re creating is used to pull it open with your hands. You can wear a glove if you are not comfortable. Your fingers should be pressed on the breastbone, placing them beneath it. Pull the guts out without squeezing or pressuring the body too much to avoid puncturing the gallbladder.

Gutting

When you’re removing the guts, make sure to keep looking for any overlooked pieces that may be stuck to the internal body. To ensure that you’ve loosened the guts well, try to see if the crop is easily pulled. Depending on what you’d like, the heart, liver, and lungs can be consumed for their nutritional value or thrown. After you’ve done with the removal of the internal organs, you should move onto the neck and feet. To easily remove the feet, break the bone at the joint right above the feet. The quick solution would be using a butcher’s knife to cleave the bone or you can opt for a cleaner version by using a knife to remove the skin and then snap the leg. You can also choose to make a soup out of the legs or throw them, depending on what you’d prefer. There is a chance of encountering fecal matter in the intestines, so try removing them by utilizing pressure before making any cuts.

Storage

After taking care of all the guts, you should rinse the body with water. An easier way of doing this would be by letting water through the neck or the cavity opening. Ensure that the chicken’s body is as clean as possible without any remaining pieces stuck inside the cavity. From now on, it can be cooked or stored easily. If you’re going to store it, opt for a Ziplock bag and then store it in a freezer. Avoid leaving the chicken out in the open after you’ve dressed it if you don’t want it infested with bacteria; start cooking or storing it as quickly as possible.

The lean protein that chicken provides is sought after by many people who are interested in staying in shape or building muscle, making them an essential meal. A lot of people prefer to avoid caring for and dressing chicken because they are not used to it, and that makes sense. Once you start getting used to the idea, it will become second nature and you’ll be able to do it almost effortlessly.