Any recipes that you can suggest? I'm not interested in a soup as I do that often, I was either thinking of doing a coq au vin or a curry.
Or may be a Chicken Paprik á s?
Many thanks for your input...
I bought one from the supermarket the other day. It has thawed and is ready to cook this evening after work.
Ah ha ... good luck with your Suppenhuhn
Last year I tried one, thinking it would be like the "old fashioned" farm hens, as opposed to the "quick growth" modern "factory" ones. It wasn`t. You have to cook and cook and cook it for AGES - and then it`s still tough and stringy.
My Swiss O/H laughed at my efforts - he grew up with Suppenhuhn soup - said his mom used it only for the nutrition and flavour, they never ate the meat. Meat leftovers were fed to the pig. These Suppenhuhne are the egg-layers - that get slagt when their egg production level drops off.
But maybe I learn something from this thread? (for the future)
My grandmother cooked the most amazing stewed chicken. There was no recipe, certainly not in writing. I wish there was.
She cooked it on the stove, for a very long time.
I have found some very nice recipes on the cooks.com website. So you might want to have a look there.
I should have done more internet research before attempting to cook my old Suppenhuhn!
Here is what looks like a rather nice recipe (and some tips/interesting facts) for Coq au Vin.
http://www.outsideonline.com/fitness...ough-Bird.html
Now I feel like trying again!
One tip: When using a soup chicken to make soup with the goal of eating the meat, never let the liquid boil or even simmer. Instead, keep it just below the temperature where bubbles form. It'll definitely take hours, but not boiling reduces the toughness.
(That said, I generally cut up the chicken, rub it with salt, pepper, and a bit of oil, and then roast it in a very hot oven to get it golden brown. Then I make the soup stock out of this. Usually the meat is too dry to be good, so I get rid of it. Then I put fresh chicken in the soup just before serving, being careful to only gently poach it.)
So I ended up making a Chicken Masala (Punjabi curry) and it was delicious!
Once the Chicken went into the pot it took 2 hours 40 minutes to get tender. Quite a long cooking process for a week day dinner but a few pints of lager helped me through. I'm hurting today though .
It's the first time I've made a curry from a stewing chicken in Switzerland and I've got to say that the extra effort was worth it. It was outstanding. A much deeper more intense flavor.
Back home we call these chickens 'roadrunners' and we cook curries with them often. I'm very happy to say that this tasted just as good.
Oh wow, fantastic! Now I`m re-inspired.
But except .... when I`m able to get a "road-runner", I have to gut and de-feather it myself .... ugghh.
But your photos, and description make me want to try cooking it again. I was a bit too dumb the last time!
Thanks very much smoky. I appreciate it.
Oh that brings back memories, I haven't gutted and de-feathered a roadrunner in ages!
To make it easier, buy it already prepared from a butcher or supermarket. The only thing you'd need to do is joint it. I have a proper meat knife but struggled while jointing. The meat, joints, tendons and bones are all much tougher than a broiler. I've got to remember to buy a cleaver or shears...
Can't wait for dinner tonight!
Our local butcher doesn`t sell them.
I get one for free whenever farmer up the road culls his 6 resident egg layers - he lets me know. He usually leaves the carcasses in the forest for the foxes, but if I want one I have to "do the work" myself. Although he kindly does the de-gutting for me - too grissly.
Soooo ..... you are eating it tonight? Are those your own photos? If so, well done!!!!
I've heard milk and buttermilk tenderises chickens... a bit bland after that fantastic looking curry but here are some milk ideas.
milk yogurt buttermilk tenderises chicken
ps. pressure cooker would make short work of that chicken.
Lucky you! I'd love to have a friendly farmer close by. I get mine from Migros, frozen. Hope you have one close by if you want to avoid the 'dirty' work, which I actually enjoy.
Yes my own photos, very amateur but I think the flavor comes through the images . And yes for dinner tonight again. Probably with basmati rice. And I'm pretty sure it'll taste even better tonight, as most stewed dishes do the following day.
I agree with that. In Indian cooking, yogurt is often used not only as a tenderizer but also as a flavor in its own. Tandoori chicken is a perfect example. Meats such as mutton are also marinated in yogurt prior to cooking in curries.
Whenever I make fried chicken, I always soak the chicken in buttermilk overnight.
My only question would be, would this work for stewing chickens also? And if so, how effective because these old birds are tough! I've only ever used yogurt/butter milk marinades for broilers.
That looks amazing. Any chance you might be willing to share the recipe?
My apologies Tooki, I'm swamped at work. Recipe coming soon...
Looking forward to it.
I usually prepare a fricassee from Suppenhuhn:
Like this one:
http://www.chefkoch.de/rezepte/11076...frikass-e.html
but without the egg.
The recipe is originally from book of the popular Austrian TV-cook Johann Lafer.
It's not the quickest, but I like it a lot - and it's not completely over the top, like so many other stuff you see on TV.
Here you go tooki and rainer. Please bear in mind this recipe comes from the heart and not any cook book. It's my favorite way to cook a chicken curry, be it with a normal broiler or a stewing chicken. PM me if you have any queries.
Punjabi Chicken Masala
1 stewing Chicken, skinned and jointed (cut into 8 pieces)
2 tbsp. Ghee/Butter
2 tbsp. Oil (veg, sunflower or peanut)
1 inch Cinnamon stick
3 Cloves
3 Green Cardamom pods
2 Bay leaves
1 Whole Dried Red Chilli
1⁄2 tsp. Black Peppercorns
3 Red Onions, diced
3 Tomatoes, diced
3 Garlic Cloves, minced
2 inch Ginger, grated
2 fresh Red Chillies, chopped
1⁄2 tsp. Turmeric
1⁄2 tsp. Cayenne Powder
3 tsps. Garam Masala (Punjabi curry powder)
4 tbsp. Yogurt, plain
Pinch of Roasted Cumin powder
Lots of Fresh Coriander, chopped
Juice of half a Lime
Salt to taste
Water
- Heat oil & butter/ghee on low-medium heat in a heavy bottomed pot.
- Add the cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom pods, bay leaves, whole dried red chilli and black peppercorns, and fry for 2-3minutes. Do not burn the spices!
- Add the onions and sauté slowly until caramelized, adding water from time to time to prevent burning, if necessary.
- Add the chicken, tomatoes, fresh redchillies, turmeric, garlic, ginger, cayenne, garam masala and salt to taste. Stir well and sauté for 10 minutes.
- Add the yogurt, incorporate well. Cook for a further 5 minutes.
- Cover the pot and let it cook. Stir every 10 minutes to prevent from catching/sticking to the bottom of the pot. If the curry dries out, add 150ml of water at a time to moisten.
- Cook until the chicken is done. (2-3 hours depending on the bird)
- Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary.
- The masala should be as wet or as dry as you want. Cook uncovered for longer should you want it drier.
- Add the lime juice and stir well.
- Garnish with chopped fresh coriander and a pinch of roasted cumin powder.
- Serve with naan/parantha/roti/basmati rice, etc...
Thanks for the recipe. It does look delicious.
For the fricassee, I never skin the chicken.
I hate to throw away stuff ;-)
hehehe, I'm exactly the same, I hate to throw away ingredients. I actually freeze all the skin and use it in other dishes.
For example whenever I have to sauté onions in oil/butter, I add some skin. I love the chicken fat flavor it imparts . One can, of course, do the same in the curry recipe.
Grilled crispy spiced & salted chicken skin .... another favorite of mine . Unhelathy, yes, but one should have treats!
I made this last night. My wife gave it a 10/10.
The kids loved it too.
Thanks!
I'm delighted. Thanks for the comment!
Interesting! I made butter chicken with a regular chicken and found the meat to be too mushy after it marinades in the yogurt and lemon juice.
Maybe this is the best chicken to use. I'm going to keep my eyes open for one.
Your curry does look really good!