Must be me but apparently I live in skinless world. Every market I’ve been to has sold skinless chicken meat only. Only one time have I found skin on chicken meat, and that was because it was on sale (1.40$/lb pretty good).
Are all markets like this, or should I just keep searching
[quote]kickureface wrote:
Must be me but apparently I live in skinless world. Every market I’ve been to has sold skinless chicken meat only. Only one time have I found skin on chicken meat, and that was because it was on sale (1.40$/lb pretty good).
Are all markets like this, or should I just keep searching[/quote]
I’m willing to bet they sell whole chickens…
[quote]DoubleDuce wrote:
I’m willing to bet they sell whole chickens…[/quote]
Whole chickens are cheaper per lb, and taste better because there’s been less going on with it. It’ll only take you 1-2 chickens to figure out how to butcher them the way you like, but keep in mind that with chicken breasts you pay a butchering fee. When I’m actually cooking food after I buy it, I get whole chickens because I like to cut my breasts thin so that I can wrap them around things, like asparagus, cheese, etc.
The other advantage is that you’ll get some legs and wings and thighs. Dark meat gets a bad rap, in my mind. It’s certainly not as healthy as the breasts, but if you take a minute to trim some of the fat off the meat (although since you’re looking for skin-on meat, I’m not sure how much you really care about a little chicken fat), it’s a really delicious cut of meat and tastes great even on the bone.
The cheapest chicken in the store, I’ve found, is the huge package of bone-in chicken thighs.
From a cooking rather than health perspective, chicken with skin and bones is essential for real flavor. You definitely can’t make a reduction sauce from a skinless chicken breast. The meat near the bone is the part with the most flavor. And you can absolutely debone a chicken breast yourself - it’s just a little basic anatomy, and you save so much money by buying the bone-in variety.
how long does it take you to debone the chicken, and do you just shove everything not being cooked in the fridge? how heavy of a chicken
When in doubt, ask Food Network:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/chicken-deboning-tips/3646.html
BOBBY FLAY! He pretty much does it exactly like I do. I separate my legs from my thighs in the beginning though.
Protip: USE THE CARCASS FOR STOCK! There really is nothing better to throw in with some leafy greens in a pot than real chicken stock. All you do is put the chicken in a pot, cover it with water, boil it for about 3-4 hours, then let it reduce until it has a semi-rich taste. You can also throw the wings in here if you don’t eat those.
Any supermarket should have chicken breasts with the skin on. The problem is they all have the bone in too if that isn’t what you are looking for.