Poultry Recipes

About Poultry

When it comes to a tried and true staple, poultry is our go-to. It’s relatively inexpensive compared to other proteins and works well with a variety of cooking methods, from slowly smoked to fast fried and everything in between.

Chicken is the ultimate food for adding spices and seasonings. We love poultry recipes for their ease of use and ability to take on a myriad of flavors working as the perfect vessels for the ultimate comfort foods, game day appetizer, or holiday feast.

We include duck, turkey, and chicken in our poultry archives and all recipes can be interchanged with the exception of duck breast, which we do serve at a lower internal temp than chicken or turkey.

Buying Chicken

When it comes to shopping for chicken there are a few labels to look out for. Organic, free-range, and all-natural are a few to consider when buying, and can affect the size and flavor of the bird. All-natural free-range birds tend to be smaller than those we find packaged at most markets and can even have a slightly different color to the fat and skin depending on diet.

One label we watch out for is ‘enhanced.’ We find that birds with added water or broth don’t have the same texture when cooked.

Be aware, the USDA does not allow the use of hormones in poultry, so “Hormone-free is” misleading.

If you’re interested in buying meat online and trying something new, be sure to check out our guide on our favorite places to order meat online, with Porter Road and Wild Fork Foods being our go-to sources for daily cooking and D’Artagnan or source for duck.

Poultry Temperature Guide

Poultry is the one meat that we don’t mess around with temps and strongly urge you to follow USDA guidelines as well. Turkey, chicken, and duck are suggested to be cooked to a minimum safe temperature of 165 °F. And if cooked properly, your whether it’s thighs or wings, breast meat or drumsticks, it can still be juicy and tender when cooked with care. And personally, we love thighs taken to around 180°F.

Take into consideration that the temperature will continue to rise from 5 °F to 10 °F while the meat rests.

With poultry, it’s crucial to hit the temperature spot on, as even the slightest error can make it overdone or underdone, and for food safety, it’s important to be spot on. Always use a quality instant-read digital thermometer inserted away from the bone in the thickest part of the meat.

BASIC TIPS FOR COOKING poultry:

When it comes to poultry, food safety is a huge concern. We do not advocate washing poultry under running water, as that can help to spread any bacteria. Instead, we suggest working on a clean work surface and patting the chicken dry with paper towels. Be sure to thoroughly clean the area and any tools used afterward as well.

We have an amazing all purpose poultry blend that’s our go-to for seasoning every recipe fromour weeknight chicken thighs to our Thanksgiving turkeys! Looking for an easy bird blend? Check it out!