Taste of chicken has changed over years
QUESTION: I have made chicken stock, as well as my grandmother's chicken soup, since I have been old enough to help in the kitchen.Even though I have made these things hundreds of times, it seems that in the last five to 10 years they just don't taste as good. They're not as "chickeny" (if that's a word). Did chickens taste better years ago? Or am I just turning into one of those old men that says, "Remember when ...?"I am willing to try a new stock recipe if it will bring back the tasty chicken soup that I'm nostalgic for. Please help.ANSWER:
The answers to your questions are no, yes, and yes. The truthiness of it all is that "chickeny" is not a word — not that it doesn't deserve to be. I mean what other word comes to mind when you say "tastes like chicken?" Doesn't that description mean something is chickeny? It's not in the dictionary, but I've been known to use it — usually with my mouth full.You are on the right track, though. Chickens did indeed taste better years ago. Back when they were farm-raised and lived to a ripe old age, they tasted more ... (you knew this was coming) chickeny.I may not be ready to retire to the front porch rocking chair (though a petition is being passed as we speak), and bark about how much harder and better things were in yesteryear, but I will firmly state that there was a better chance that the chickens you used to buy weren't mass-produced and fed the same feed as the other 1Z\x billion caged chickens across the country.There was a better than average chance that the "stewing chicken" that your grandmother bought was an old "has-been" that had stopped laying eggs. Yet it was always free to roam around and eat whatever it found.The lifestyle of this wiry old fowl made it loaded with flavor — or in culinary school jargon, it was full of collagen. That kind of bird is the perfect ingredient for chickeny stock and soup. These days your best bet is to use free-range chicken parts. If your local market doesn't carry them, try an online source.Try these traditional stock recipes; maybe they will bring back some good memories. If you want to intensify the flavor, reduce the stock longer than directed. Until then, go out to the front porch, get into that old rocking chair, and explain to all those young whippersnappers about the good old days.(P.S., you might want to make sure they are not just nodding and listening to their MP3 players ... this happens to me a lot.)
4-5 pounds raw chicken bones2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces1 celery stalk, cut into 2-inch pieces, leaves removed1 large yellow onion, peeled and quartered3 cloves garlic, peeled1 tablespoon black peppercorns1 small bunch parsley (with stems), washed1 teaspoon kosher saltCold water, to coverPlace all of the ingredients except for the water into a large pot. Fill the pot with cold water until it covers the ingredients by about an inch.Over high heat, slowly bring the water to a boil.Reduce the temperature to a light simmer. As it cooks, skim the foam from the top of your stock. Continue this until there is very little foam on top, about an hour.Continue to simmer the chicken stock for about three hours. Do not cover the pot or add water as the stock simmers.Remove the pot from heat. Pour the stock through a mesh strainer or cheesecloth into another container. Cool the strained stock as quickly as possible.Chicken stock will keep for about a week refrigerated. It also freezes well. If freezing, transfer stock to smaller containers, so you only have to defrost what you need.Serves 4-6.
4 pounds chicken bones4 pounds chicken necks and backs6 quarts cold water1 pound mirepoix (4 medium carrots, peeled, 2 onions diced, 3 celery stalks diced)1 herb sachet (3 parsley stems, ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves, 1 bay leaf, ½ teaspoon cracked peppercorns, 2 cloves garlic, crushed)Kosher salt to tasteCombine all sachet ingredients. Place on a square piece of cheesecloth and tie the corners together to keep ingredients inside.Rinse the bones and pieces and add to a pot filled with the water. Bring them slowly to a boil. Skim the scum off of the surface. Simmer very gently for about 2½ to 3 hours. Add the mirepoix, sachet, and salt. Simmer an additional 1 to 1½ hours. Strain, cool, and store or use right away.Makes 1 gallon.
