Loosening poultry skin - where to start?


 
R

Rita Y

TVWBB Emerald Member
Elementary, my friends!

One would think I'd have figured this out by now, but I never really thought about it.
icon_frown.gif


Is it best to begin loosening the skin of chicken and turkey at the neck end or at the cavity end?

Is it easier to access the thighs and legs from one end or the other?

Any input?

Rita
 
When cooking whole chickens, I always use a beer can stand without the can. I loosen the skin from the top of the bird and work my way down to about an inch above the bottom and around the legs. Around the bottom of the chicken I do not detach the skin; my thinking being that I don't want the seasoning and juices to escape. I put the seasoning between the skin and body, and also on the outside of the skin. I've had very good sucess with this method.

Ken
 
Rita,

I did a turkey last year for the first time and it came out great with butter under the skin. However, I was aggressive with the skin and I loosened it all the way to the cavity end. What ended up happening was the skin pulled away from the cavity end while cooking and left a bare meat area. The turkey still tasted great but the presentation was spoiled. When you go in from the wing end it is a narrower piece of skin attachment and the wings help to keep the skin taut. I would leave the skin attached at the cavity end like Ken suggests to prevent the skin shrinkage.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top