Crispy 'whole' chicken (pics may be offensive to some, viewer discretion advised ;))

Canugghead

Heavy dose of DP Swamp Venom both sides, added garlic and onion powder, coated with corn starch sprinkled with a fine mesh tea strainer just before hitting the egg.  Indirect 375-400F with stone on spider legs down (whenever possible I like spider legs down to provide better air flow), bird elevated to top of AR.  When breast IT reached 130 I brushed the skin with canola oil.  With feet facing the rear of the egg (hotter side), bird was ready with breast IT 150+ and legs IT 180+ at the same time.  Although crispy outside, the feet were chewy.  The brain was the bomb!  I put foil under the feet and head/neck as they were overhanging into direct heat.



Corn starch and oil really crisped up the skin, this 13-sec clip says it all:
http://tinyurl.com/oc39flh

DMW

Very nice, how were the feet?

Canugghead

DMW said:

Very nice, how were the feet?

Funny you should asked, I just edited my original post with comments on feet and brain!

DMW

Canugghead said:

DMW said:

Very nice, how were the feet?

Funny you should asked, I just edited my original post with comments on feet and brain!

Thanks, it's been awhile (1999) since I've had chicken feet.

Canugghead

Chicken feet is my favourite dim sum dish, tender and fall-off-the-bone.

theyolksonyou

I live such a sheltered life....

Canugghead

theyolksonyou said:

I live such a sheltered life....

Haha, not taking any chances after I offended someone with a pig's head post

edit: my apology if I misunderstood what you said 

Tbent

Whoa! I must be sheltered too. Is this store bought or what?

Canugghead

Tbent said:

Whoa! I must be sheltered too. Is this store bought or what?

they are fairly common at Asian supermarkets in my neck of the woods, even comes in black. 

bgebrent

Ok, what's the brain like?

Canugghead

bgebrent said:

Ok, what's the brain like?

the taste is very faint, it's the custard like creaminess and the tiny size that makes it a 'delicacy'!

theyolksonyou

Saw the black ones on Chopped the other day. Not a lot of Asian markets here in Podunk NGA. 

XC242

When I was growing up in the 60's my parents would make soup using chicken feet. I really couldn't understand why cause about all they were were skin, fat and tendons. They didn't taste bad but I never saw the point of it. We weren't rich but certainly weren't poor so I don't know what My parents were thinking. 

Little Steven

I use chicken feet in stock cause they are cheap. I eat half of them after I roast them so it's not a good deal. Best stock though

Tinyfish

Now thats a "whole"  chicken

Chubbs

Cool post but no thanks. Guess I am a wimp. 

SGH

@Canugghead
This should say it all my friend:

Canugghead

XC242 said:

When I was growing up in the 60's my parents would make soup using chicken feet. I really couldn't understand why cause about all they were were skin, fat and tendons. They didn't taste bad but I never saw the point of it. We weren't rich but certainly weren't poor so I don't know what My parents were thinking. 

guess we were lucky, where I was growing up in the 50's-70's beef was the poor man's meat  

Canugghead

Little Steven said:

I use chicken feet in stock cause they are cheap. I eat half of them after I roast them so it's not a good deal. Best stock though

never tried chicken feet in soup/stock, just feet or mixed with other bones?

Canugghead

Tinyfish said:

Now thats a "whole"  chicken

actually I destroyed the 'wholeness' by spatching it 

Canugghead

Chubbs said:

Cool post but no thanks. Guess I am a wimp. 

not the head, but you should try chicken feet dim sum (google it)!

Canugghead

SGH Thanks my friend!

caliking

That bird looks like it was run over while taking a breather on the egg

Sounds like you nailed it. I'm surprised that that the feet didn't get crispy. I usually get an order to go when we are out for dim sum, since i like to bring them home and make grilled chili garlic chicken feet. 

When all else fails, inject them with butter next time?

Little Steven

Canugghead said:

Little Steven said:

I use chicken feet in stock cause they are cheap. I eat half of them after I roast them so it's not a good deal. Best stock though

never tried chicken feet in soup/stock, just feet or mixed with other bones?

I usually buy the ten pounds of bones at the Asian market and about two bags of feet probably five pounds each. Roast the bones with mirepoix and brush with tomato paste. Cool the stock and degrease cause the feet produce a lot.

Canugghead

@caliking  lol it does look like roadkill! 

The feet 'shank' had crispy skin, but the digits were hard/chewy.  Chicken feet from dim sum places are tender because I think they were boiled, seasoned, then steamed.

Canugghead

Thanks @Little Steven , I'm going to try that.  May be I can roast the bones but not the feet, then turn the boiled feet into dim sum!

johnmitchell

Back in South Africa the local indigenous people call the feet and head "Walk-ie-talk-ie" and is considered a delicacy..

saluki2007

So did you choke the chicken?  I kid...I kid.  Great looking cook.  Not sure my wife could handle something like that.

Little Steven

Gary,

Always meant to ask you what the difference with the black skinned chicken is. I know they are way more expensive, even in the Asian markets, and that they aren't raised commercially so they are a free range bird. Anything other than that or is there a cultural thing?

Ozzie_Isaac

Cool cook, and great discussion.  Never seen chicken feet cooked before, but I do like tacos made from the head meat.

Canugghead

Little Steven 

To be honest we've never cooked one, it just looks unappetizing   AFAIK, based on my limited knowledge, it's great for making soup with herbal medicines.

Below is an extract I stole from wiki https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silkie  ... 

As early as the 7th century, traditional Chinese medicine has held that chicken soup made with Silkie meat is a curative food.

Actually they are not as expensive as they used to be, and I'm not sure if they are free range nowadays.

edit: btw, the last photo above is not mine, just copied it from the interweb.