Chicken is the meat derived from chickens. Poulet in French and manok in Tagalog. Chicken is the most common type of poultry on earth, and is prepared as food in a wide variety of ways, varying by region and culture throughout the world. It is a source of food, consuming both meat and eggs. Typically, the muscle tissue (breast, legs, thigh, etc), liver, heart, and gizzard are processed for food. Chicken feet are commonly eaten, especially in French and Chinese cuisine.

Chicken is referred to as “white meat” along with other light-colored meats, often the contrast of “red meats”. Nowadays, for health consideration, “white meat” is synonymous with “lean meat”, considering the fat content in meats. Even fish and seafood, including fatty and dark-fleshed fishes such as salmon, mackerel, and tuna, are also called “white meat”. In gastronomy, “red meat” is darker-colored meat which is red when raw and not white when cooked. “Red meat”  include the meat of most adult mammals, except the meats of young mammals such as veal and lamb are considered “white meat”.

The chicken is the most exploited species of poultry, which is utilized for food production in the whole world.

In the Philippines, chicken ranks first in economic importance as source of meat and eggs. Demand for chicken in the Philippines is at 635 million a year. Chicken is the cheapest protein source.

The Philippine chicken inventory is classified into “native”, “broiler” and “layer”, based on breeds and purposes.

“Native” chickens refer to the local breeds as well as the so-called “improved breeds” that are crosses of local chickens with foreign strains.

Darag chicken is the “native” chicken strain local to Western Visayas. Darag chickens, used to be grown in backyards, were intended for family consumption only. But the demand for “native” chicken has significantly grown in recent years because of its distinct taste compared to “broilers” and the growing recognition of its nutritious value. Darag chicken is preferred because of its leaner meat and sought-after flavor attributed by scientists to amino acids such as aspartic and glutamic acids. Its eggs and meat also have less cholesterol. The local of Western Visayas and the tourists love Darag chicken because it has a unique flavor and texture of meat and it is more nutritious. Darag “native” chicken is expected to be the next big thing in the chicken industry in the Philippines.

“Layers” and “broilers” are imported hybrids with foreign strains.

The Philippine “broiler” industry is controlled by four major integrators, namely, Swift Foods, San Miguel Foods, Tysons Agro-Ventures, and Universal Robina Corporation. Together, they account for 65% of the total broiler supply in the country. These integrators are involved in the production and marketing of “broiler” chickens, the importation of grandparent and parent stock, and the manufacturing and sales of commercially mixed feeds and breeder stocks to independent raisers. The small and medium scale commercial “broiler” producers are from Rizal, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Pampanga and Tarlac.

Free-range chicken such as the Sasso from France and has become increasingly popular with both small and large “broiler” raisers. Resembling the “native” chickens in the Philippines, they have a strong disease resistance and produce delicious, tender meat. Because they are being naturally grown free-range style, they have clean chicken meat with less cholesterol and fat. Sasso chickens can be raised as “broilers” and are good “layers” too when they reach six months of age. Sasso hens lay naturally brown, tasty, nutritious and with less cholesterol eggs. Sassos are also being bred with the native chickens in Thailand, Malaysia and Taiwan.

Pamora free-range chickens, having the reputation of quality F1’s or first generation offspring are being raised as “broilers” in Pamora Farm in Abra. It is more likely considered as an equivalent of the Label Rouge (Red Label) like in France, its origin. Whole dressed Pamora chickens are available in selected deli shops, gourmet stores and weekend markets.

Buying a whole dressed chicken is cheaper than buying pieces, and the leftover parts of a deboned chicken are ideal for making soup stocks. Chicken is so versatile that almost every part is useful. A whole chicken is cut into 10 pieces: leg parts, thighs, wings, breast parts, part of back portion and tail end of back portion.

White chicken meat (breast) is leaner, has more protein and less fat content than dark chicken meat. In essence it is a more healthful choice. White meat gets the ‘juice’ through glycogen. Glycogen is a polysaccharide of glucose, an animal starch. Animal starch is stored primarily in the liver and broken down into glucose when needed by the white muscle.

Dark meats simply have more myoglobin proteins, the magic stuff that ships oxygen to the muscle cells. Dark meats must use myoglobins as they transfer oxygen more efficiently to the muscles than glycogen. Muscles used more frequently, get to be dark. This is why non-flying poultry drumsticks are dark meat, while breast meat is white.

Chicken dark meat contain vitamins A, K, B6, B12, niacin, folate, pantothenic acid, minerals as selenium, phosphorus and zinc. When dark meat is cooked it turns the myoglobins to metmyoglobins, which is brown/gray. Metmyoglobins are very high in iron. To reduce the saturated fat content of chicken dark meat, simply remove the skin.

Chicken meat is generally considered healthy in contrast to red meat. However, due to a significant inclusion of cholesterol (as in most meats) it should be eaten in moderation. It is highly concentrated on the skin, which should be avoided when low intake of fat is necessary. The cholesterol content is also apparent on the chicken’s eggs, particularly the yolk. Cooking method is highly related to health issues related to chicken, with steam cooking with skin removed being considered one of the healthiest, and fried with unsaturated fats is one of the worst.

Raw chicken can be stored in a freezer for up to two years without major changes in flavor or texture. It should be eaten cooked thoroughly to prevent the risk of infection from pathogens like salmonella. Salmonellosis is a potentially fatal disease caused by salmonella, bacteria that can often be found in the intestines of animals, including chickens. Salmonella infections usually are caused by eating under-cooked poultry or eggs, or other foods that have been contaminated by raw poultry or eggs.

Salmonella infection symptoms, may be referred to as food poisoning, generally are nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhea (sometimes bloody), fever, and headache. Not everyone who ingests salmonella bacteria will become ill. Symptoms of most salmonella infections usually appear within 3 days of contamination and typically go away without medical treatment. Al though there are other higher risks, most doctors will treat an infection with antibiotics to prevent it from spreading to other parts of the body and causing additional health problems.

How to Avoid Salmonella with Chicken

• Keep raw chicken meat separate from other items in your grocery cart, and place it in a separate shopping bag for the trip home.

• Place raw chicken meat in the fridge or freezer as soon as you get home to prevent the growth of bacteria.

• Thaw frozen chicken by placing in the fridge for six hours, defrosting in a microwave or placing in a bowl of cold water until thawed. Once thawed, chicken cannot be re-frozen or even re-refrigerated until it is cooked to a safe temperature. It is not necessary to wash raw chicken. Any bacteria which might be present are destroyed by cooking.

• Cook raw chicken meat to a safe temperature. An internal temperature of 165 degrees F will kill salmonella in chicken. To accurately measure the internal temperature, insert the meat thermometer into the thickest area of the chicken.

• Wash with soap and warm water anything that has touched the raw chicken. This includes your hands, dishes, cutting boards, knives, faucets and counter surfaces. Wash for 20 seconds.