Philippine Cuisine: Chicken Parts

Many Philippine native dishes have a lot to do with chicken. Native recipes can exploit the potential of chicken to further bring out its savory qualities. But a primary factor in cooking a native recipe using chicken is knowing what appropriate chicken part goes with a particular native dish.

Chicken breast is found between the neck and abdomen of the chicken. It is a white, meaty part that often needs boiling before cooking. It is best for cooking native recipes like fried chicken, chicken “apritada,” “tinola,” fried or sautéed chicken fillet, chicken balls, chicken “mami,” and for preparing chicken sandwich spread. It can also be stripped for supplementary cooking of vegetable stews and sauced carrots and potatoes. For a low cholesterol diet, breasts minus the skin is often what dieticians and doctors prescribe because native dishes using chicken breast has high meat and almost zero fat content.

The drumstick is a very versatile chicken part. It is possible with any native recipe using chicken. It is a favorite packed native dish for taking to work, school, outings, picnics, and field trips. Slightly of dark coloration, the drumstick is the foreleg (or lower leg) of the chicken. It is best for cooking native recipes like fried chicken in garlic and soy sauce, sauced or sautéed chicken, chicken barbecue, boiled chicken or chicken “nilaga,” chicken with “sampaloc young leaves or chicken “sinampalucan,” and also “tinola,” among other native dishes.

Thighs are also a popular chicken part in native recipes using chicken. They’re the upper portions of the leg, or sometimes called the main leg. They’re perfect for cooking native dishes like chop suey, chicken with “sotanghon” (smooth noodles), chicken noodle soup, chicken curry, chicken barbecue, “adobo,” among other native recipes.

Chicken wings are very popular among native recipes. They are also an all-around part of a chicken. Filipinos love them best as a fried native dish dipped in a spicy concoction of cooked vinegar and vegetable spices. Some native dishes using chicken wings are chop suey, “aroscaldo,” chicken “adobo,” and chicken “sarsado.”

In the Philippines, native recipes using chicken are often from two chicken types: white leg-horn or native. White leg-horn fowls grow faster and bigger and mature in 45 days. Native chicken takes more time to raise up, and their meat is tougher as native dishes.

Native recipes using chicken are delectable native dishes, but it’s a basic principle to use the right chicken part for the right native recipe.