America’s favorite protein provides a blank palette for creative chefs, and has become a boon for their bottom lines.
When Bob Burns, Executive Chef of Austin (Texas) Country Club, wants to add a fun new item to his casual dining menu, he doesn’t have to look far for inspiration. He just reaches into his freezer for a bag of house-smoked, adobo-seasoned chopped chicken, to add a signature spin to such easygoing yet extremely popular dishes as nachos, quesadillas, empanadas, tamales, tostados and soups.
To have his versatile specialty ingredient always at the ready, Burns smokes three- to three-and-a-half-pound chickens in batches of 20. He knows nothing will go to waste, because at least one smoked chicken dish is always featured on Austin CC’s menu.
SUMMING IT UP
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For smoking poultry, Burns prefers to use fruity woods such as cherry and apple, instead of the stronger-flavored hickory or mesquite, which might overpower the meat. He does not recommend wetting the chips, because he finds the resulting smoke to be unpleasantly acrid.
For buffets, Burns prepares a black tea-smoked turkey breast. He brines the meat in coconut milk, herbs and fish sauce, to give it an Asian spin. To the wood chips, Burns adds brown sugar (to provide a touch of sweetness), black tea leaves and uncooked rice (to keep the tea from burning up quickly).
However he prepares poultry, Burns believes that brining is the key to a moist and flavorful product. “For different flavors, you can use different kinds of brines and teas,” he notes.
Burns also serves a lot of boneless quail in the club’s fine-dining restaurant. For quail, as well as for boneless chicken or pheasant breast, he sometimes does the smoking a la minute, using a wok, hotel pan or disposable metal pan with a wire rack at the bottom. He smokes the delicate meat for five to ten minutes before finishing it up in the oven.
In-Demand Marinade
Keith Bjertness, Executive Chef of Franklin Hills Country Club in Franklin, Mich., swears by a marinade he makes from a puree of fresh vegetables (carrots, onions and celery), herbs (thyme and parsley), garlic, whole black peppercorns, salt and olive oil. Sometimes, for a fresh citrus pop, he will grate in the zest of a lemon, lime, orange or all three fruits. “This is the best marinade I’ve ever come up with,” Bjertness says. “Members have been asking me for the recipe for the last 10 years.”
He uses the marinade on everything from his formal dining room’s pan-roasted chicken with red wine sauce to grilled chicken kebabs for a barbecue. Another marinade he often uses combines equal parts house-made Caesar and Italian dressings. For a Mexican twist, he’ll crush canned chipotle peppers into the mix.
The Confit Connection
Chefs are also turning to the traditional confit method of cooking for meltingly tender and richly flavorful poultry. At Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club in Bedminster Township, N.J., Executive Chef Michael Weisshaupt uses confit to prepare chicken legs and thighs in duck fat spiced with bay leaves, salt and pepper. The leg is served with a roasted chicken breast, while the thigh meat is diced and used to fortify the chicken jus that is poured over it.
Poultry Rules the Roost In a survey on poultry preferences, roughly half of consumers told the Chicago-based Technomic research firm that they would like to see restaurants offer a wider variety of chicken entrees (55%) and sandwiches (48%). Americans also appear to have a healthy and growing appetite for turkey. Forty percent of the respondents said they would like to see more entrees featuring turkey, while 41% said they would like to see more turkey-based sandwiches. Reflecting the solid growth that has been shown by turkey burgers and bacon, Technomic’s researchers noted that turkey could also be used as a more healthful substitute for other meats in classic, traditionally indulgent foods, such as turkey meatloaf and spaghetti with turkey meatballs. When it comes to how they would like to see their poultry prepared, more than 45% of the surveyed respondents agreed that restaurants should offer more chicken entrees made with ethnic ingredients and flavors. The most popular ethnic cuisines named by the consumers were Mexican, Chinese and Italian, and a third of those surveyed also named Caribbean, Tex-Mex and Hawaiian flavors as having the potential to make for some appealing chicken preparations. Technomic also looked for poultry items on the menus of limited service and full-service restaurants across the country. On-trend at both are spicy Louisiana Creole and Cajun flavor profiles. Research indicates that Americans will continue to look for more poultry options on menus; poultry sales are expected to rise by 22% by 2018. |
Bjertness also uses confit for duck legs and uses the meat in recipes such as his “comfort food with an upscale twist” pot pies. He serves the pot pies in individual-sized skillets, with a woven crust of house-made dough on top.
For many diners at Franklin Hills, basic is best. Bjertness estimates that he sells about 80 pounds of rotisserie chicken per week. The chickens are rubbed with garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper, and stuffed with onion, garlic and fresh thyme.
Poultry’s versatility makes it a favorite for lunch as well as for dinner. At Austin CC’s pool deck, grilled and crispy fried chicken breasts are the top sellers, whether on a sandwich, in a wrap or on a salad. The crispy chicken is an eight-ounce, pounded breast, marinated with buttermilk and herbs, then coated with equal parts seasoned flour and panko.
The grilled chicken is particularly popular among women who are looking for a leaner protein. “We’ll highlight the grilled chicken as a nutritional feature that’s under 400 calories,” Burns says.
Popular Summer Snacks
In the summer, Franklin Hills CC will sell over 200 pounds of chicken breast per week from its snack bar. The most popular preparation, The Twister, is a pita pocket stuffed with marinated grilled chicken, lettuce, tomato, ranch dressing and Tabasco sauce. Grilled chicken is also the most requested topping on the club’s “make your own salad” offering, which is available on all menus.
A Philly-style chicken cheesesteak is a hit at Fiddler’s Elbow CC, Weisshaupt says. Members also like to top their pizzas with grilled chicken in the Grill Room. Another best seller is a whole- wheat wrap filled with grilled chicken breast, iceburg lettuce, homemade Russian dressing, caramelized onion, avocado and Swiss cheese (see recipe, pg. 41).
To get the most bang for his food buck, Bjertness purchases whole chickens, which he butchers in-house. Some of the breasts are marinated, then roasted with the skin and first wing bone on, to keep the meat juicy and get the skin crispy. Others are boiled, complete with skin and bone, to make the chicken salad that is such a beloved staple at the halfway house, snack bar and clubhouse.
Legs and thighs get the confit treatment and the meat is pulled off the bone to use for chicken tacos. The rest of the bird, bones and all, provides the basis for the chicken matzo ball soup that members expect to see on the menu every day.
Bjertness also breaks down his own ducks, instead of paying a premium for Muscovy breasts alone. “Duck isn’t that expensive when you butcher it yourself and use every part,” he says. “The bones add some good flavor to sauces.”
A Familiar Favorite
Poultry’s neutral flavor profile, and diners’ familiarity with it as a center-of-the-plate star, make it the perfect protein for showcasing a chef’s creativity.
“People feel comfortable with poultry, so we are able to serve it in a variety of preparations and they’ll try it, especially when we put it on the buffet,” Burns says. “We’ve done Thai, Indian, Hawaiian, Vietnamese and classical European dishes at the club.”
One European classic that Burns has made his own is an updated version of coq au vin that begins by marinating the meat in red wine under vacuum. After braising the bird, he takes the meat off the bones and combines it with transglutaminase (a binding enzyme) and bacon fat. He molds the mixture into cubes and finishes with a chicken glace he makes from the roasted chicken bones, tomato paste and red wine cooked down for 24 hours.
Mexican preparations are often on the menus at Franklin Hills. “Many of my staff members are Mexican, so I like to adapt their family recipes for our members,” Bjertness says.
One dish that members often request is Chicken Tinga. For this dish, the breast and thigh are cooked slowly with ground chipotle peppers, tomatoes, onions and garlic. The mixture is served on a homemade tostada with refried black beans, lettuce and queso fresco.
“Our members also really like the mole blanco recipe I got from [the Club & Resort Business 2014] Chef to Chef Conference [in San Antonio],” Bjertness reports.
In the summer, Weisshaupt got a very good response at Fiddler’s Elbow CC to a Mexican spring roll made with diced chicken breast, black beans and corn. Cumin and serrano peppers added a little spice and heat, while a cool cucumber cilantro sour cream sauce provided balance.
Recipes:
Lime and Chile-Marinated Chicken Skewers
Griggstown Chicken
Grilled Chicken Wrap
Smoked Chicken
Rosemary Buttermilk Fried Chicken
Pan-Roasted Chicken Breast
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