Chicken Prices on the Rise – And Easy Chicken Breast Recipes

Last posting was about the beef industry. This one takes a look at the poultry one, specifically chicken. The crop failure due to the drought a few years ago, with the resulting scarcity and high cost of feed effected poultry much as it had cattle, causing a culling of the flocks and spiking the prices of meat and eggs. This situation, however, was considered to be correctable in a short time, because flocks replenish quicker than herds.

Birds gestate and mature fast, nor with modern hatchery methods are they limited to a breeding season, but reproduce all year. A “Pullet,” or young hen, begins to produce eggs at 6 months of age and continues to lay an average of 1.5 eggs every 1-2 days until she’s about 7 years old. Contrary to popular belief, a rooster has no effect on egg production only on egg fertilization to result in chicks.

When eggs are fertilized and a hen is going into “Broody” mode she will lay at the usual rate for up to two weeks. The eggs remain in a state of suspended animation until she has a “clutch” of, on average, about 10 eggs. Then she will sit on them to incubate, without eating or drinking, for 21 days at which time all the eggs hatch. Nowadays, the eggs are collected daily and put into an incubator while the hen continues to lay to form a clutch. Artificial incubation can cut up to 5 weeks off the natural cycle and speed production.

Chicken grow fast. The broiler-fryers we see in the markets today are about 9 weeks old and the oven-roasters between 12 and 14 weeks. From start to finish, this is a much faster reproductive cycle than with cattle, so it’s easy to understand why the effects of the drought were considered to be less severe long term on the country’s flocks than on its herds. It’s a known fact that once prices go up they don’t ever return to where they were, but chicken should have at least stabilized by now. Instead it’s spiked in the past months. Why?

The answer to that question may lie in events I’ve heard about and seen recently. Not too long ago I moved to a state where the poultry industry constitutes a large part of the economy. It seemed everyone I met had a family connection to a commercially invested chicken farm. Even the drought and its consequences were taken in stride, but in the past year or so there’s been a shift. My dry cleaner’s brother-in-law is now a business partner, my dentist’s aunt and uncle have retired to Florida and my neighbor’s nephew isn’t going to the state university to study husbandry as planned, but rather to one on the West Coast to major in computer programming and intends to settle there. Each of these decisions represents the sale of a large chicken farm in this area.

The outstanding evidence of change was the announcement that a picture perfect farm, which had been in the same family for 150 years, and visited by generations of local school children on class trips, was closing. Always on top of new developments and conscientious about maintenance they had never had a problem with inspections. When the flocks were low they voluntarily spent into the six figures on upgrading, anticipating a return to normal business. That year’s inspection informed them they needed further work costing nearly six figures to pass inspection. They complied, only to be given the same dictate the following year, this time even brand specific on some items. The third time they received notices of more demands, they realized that the situation had already eaten their profits and would likely continue, driving them into debt. This is considered a great loss to the community on several levels and symbolic of what is happening to similar farms all over the state.

The general consensus of opinion is that pressure is being exerted by large corporations, giants in the poultry industry. A local butcher, famous for his wonderful poultry who supplied the best restaurants in this state and several in surrounding ones, is now hard-pressed. His suppliers are nearly gone and he has to rely on the large commercial operations for the bulk of his stock, but it doesn’t compare to what he carried a few years ago. I shudder to think of where this could end, especially considering the influence of powerful corporate lobbies on government.

For now, it’s safe to assume that the price of poultry is going to roost like birds in the trees and we’re going to have to learn to deal with it. Poultry, specifically chicken, is the world’s most popular source of protein; so fortunately, there are more recipes for using it than for any other meat. That leaves loads of room for adaptations; all it takes is a little ingenuity. As I said last week, we’re lucky to live in a country with so much ethnic diversity, because we don’t have to search far for recipes from other cuisines that are less dependent on large amounts of meat than the average American menu items. A few examples follow.

Quick and Easy Pizzas: Serves 4

• 4 individual vegetable pizzas- favorite brand
• 1 cup mixed frozen broccoli flowerets and pepper and onion.
• 1 cup turkey or chicken pieces = ½ lb. from the Deli
• ¾ cup diced raw tomatoes or canned
• (1/2) a 4 oz. can stems and pieces mushrooms—optional
• 1 Tbs. oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 4 oz. shredded Cheddar cheese

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Microwave the frozen vegetables in the oil for 2 min. Divide them over the pizzas. Do the same with the tomatoes, mushrooms, if using, meat and finally the cheese. Bake as per package directions Serve at once.

Turkey Mousse: Serves 4

• 1 ½ cups chicken or turkey stock
• 1 envelope Knox unflavored gelatin
• 1 ½ cups minced cooked chicken or turkey – Deli, canned or leftover
• ¼ cup mayonnaise** See options at bottom
• 1 small onion minced
• 1 stalk celery minced
• ½ tsp. curry powder
• 1tsp. celery seeds
• ¾ cup heavy cream whipped ** See options at bottom

Soak gelatin in a microwave safe cup with ½ cup of stock until softened and risen. Microwave for30 sec. or until dissolved. Mix in all remaining ingredients except cream and chill until beginning to set.  Fold in whipped cream and spoon into a lightly oiled 1 qt. mold. Cover and chill overnight. Unmold and serve on a lettuce lined plate.
** Cream can be replaced with yogurt.  Use 1 ½ cups plain Greek yogurt and increase mayonnaise to ½ cup.

Classic Fajitas: Serves 4

• Children can prep the ingredients for heating and get the toppings ready for serving. A fun family meal.
• 2 cooked, boneless, skinless chicken breasts OR 12 oz. beef for stir fry cut in
• 2 inch strips –Leftovers can also be used in equal amounts
• 1 red bell pepper julienne
• 1 green bell pepper julienne
• 2 medium onions halved and sliced thin
• 3 Tbs. cooking oil
• 1tsp coriander
• 1tsp cumin
• Salt and pepper
• (8) 8” flour tortillas
• (1) 8 oz. jar salsa
• (1) 8 oz. container guacamole
• 1 cup sour cream
• (1) 8 oz. pkg. “Mexican 4 Cheese Blend” – or shredded “Monterey Jack”

Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add onions peppers and spices, and if using, chicken. Cook about 8 min., until the chicken is done and its juices run clear, and the vegetables are crisp

Tender. If using beef, cook vegetables about 4 min and add beef the last 4 or 5 min, so that it
browns but stays tender. If using leftovers just heat through.

Meanwhile, cover tortillas with a dish towel, place on a plate and warm in the microwave on high at least 1min—test to make sure they’re warmed through.

Place the toppings – salsa, guacamole, sour cream and cheese on the dining table. Add the warn tortillas, and bring the sizzling meat mixture to the table in the skillet—making sure that it’s on a board or trivet—and let everyone dig in.

To eat a fajita—Lay a tortilla flat on your plate, and spoon the meat mixture in a line across the center of the tortilla parallel to you, leaving a 2inch margin on each end. The julienne cuts make this easy. Put on the toppings of your choice—I like them all—and fold those short sides over the filling squaring them off. Then roll the first long side, the one near you, over the filling, then roll the whole thing over on the other side to make a compact  bundle—–and enjoy ! ! !

 

Double Punch Lasagna Roll-Ups; Serves 4
Save for the actual cooking, children can do most of the work in preparing this dish.

If you need to plan ahead for an oven-ready dinner, this casserole keeps wonderfully well for 2 or 3 days in the refrigerator, and makes a good party dish, but the stuffed noodles have to be served as separate entities. Don’t randomly cut into the dish.

• 1 lb. ground turkey (Frozen rolls ex. Jenny-O, work well here. The finer ground seems to compact more easily for stuffing. Be sure to thaw before cooking.)
• 1 medium onion chopped
• (1) 4oz. can mushrooms-stems and pieces – drained
• 2 tsp. chopped garlic
• 2 tsp. dried oregano
• 2 tsp. dried basil
• ¾ cup ricotta cheese
• 1 Tbs. oil
• 4 Lasagna noodles broken in half (or cut after boiling)
• (2)  8oz. cans tomato sauce
• 7 oz. canned diced tomatoes = ½ a 14 oz. can- drained and juice reserved
• 2 ½ cups milk
• 5 T flour
• 5 Tbs. butter
• 4 oz. Monterey Jack cheese in small cubes (peppers optional)
• ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
• Salt to taste
• Grated Parmesan cheese and paprika to garnish

Lightly grease a 9 x9 inch casserole dish. Cook noodles in boiling water until very tender @ 10 min. Drain and keep in cool water so they don’t dry out. In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat and sauté onion until soft @ 3 min. Add mushrooms for 2 min then add garlic for one minute, then turkey, separating it between the fingers as it goes into the pan, and 1 teaspoon each of the oregano and basil. Cook, stirring, to keep meat separated until it browns @ 5 min. If mixture begins to seem dry or stick to the pan, add a bit of the reserved tomato juice. Stir in ricotta and remove from heat.

Lightly coat a casserole about 9x9x3, with cooking spray. Spread tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and second teaspoons of oregano and basil, in the bottom. Lay out the noodles, and put an equal portion of the meat mixture on each. Roll the noodle around the stuffing, until the ends meet, and carefully lay each, seam side down in the prepared casserole.

In a saucepan, over high heat, melt the butter until it foams. Remove from the heat and stir in the flour to make a smooth paste. This is called a Roux. Add the milk, and stirring constantly to incorporate the roux, return the pan to the stove over medium heat. Continue stirring until sauce thickens, never allowing it to boil (lift the pan for a moment if it starts to) @ 3 min.

When it has thickened, stir in the cheese until it melts, add the nutmeg and salt. White Sauce often does need salt (see Sauces and Gravies Link) Pour this sauce over the noodles, dust with grated parmesan cheese and paprika to garnish. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and bake until sauce bubbles and slightly browns @ 30 min.

Enchiladas: Serves 4

• Again children can do most of the preparation, the mixing, filling and rolling.
• (8) 8 inch flour or corn tortillas
• 8 oz. Ricotta cheese
• (1) 4oz can green chilies
• ½ lb. ground turkey or beef or 1 cup sliced, cooked chicken, leftovers or from the Deli
• 1 medium onion chopped
• ½ cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1 ½ cups shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
• ½ tsp. red pepper
• Cooking spray
• ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• (1) 20 oz. jar of salsa

If using raw, ground meat, spray a skillet with the cooking spray and sauté the meat over medium heat until no longer pink. If using the cooked chicken, cut it in thin strips about 2 inches x1 inch.  In a bowl, stir to combine, Ricotta, onion, ¾ of the green chilies (Add the rest to the salsa), the green pepper, the red pepper, ½ cup of the Monterey Jack cheese and the meat.  Spread half the salsa in the bottom of a 13 x 9 inch ovenproof pan.  If using corn tortillas, wrap them in plastic wrap and microwave for 1 min. or until pliable. This step is not necessary with flour ones. Dip the tortillas in the salsa in the pan to soften them to the point that they can be rolled. Spoon the filling down the center of the tortillas in equal amounts, about 3 Tbs. per tortilla and roll it up. Place the rolled tortillas, seam side down, on the salsa in the pan. Pour the rest of the salsa over them, and top with the rest of the Monterey Jack cheese and half the cilantro. Cover and bake in a preheated 350 deg. oven 20 min. Uncover and bake 10 min more. Serve from the pan, and pass the rest of the fresh cilantro to garnish.

*This could be made ahead and frozen, after the salsa is added, but before the cheese and cilantro. To reheat:- if frozen, bake in 350 degree oven 30 min uncover, add cheese and cilantro, recover and proceed as directed above. If thawed, just proceed as above.

Turkey Roll: Serves 4

A perfect dish for children to help, mixing and prepping ingredients, rolling out the meat, stuffing it and rolling it up – almost as much fun as making meatballs.

• 2 lbs. ground turkey
• 4 slices of bread, crusts off, in crumbs or the insides of 2 soft rolls
• 1 egg
• 3 tsp. ground coriander
• 3 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 large onion diced
• 1 green bell pepper diced
• 6 oz. Monterey Jack cheese shredded
• ¼ tsp. lemon pepper
• Cooking spray
• Salsa (optional)
• Sour cream (optional)

Mix first 7 ingredients together, and kneed to combine well. On a sheet of waxed paper, roll the meat into a 13 x 9 inch rectangle. Microwave onion and pepper, with 1/2tsp. water, 1 min., covered.  Spread the vegetables and cheese over the meat to within 1 inch of the edges. Sprinkle with the lemon pepper. Roll the meat up, starting with one of the short ends. Place seam side down, in a 13 x 9 inch pan in preheated 350 degree oven, and bake for 55 min. to 1 hr.

Cut in 1 inch slices to serve.

Pass Salsa and Sour cream on the side if you wish.