Grossed Out & Cooking a Whole Chicken: Mind Over Matter!

[Brandi2007]

okay so I am totally grossed out right now! I bought the 4 lb chicken to make at home so I can prepare to do the 30 min rec at a show. I have eaten it before but never made one. Now I need to make it for supper. Call me silly but I've never touched a whole raw chicken before! IT'S DISGUSTING!!!!! Then there is that crap inside the neck. So someone please just tell me what I am supposed to do next? I want to make sure there isn't something I am missing. I'm going to have to eat this thing in about 30 minutes! I want to make sure it gets done right! This is definitely going to have to be a mind over matter thing at my shows...

 

[caritok]

You crack me up!

 

[caritok]

I'm assuming you already got started....but, wash off that wet yucky bird, towel dry it (inside and out) take out the "crap inside the neck" as you put it. I just throw that part out. Then put your rub or seasonings all over it very thick if you want a lot of flavor. Then just put the lid on and cook it. It really is easy and delicious. Thanks for the chuckle.

 

[debhowey]

take the gizzards out of the chicken cavity. Wash the bird and pat dry. Then cover entire bird with spices and paprika. Place in roaster with breast side up. And cook as directed.

 

[Brandi2007]

I'm assuming you already got started....but, wash off that wet yucky bird, towel dry it (inside and out) take out the "crap inside the neck" as you put it. I just throw that part out. Then put your rub or seasonings all over it very thick if you want a lot of flavor. Then just put the lid on and cook it. It really is easy and delicious. Thanks for the chuckle.

ok well I washed it and all that but that wasn't easy either... the wings kept touching me uugghh! I didn't dry the inside though. Hope that won't bother the cooking time. Don't think I could've stuck my hand in there! I had trouble looking! Boy I really hope I can get over this! I can't seem to make my lip stay down it's permanently in the "ugh" position! haha! Just so you all know I am laughing with you! MUST OVER COME!

 

[Brandi2007]

oh! and thank you both!

 

[pamperedlinda]

This reminds me of the Friends episode when Joey got his stuck inside the the turkey! You are too funny Brandi.

 

[Brandi2007]

My BF is laughing at me too! "and you call yourself a Pampered Cheffer" he says! lol

 

[jenniferp417]

Brandi, I would have trouble with this too! You are NOT alone!

 

[janetupnorth]

My BF is laughing at me too! "and you call yourself a Pampered Cheffer" he says! lol

...just tell him if you were REALLY a Pampered Chef, he'd be doing the cooking for you while you sit with your feet up - LOL!

 

[chefkristin]

Thanks for making us laugh!! LOL!!!



Let us know how the chicken turns out! I may have to conquer that recipe!

 

[Teresa Lynn]

Sweetie, that isn't the crap!!
Actually you need to dig the inside of the rib cavity out to get the lungs and other stuff out (chunks of liver etc) And rinse it thouroughly. I guess you could use a spoon I always use my fingers.
If left in the bird it will have a icky grayish color and stuff ooozing out .

Can you tell I grew up on a farm we caught 'em, wrung 'em (their heads) dipped 'em (in boiling water for easier plucking) and singed 'em (with a burning newspaper to get off the pin feathers) I hated that part my grandma used to say when i was done with my alloted chicken plucking for the day whoever ate the most of Teresa's chicken ate the most pin feathers. Soemthing about holding a burning newspaper and a dripping chicken made me nervous so i didn't do a good job.

 

[pcjulie]

Sweetie, that isn't the crap!!
Actually you need to dig the inside of the rib cavity out to get the lungs and other stuff out (chunks of liver etc) And rinse it thouroughly. I guess you could use a spoon I always use my fingers.
If left in the bird it will have a icky grayish color and stuff ooozing out .

Can you tell I grew up on a farm we caught 'em, wrung 'em (their heads) dipped 'em (in boiling water for easier plucking) and singed 'em (with a burning newspaper to get off the pin feathers) I hated that part my grandma used to say when i was done with my alloted chicken plucking for the day whoever ate the most of Teresa's chicken ate the most pin feathers. Soemthing about holding a burning newspaper and a dripping chicken made me nervous so i didn't do a good job.

My mom grew up on a farm and we used to attend the yearly pig butchering at my grandparents' farm. Fun times!

 

[gilliandanielle]

I had never touched a bird before my Thanksgiving turkey this past year. I almost lost my lunch when I pulled the neck and crap out of the cavity... Can you imagine someone chopping your head & neck off, shoving it in a bag down your collar, then having your organs shoved up your....uh...other cavity. I am SO happy to not be poultry!!

 

[ShanaSmith]

I am right there with you, I will NEVER make this recipe! We did it as a demo at my Jan show, but I had one of the consultants do it. It was about all I could stomache to read the directions and buy the darn bird. My inlaws are moving out of state soon and I told my husband that is the end of a whole turkey on Thanksgiving.

 

[Brandi2007]

Thanks for making us laugh!! LOL!!!



Let us know how the chicken turns out! I may have to conquer that recipe!

SUPPER WAS FABULOUS AND SIMPLE ONCE I GOT OVER THE GROSSNESS! SAME AS ANY MEAT YOU JUST CAN'T THINK ABOUT IT. MY SON (4 AND A PICKY EATER) ATE ALL HIS SUPPER FOR THE FIRST TIME IN WEEKS! PLUS WE HAVE LEFT OVERS FOR SANDWHICHES OR WHAT EVER. I USED THE ITALIAN SEASONING MIX. THANK YOU ALL FOR ALL YOUR HELP. REALLY. AT LEAST NOW I KNOW I CAN DO IT AND I HAVE THE BEST TASTE TESTER... A 4 YEAR OLD BOY...

 

[Brandi2007]

Sweetie, that isn't the crap!!
Actually you need to dig the inside of the rib cavity out to get the lungs and other stuff out (chunks of liver etc) And rinse it thouroughly. I guess you could use a spoon I always use my fingers.
If left in the bird it will have a icky grayish color and stuff ooozing out .

Can you tell I grew up on a farm we caught 'em, wrung 'em (their heads) dipped 'em (in boiling water for easier plucking) and singed 'em (with a burning newspaper to get off the pin feathers) I hated that part my grandma used to say when i was done with my alloted chicken plucking for the day whoever ate the most of Teresa's chicken ate the most pin feathers. Soemthing about holding a burning newspaper and a dripping chicken made me nervous so i didn't do a good job.

http://www.thesmilies.com/smilies/scared0016.gifEWE!!! HAHA! Thanks. I guess I just think things through waaaaay to much. I'll get over it. Supper tasted delicious and I will certainly remind myself of that at my show when I make it for my bust ladies!!!

 

[GeorgiaPeach]

I had never touched a bird before my Thanksgiving turkey this past year. I almost lost my lunch when I pulled the neck and crap out of the cavity... Can you imagine someone chopping your head & neck off, shoving it in a bag down your collar, then having your organs shoved up your....uh...other cavity. I am SO happy to not be poultry!!

Okay, Gillian....thanks for THAT mental picture!! I WAS going to go to bed but now I'm afraid to shut my eyes!

 

[chefbritt]

This post cracks me up because I did the exact same thing when I first tried out the chicken in the DCB. My family thought I was crazy because all they heard was "eww" and various similar noises coming out of the kitchen while I was preparing it. I'm amazed I got it in the oven. I was so grossed out at that point that I didn't even eat it afterwards. I don't think I'll be offering that option at my shows this season.

 

[button92]

I use plastic gloves, I really don't like the feel of poultry skin. but this recipe is too good to pass up.

 

[chefkristin]

Ok I think I am gonna buy a chicken this week! I can't wait to try it! I just got the DCB last week! And I got it as the host special because one of my hosts didn't want to use both 60% off items so she said I could!

 

[tlennhoff]

I used the DBC for the first time friday. I was going to make the morrocan chicken that someone posted last week but then found that I did not have a number of ingredients. So I looked in the cabinet, found a coconut curry chicken sauce, put frozen vegetables, a cut up vidallia onion, and a cut up chicken in the baker, covered, stuck in the microwave, and it was great (well so my husband says - I don't eat curry).

I hate touching raw chicken, normally when I'm doing stuff with chicken my husband handles it, but he was not home in time so I've long spoons to do what needed to be done. It was very funny.

 

[chefmelody]

I've never had this trouble with chicken, but boy, I did when I had venison! There was this weird silvery membrane on the outside of the roast... I tried to cut it off, but there were still bits in the meat when I cubed it. I almost couldn't eat it... I kept choking every time I remembered how it looked.Also had trouble with some fish the other day... I'd never cooked monkfish before, and it just looked... really weird to me when I was preparing it. I kept choking on that one too. Don't know why.

 

[Paige Dixon]

This reminds me of the Friends episode when Joey got his stuck inside the the turkey! You are too funny Brandi.

Got his what stuck inside the turkey??!!

 

[MissChef]

I had never touched a bird before my Thanksgiving turkey this past year. I almost lost my lunch when I pulled the neck and crap out of the cavity... Can you imagine someone chopping your head & neck off, shoving it in a bag down your collar, then having your organs shoved up your....uh...other cavity. I am SO happy to not be poultry!![/QUOTE]
Gillian, it's quiet in my house right now, almost 11:30pm, and I'm down here ROTFLMBO!!! You crack me up! Especially the last part, in bold! I re-read it 2 more times and laughed harder each time!
You all crack me up! I've been cooking full meals since I was 10 and it's no big deal for me to have my hands in a chicken and at Thanksgiving, I am in there digging everything out, almost up to my elbows!!! Now, wrap your mind around that Gillian! How's your mental picture now? LOL! Poor darn bird, but hey we got to eat! And I don't get grossed out at all, but my husband does, has to walk away when I'm doing stuff like that!! I love to cook and I want it all clean, so I just dive right in, okay not dive in, but dig in! Now that really was a gross mental image! Okay, now that I've had my good laugh, I'm going to bed!!! I'll be dreaming tonight of cleaning the big birds! I bet I make a chicken for dinner tomorrow night!

 

[gilliandanielle]

LOL! Glad I could give you a laugh! I just love how "making dinner" to one person is a science experiment to others.

And Paige- he got his HEAD stuck in the turkey, just to clear up any confusion...not that anyone was thinking anything dirty, LMAO!!

 

[letscook04]

I had never touched a bird before my Thanksgiving turkey this past year. I almost lost my lunch when I pulled the neck and crap out of the cavity... Can you imagine someone chopping your head & neck off, shoving it in a bag down your collar, then having your organs shoved up your....uh...other cavity. I am SO happy to not be poultry!!

LOL!! Hey Gill at least you knew to take out the neck and crap. My sister n law left everything in the bird.

 

[pchefkristin]

You girls are too funny!
My host on Wednesday had never even realized there was "whole chickens", so she had no clue what she was looking for!

When I do my turkey, instead of having to get my hand down in there.. to my elbows... to stuff it, I fill my measure- all cup with stuffing and just plunge that baby right into the cavity. Works like a Charm!

Thanks for the laugh so early this morn!

 

[pamperedlinda]

Got his what stuck inside the turkey??!!

Oh, guess I was typing too fast.....he got his head stuck inside the turkey.....funny and gross at the same time.

 

[GeorgiaPeach]

Did any of you see the America's Funniest Home Video where they put a cornish hen inside the turkey's.....cavity and made the girl think that they had cooked a pregnant turkey? I think it was a joke I read somewhere and then the poor girl's family did it on tape. Either way....very funny and mean

Another "chicken" story.....I had friends that took their children to the Dixie Stampede. They serve cornish hens and my friend picked her's up by it's wings and made it dance across the table to her son (5 yr old). He COMPLETELY freaked out and refused to eat the rest of the night!

Once you all get over the "eww-y-ness" of preparing these chickens you might want to check out "Rotisserie Chickens to the Rescue!" Over 125 recipes for rotisserie chickens that you get in the deli....same recipes can be used with leftover chicken from our DCB chicken. VERY good...but it has a bunch of dancing, headless chickens on the cover!

 

[Morvin]

I have the same problem with cleaning chicken or trukey. Thank god my DH is wonderful because he always does it for me!!! I can do it if I have to and I have for my shows but when he is there he aways does it!!

heather

 

[jdavis]

You all are so funny, I have never had a problem with doing this myself. It reminded me of my new SIL when she came for Tgiving the first time she wanted to make her banana pudding, when it came time to open the cream cheese, it wouldn't just drop out of the package, and she wasn't using a spoon or anything to take it off she yelled at my little bro to come and get it off because she didn't want to touch it then the bananas, she wouldn't touch the brown part and got grossed out when I gave those parts to the kids, I just LMAO.

 

[raebates]

Thanks for the laugh. I can just picture each of you doing your best to prepare the chicken without actually touching it. http://www.thesmilies.com/smilies/happy0204.gifOkay, so the first time I handled raw poultry (or beef, or pork, for that matter), I thought it was pretty gross. But, that was waaay back when I was a wee young thing. I'm old now, so I'm used to it. Old So very old.

 

[ivykeep]

Giggles to you all -- I recall a very long time ago when I felt the same way (I remember my mom having a baby in the hospital and her directing me to make the chicken for my siblings and dad) -- after the first few times I could handle it (I used a fork to pluck the gizzard bag out) but when she was in the hospital she'd bought a "real" whole chicken, with the innards still ATTACHED inside. I was completely grossed out -- I filled the cavity with water to try and float them out and hacked away at the insides with a long knife. That still makes me feel a little ill, but in the intervening years I've gotten over that squeamishness and can make a chicken or beef or pork with no problem at all (just don't ask me to EAT pink meat -- I like mine FULLY cooked!)

Cheers!

 

[tashayoung]

okay so I am totally grossed out right now! I bought the 4 lb chicken to make at home so I can prepare to do the 30 min rec at a show. I have eaten it before but never made one. Now I need to make it for supper. Call me silly but I've never touched a whole raw chicken before! IT'S DISGUSTING!!!!! Then there is that crap inside the neck. So someone please just tell me what I am supposed to do next? I want to make sure there isn't something I am missing. I'm going to have to eat this thing in about 30 minutes! I want to make sure it gets done right! This is definitely going to have to be a mind over matter thing at my shows...

I was the SAME way. I thought I was going to hurl and so I decided that I would never...EVER...buy or attemp to cook a whole chicken again. It was way to disgusting! I took the skin off and there was this slimy looking stuff...let me just say that I don't handle snot well either and it makes me gag too. From now on I'll be buying boneless skinless chicken breast instead.

 

[Chef Endora]

OMG I haven't laughed this hard in I don't know how long! So many mental pictures!
I also do not like to do stuff to food that looks so anatomical. It seems like such a final insult to sit a chicken w/o a head on top of a beer can or fluted stone & stick it in the oven to cook.
My DH thinks I'm nuts, but he gets grossed out when I cut meat up with scissors, so I do it in shapes then.

 

[RuthV]

Y'all have this "country girl" laughing so hard. I've been in the kitchen since I was 4 years old. I used to be squimish about a couple of things but having worked 10+ years in deli-bakeries took care of that.....along with helping guys in my dad's hunting club clean and dress out deer. Sometimes, when it comes to dealing with food prep, you just take a deep breath and go for it. It gets easier with time.....honest!

 

[crystalscookingnow]

If this isn't irony, I don't know what is.... My husband is a farmer & we have livestock & stuff like that, but even HE won't help me cook or eat a whole roasted chicken. I think I must have forgotten part of the 'stuff' inside b/c when I did mine, the bird was cooked, but was covered with this icky nasty gray slime. NEVER again will I cook a whole chicken. When I did a turkey for thanksgiving, I too, floated the insides out with water & great big ole knife.

 

[speedychef]

This is even better than the thread about undies!! I remember my first Thanksgiving I hosted...I was a little nervous that I'd be too grossed out, but it all turned out just fine! I just gritted my teeth and went to town! I have a friend who grew up on a farm and tells stories about slaughtering various assorted animals...she said it really makes you appreciate your food when you realize how you came by it!

 

[Morvin]

I appreciate food enough all on my own whithout knowing the ins and outs of slaughtering just take a look at my hips and butt!!! I have no desire to learn anything about slaughtering I am afraid i just wouldn't love food as much and that just isn't worth it for me!!! As my family says I am a true foodie!!!!

heather

 

[Brandi2007]

Just thought I would update everyone. I have finally over come my fear of the chicken! I have made many at home and at shows. I even broke a rib the other day and thoguht to myself... hmm, that was gross... then kept cleaning! Yeah! lol I am so proud! hehehe

 

[Chefgirl2]

I was 34 when I touched my first raw chicken. I need two cups of cooked chicken. She gave me a whole raw chicken. I practically threw up. I had to call my husband and he walked me through it using the kitchen shears.

It does get easier.

 

[Chef Endora]

Since becoming a nurse eating meat is an issue for me at times. My DD is one also & has the same issues. Whole chicken is out of the question for me. I will prepare it, but there will be no eating for me. Also anything with the bones/veins showing like chicken wings, ribs, etc.

I have no problem cutting em up with scissors, etc.

Also, how does one cook a lobster, then eat it?

 

[dannyzmom]

I used the DBC for the first time friday. I was going to make the morrocan chicken that someone posted last week but then found that I did not have a number of ingredients. So I looked in the cabinet, found a coconut curry chicken sauce, put frozen vegetables, a cut up vidallia onion, and a cut up chicken in the baker, covered, stuck in the microwave, and it was great (well so my husband says - I don't eat curry).

I hate touching raw chicken, normally when I'm doing stuff with chicken my husband handles it, but he was not home in time so I've long spoons to do what needed to be done. It was very funny.

OMG Tasha that sounds fabulous!

 

[Bexamo]

Any Trekkies?It is hard to believe I am sharing this, but my husband and I have an understanding. If any of you have watched Star Trek, you know that their food comes from replicators - little computers. You tell it exactly what you want, and it provides it - but made of similated food.

That, my dear friends, is where meat comes from. At the store, they have these big replicators. The butcher says, "Ten one-pound packages of 92% lean ground beef, please" and out they come - styrofoam and all!!

This is the absolute truth - period. If I allow myself to think otherwise, I can't eat whatever I was cooking!! Remember - replicators!!! That's it!!

 

[Chef Endora]

Oh! That's where it comes from!!! I never watched Star Trek but my SIL is a trekkie so I'll just verify it with him!

He agrees with whatever I say & is a darling kiss***. Once, when I was emphasizing a point & talking with my hands, a huge bolt of lightening hit out of the blue just then. Hence, the name "Endora"