-
Coles chicken
Curtis talks to the Coles butcher about no added hormones in chicken
Curtis talks to the Coles butcher about chicken cuts
Sourcing
Coles works with local suppliers to source our chickens from every state. These suppliers include Steggles, and Inghams and more regionally based supplies like Hazeldene’s, Golden Cockerel, Golden Farms and Sunnybrand. With the demand for free range chicken increasing, we have made sure free-range options are available in every store.
Over the last five years, customer demand for free range chicken has been growing. Coles has offered Lilydale Free Range poultry in every store around the country (excl WA) for the last 8 years. Lilydale farms are all accredited by FREPA (Free Range Egg and Poultry Australia) and are regularly audited to ensure standards are met. Lilydale aims to exceed the standards set by FREPA wherever possible, providing an environment for its chickens to ensure both a premium and ethically sound product.
If you live in Western Australia or Tasmania we also have a great range of local free range chicken from Mount Barker in WA and Nichols in Tasmania. These relationships have been in place for more than 10 years
Nutrition:
Chicken is packed with protein: One serve of chicken breast (100g) provides more than 50% of the recommended dietary intake (RDI) of protein. Chicken is a valuable source of vitamins, minerals, fatty acids and essential amino acids. One serve of chicken breast also provides the full recommended daily intake of niacin equivalents, an important nutrient for energy metabolism.
-
Breast
One of the most versatile cuts. It’s lean, easy to cook and great value. Being the meatiest part of the chicken, it is best with fast cooking methods. It’s great for barbeques, stir fries and pan-frying.
Recipe: Tandoori chicken with tomato and cucumber salad
-
Wing
Wings are small but very flavoursome. They’re a great value cut of chicken and a popular finger food. Wings can be marinated in a variety of sauces including honey soy.
Tip: How to cut up a a whole chicken into its parts
-
Thigh
More flavoursome than breast, the thigh is well suited to fast cooking. It can be used in stir fries, curries, and is well suited to a range of Asian dishes.
Tip: How to cut up a whole chicken into its parts
Maryland (also known as quarter leg)
This is a combination of the thigh and the drumstick together in one cut. It has great flavour due to a slightly higher fat content. It is a delicious cut to marinate and add flavour too before putting on the grill or BBQ.
-
Drumstick
Full of flavour, drumsticks are suited to fast and slow cooking methods. They’re great to slow cook until the meat falls from the bone.
Recipe: Curtis' sticky chicken drumsticks and coconut rice
Maryland (also known as quarter leg)
This is a combination of the thigh and the drumstick together in one cut. It has great flavour due to a slightly higher fat content. It is a delicious cut to marinate and add flavour too before putting on the grill or BBQ.
-
Cooking chicken
Curtis talks to the Coles butcher about Coles Chicken Cuts
Chicken Flavour Combinations
Chicken’s light and delicate flavour lends itself well to both spice and subtle herbs, but always be mindful of using too many bold flavours as chicken can become lost among strong ingredients.
Try thyme, rosemary, parsley, coriander, bay leaf, basil, sage, kaffir lime leaves, oregano, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, cumin, fennel seed, paprika, cayenne, chilli, turmeric, lime, lemon, orange and honey all compliment chicken.
Fat is already a very lean meat, I don’t think you need to talk about fat in chicken.
Storing Chicken/Handling Chicken
- Avoid freezing whenever possible to eliminate additional moisture loss during thawing, which results in less tender meat.
- Keep chicken from drying out in the refrigerator by keeping it tightly wrapped. If chicken does dries out, it will become tough.