Jerked Chicken:

Tender Chicken Parts of Parts

Years ago, when you -- or perhaps your mother or grandmother -- went shopping for chicken, it was a whole chicken that you took out of the store. If you wanted parts, you had to disjoint and cut the bird yourself.

But everything changes and the poultry industry saw a need and so parts were introduced. It was a momentous occasion. People could actually dine on white (or dark) meat without groaning about what to do with the leftover, unwanted pieces. In fact, folks began to eat more chicken in general, since they now could select their favorite pieces. What a boon, precisely at the same time that more and more Americans were giving up red meat and looking for some delicious alternative, lower in fat, to eat in its place. Chicken answered the need.

Then something even more interesting happened in the chicken marketing market. Not only could you buy parts, you could buy even more specific parts. That is, not merely chicken breasts, but also thin sliced chicken breasts and stir-fry strips of chicken breasts and tenderloins of chicken breasts, (which are not cut from the main body of the chicken breast but rather are the soft fillets closest to the bone. According to a spokesperson for Cookin' Good chicken, there are two such pieces, one on each side of the breast and each tenderloin weighs about one ounce).

Now people really began to eat lots of chicken because it could be bought with even more precision. If you didn't exactly like the breast meat, but only the tenderloin of the breast meat, you could have it. Chicken, whole, parts and parts of parts, became even more widely available and more popular. Not only at home, but in restaurants as well. In fast food restaurants these days, for example, chicken breasts sandwiches are almost as popular as hamburgers. Hamburgers! Did you ever think that anything could outsell a hamburger in a fast food restaurant? Chicken sure has made inroads. Nuggets and tenders (fried chicken strips or tenderloins) are in demand too, in addition to the sandwiches.

It's easy to enjoy chicken breasts, thick or thin, as well as stir-fry strips and tenderloins at home. Not only are they readily available at almost every supermarket, they are also a cinch to prepare and take very little time to cook because they are small. There are hundreds of ways to prepare them too because chicken meat is mild enough to accept almost any pairing with spices, herbs and condiments. One day you could make chicken breasts (or strips, nuggets, etc.) with lemon and tarragon, the next day with mustard and thyme, the next with garlic, olive oil and oregano, and so on. You can broil the breasts (or strips, nuggets, etc.), grill, sautee, stir-fry or deep-fry them. You can eat them plain, accompanied as a main dish with a starch and vegetable or you could stuff them into a sandwich with some tomatoes and lettuce. Still-warm grilled breasts (strips, etc.) are superb when placed on top of a cool Caesar salad. They're exceedingly good when skewered and served as hors d'oeuvre.

The recipes below are a minute sample of what can be done with chicken breasts and chicken breast parts. The first recipe, provided by Cookin' Good, is for Jamaican "jerked" chicken tenders. It is a pleasantly spicy dish tempered in characteristic Caribbean fashion with the sweet, aromatic spices nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice. This dish is incredibly easy to make and calls for tenderloins of chicken breasts that the company sells frozen. Should you not be able to find them, chicken strips cut from breasts may be used. A recipe for Rice and Peas, to accompany the chicken, is also provided.

The second recipe is for Grilled Lemon Tarragon Chicken Breasts. These may also be made as tenders, nuggets, etc. and broiled or sauteed as well as grilled. A few suggestions for variations follows the main recipe.

Jamaican Jerked Chicken Tenders with Rice and Peas

(from Cookin' Good, serves 4)