Betty Crocker - The Big Book of Chicken

Chicken is like a blank culinary canvas. It can be served any way you likein skillet sauts or slow cooker dishes, roasted or fried or in sandwiches or salads, just for a startand it works with just about any flavoring. Explore global tastes like Thai, Moroccan, Mediterranean, Chinese, Indian, Caribbean, Mexican, Italian, French and classic American favoritesall right here. Before getting started stirring it up in the kitchen, check our helpful chicken know-how information below.

• Look for tightly wrapped packages without tears, holes or leaks and with little or no liquid.
• Check for a fresh odor; if it doesnt smell right, dont buy it.
• Choose cold packages, and stay away from those stacked above the top of the meat casewhich may not be cold enough.
• Dont buy any packages if the sell-by date has already passed.
• Whole birds and cut-up pieces should be plump and meaty with smooth, moist-looking skin and no traces of feathers.
• Boneless skinless products should be plump and moist.
• Chicken skin color can vary from yellow to white and doesnt indicate quality.
• Cut ends of the bones should be pink to red in color.
• Place packages in plastic bags so juices dont drip on and contaminate other foods.
• Place chicken in the refrigerator as soon as you get home. If youre shopping on a hot day or youll take longer than 30 minutes to get home, store it in an ice-packed cooler.

• Chicken packaged in clear, sealed plastic wrap on a plastic tray doesnt need to be repackaged.
• Chicken wrapped in butcher paper should be repackaged tightly in plastic wrap, foil or resealable food-storage plastic bags.
• Store chicken in the meat compartment or coldest part of your refrigerator, or freeze it as soon as possible.
• Cook or freeze chicken within 2 days of the sell-by date.
• If chicken was purchased frozen or was frozen at home, keep it in the refrigerator after thawing for the number of days listed in the . If it was refrigerated several days before freezing, use it the same day you thaw it.