Quick Answer: Where Are Chicken Oysters & What Are They? Chicken oysters can be found at the back area of the thigh, or where the spine meets the thigh at the back of a bird. It is a dark, rich meat that is dense. Due to where it is, when cooked the moisture fills the area making it a succulent piece of meat with lots of flavor.
In this quick guide we shall take a look at where chicken oysters can be found and what they are.
So, let’s get to it!
Where Can You Find The Chicken Oyster?
Whilst diners have begun to avoid using darker meat from a chicken in favor of white meat, this means that many are missing out on the deliciousness of the chicken oyster.
The majority of people have no idea what a chicken oyster even means (not surprisingly either). Is it a chicken wrapped with fish, or is it in the shape of an oyster?
The latter would be correct. No fish can be found when it comes to a chicken oyster, and instead it is a dark cut of meat from the carcass of a chicken.
It can be found at the back of a bird where the spine and thigh meet, or it is generally just the meat found behind the thigh.
Because of where it is on the chicken, when a whole bird is placed breast side down, once it gets cooked all of the moisture runs to the center because it draws all of the liquids up.
This means that the chicken oyster area is delicious and succulent.
Once the chicken is left to rest once the cooking has been completed, the moisture is again taken in by the flesh of the skin. This means that the moisture goes through the chicken oyster area once more.
For this reason, the chicken oyster is both tender yet absolutely delicious to eat. Still interested? Let’s take a look at more information about this wonderful meat.
Why Is It Called Chicken Oyster?
Not surprisingly, the reason it is called a chicken oyster is all to do with the actual shape once it has been removed.
Most chickens have two of these oyster shaped pieces of meat within their body, and they are rarely used as well.
This means that the meat is rich in flavor and dark, as well as tender with a lot of flavor.
So, the next time you are cooking a whole bird carcass, think about finding the chicken oysters. Some people even add them to skewers when BBQing.
The oyster is actually considered as the most flavorful area of chicken meat. Despite this, a lot of people do not even know about it, so it gets disposed of.
What Is The Best Way To Cut The Chicken Oyster Out?
If you are a little unsure of how to actually remove the oyster part of a chicken, then read on to find out more:
Removing Cooked Chicken Oysters
Here are the steps to removing cooked chicken oysters:
Step 1: Cook The chicken
Before you begin, place the chicken breast side down and cook as you normally would.
Always make sure it is a full carcass, as you will not be able to locate the oysters on a singular piece of meat, such as chicken thighs.
Step 2: Let The Chicken Cool
Once the cooking process has been completed, let the chicken cool before the next step. It will be much easier to handle, and you won’t burn your fingers! Plus, it needs time to rest.
Step 3: Cut The Chicken Open
Now that the chicken has rested, it is time to cut it open. Hold the leg area of the chicken with a specialized carving fork to keep the carcass steady.
With your other hand, use a carving knife to cut down the body to split the chicken away from the thigh.
Step 4: Locating The Oyster
Now that the thigh has come away from the chicken, you will be able to find the oyster at the back of it. At this point, all you will need to do is remove the oyster and there you have it.
Removing Uncooked Chicken Oysters
If you are looking to remove chicken oysters from an uncooked bird, then it isn’t recommended, especially for somebody who has never done it before.
It can be difficult to do, as well as extra messy, so it is best to cook the chicken first and then locate where the oyster section is. This way you will not have to deal with the stress of a raw bird.
If you do want to remove chicken oysters from a raw bird, it is possible, though the majority of people wait for the bird to cook first before even attempting to remove them.
Removing them from a cooked bird is just so much easier to do.
What Chicken Oyster Recipe Ideas Are There?
There are a number of interesting recipes when it comes to chicken oysters. One of the things you want to avoid is creating so much flavor that it overpowers the natural taste of the rich meatiness.
Once you have deboned the chicken (there are various methods of doing so), put the carcass into something like a crockpot alongside water, and add vegetables such as chopped up carrots, chopped onion, celery, and some herbs to season.
Keep the ingredients cooking overnight on a medium heat. In the morning, test the temperature of the chicken. It should be at 165 degrees.
Once the chicken has reached this temperature, turn off the heat and let it cool.
The cooling process may take a while, but you don’t want it to become too cold. Once it gets to a temperature that seems reasonable, as in not too hot, remove the carcass from the mixture.
Locate the oysters in the body using the method above and you will have some lovely chicken oysters to eat!
Through this blog I hope to help others learn the basics and more intricate details of cooking. I know from personal experience how frustrating it can be to cook a meal, only to realize you are missing one ingredient from your list. This is why I love to write articles chatting readers through some great substitutes that can be used in an emergency.
I hope you will find this blog useful, and that it will help you to develop your culinary skills, to help you cook up a storm!
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Darci Kozusko
Tuesday 30th of August 2022
Something different is its offer of Mexican food, very rich dishes, recommended to taste its delicacies.