Icky chicken question...

[Bugaboo]

O.k..tonight I'm cooking a whole chicken. I've never bought/prepared a whole chicken and I'm a little puzzled. The recipe said "remove neck and giblets." I looked inside and lo' and behold there was stuff in there. I grabbed some tongs (no way I'm putting my hand in there) and plucked out what looked like liver and 3 sets of lungs. Now unless my chicken is a mutant chicken raised on glowing chicken feed I know it doesn't have 3 sets of lungs. What the heck is all that stuff? And I never did find a neck. I hope they left that part out. I made a turkey once a couple years ago but I had my husband do the icky part so I'm a little curious. Also...are there other "parts" in that thing that I should know about? It's too late for the one in the oven but just for future reference. Thanks!

[scott123]

You'll do yourself a great service if you don't take the time to analyze what comes out of the inside of a chicken (or turkey). Just bite the bullet, reach your hand in there, grab the whole enchilada and toss it straight into the trash. Analysis will only gross you out. I know about these things

It is important to reach in, though, since you want to get all that stuff out before roasting it. Don't be timid, just get it done as quickly as you can. Once the stuff is out, give the cavity/outside of the bird a good rinse with water and then toss it on your rack.

Roast chicken is one of the most wonderful foods on the planet. The few moments of unpleasantness prepping it are far outweighed by the delicious meal that makes it to the plate. Make it more often and your squeemishness will fade.

[not2late]

Once upon a time, each chicken would come with a neck, a liver, a gizzard and a heart in its cavity. Now, I come across chickens with no liver and 2 gizzards, two hearts and a neck, etc.

Pull them out. You can either freeze the liver and save them until you have enough to make a chicken liver and onions type dish. The necks, gizzards, hearts you can save and add them to the chicken carcass to make a soup stock.

[MotherOfGizmo]

Once upon a time, each chicken would come with a neck, a liver, a gizzard and a heart in its cavity. Now, I come across chickens with no liver and 2 gizzards, two hearts and a neck, etc.

Pull them out. You can either freeze the liver and save them until you have enough to make a chicken liver and onions type dish. The necks, gizzards, hearts you can save and add them to the chicken carcass to make a soup stock.

I think that's because you can buy packages of just chicken livers or just chiken gizzards now, they gotta come from somewhere! Plus they take some of the other icky parts to make McDonalds Chicken "Nuggets" out of, that's why you don't get all the pieces parts anymore, Just my theory! LOL

[not2late]

I have no doubt you're right about that.

[Bugaboo]

Lol! Thanks guys, yeah, I need to not be such a weenie and just do it. I think I lucked out last night though because so far no extra parts have emerged from the chicken. It turned out fantastic so it's definately worth getting over my silly little hang up.
MoG-I think I'd rather pull icky stuff out of chickens all day than know what's in those nuggets! *shudder* lol.

[MotherOfGizmo]

MoG-I think I'd rather pull icky stuff out of chickens all day than know what's in those nuggets! *shudder* lol.

LOL, no doubt!

I have to admit though back when I was 20 and just married, I did cook a chicken w/ the bag of guts still in it! Worse yet, I shoved stuffing in the chicken first so we didn't even find it til we were having leftovers! :tounge

[Heidi3]

I absolutely hate raw chicken.....I know the guts you find inside the grocery store chickens are not the guts that were in the chicken you have...those are from whatever chicken.....they just put gut packages in a chicken after they rince the guts so sometimes you can find two hearts or a few gizzards....it is all I can do to eat it after I handle a raw one....oh and I wear gloves...in fact I wear gloves a lot in the kitchen and wash my hands compulsively...I took far too many microbiology classes in college to not be a little neurotic.....