# The bag of parts that come in the chicken?



## legend_018 (Feb 9, 2013)

I've roasted chicken many times, but never! used the bag of parts that come in the cavity.  Is there anything worthwhile with these parts? Is it healthy?  Please give me some ideas. Should I freeze for now?  THanks for any ideas. I'd love to put them to use especially if it's to any benefit to my health.


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## GotGarlic (Feb 9, 2013)

Hi. Those are organ meats - usually the heart, liver and gizzard - and have a lot of protein and iron; because of that, they have a mineraly taste. Some people like to bread and fry them; some use them to make stock for gravy. We cook them with a little butter in a small pan and chop them up for a treat for the cats.


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## Kayelle (Feb 9, 2013)

I like the gizzard, heart and liver and cook them in the bottom of the roasting pan as a cooks treat.  Some people save the neck to throw in a freezer bag with saved chicken parts and bones for making stock.
Liver has lots of iron.


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## acerbicacid (Feb 9, 2013)

The liver is good fried with bacon, maybe on toast, the heart, gizzard and neck are as Kayelle said, good roasted with the chicken to help make a good gravy, or if you have enough they make good chicken stock, especially if you cut off the extreme wing tips to add to the rest.


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## Gravy Queen (Feb 9, 2013)

We call them the giblets . Boil them up with some carrot, onion and a bay leaf and seasoning to make lovely stock for gravy .


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## jabbur (Feb 9, 2013)

We chop them up fine and add them to the dressing at Thanksgiving.  It really adds a lot of flavor to the dish.  Other times I add them to leftover chicken parts when making stock like the others have said.


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## legend_018 (Feb 9, 2013)

WHen you speak aobut "stock" is that the same term is broth?  I plan on taking the carcass, leftover bones and some of the chicken to make chicken broth tomorrow. I could also throw the neck into the pot also? Of course I'll be putting in veggies and spices as well. I gather just like with the rest, you'd discard the neck after your broth is complete.


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## pacanis (Feb 9, 2013)

Whenever I have a bag o parts I make this recipe for giblet gravy Giblet Gravy Recipe
Since I'm cooking a whole roasting chicken, I may as well make some extra special gravy to go with it. Good stuff.


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## Kayelle (Feb 9, 2013)

legend_018 said:


> WHen you speak aobut "stock" is that the same term is broth?  I plan on taking the carcass, leftover bones and some of the chicken to make chicken broth tomorrow. I could also throw the neck into the pot also? Of course I'll be putting in veggies and spices as well. I gather just like with the rest, you'd discard the neck after your broth is
> complete.



Yes, throw in the roasted neck also and discard.

I always thought "stock" and "broth" were interchangeable, but I found this interesting. What's the Difference? Stock vs. Broth | The Kitchn


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## JanaAZ (Feb 9, 2013)

legend_018 said:


> WHen you speak aobut "stock" is that the same term is broth? I plan on taking the carcass, leftover bones and some of the chicken to make chicken broth tomorrow. I could also throw the neck into the pot also? Of course I'll be putting in veggies and spices as well. I gather just like with the rest, you'd discard the neck after your broth is complete.


Sometimes it's just semantics, but generally speaking, stock is made with the bones and broth is made with the meat.  I tend to use them interchangeably, though.  I think many people do.


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## Kayelle (Feb 9, 2013)

Pac, that gravy recipe sounds like it would be wonderful on some perfectly made Buttermilk Biscuits.


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## pacanis (Feb 9, 2013)

Kayelle said:


> Pac, that gravy recipe sounds like it would be wonderful on some perfectly made Buttermilk Biscuits.


 
That gravy would be good on a just spoon! 

It's a hearty gravy for sure. On top of some biscuits sounds awesome. 

BTW, do you know a good recipe for perfect, flakey buttermilk biscuits?


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## Aunt Bea (Feb 9, 2013)

The bag of innards that comes inside of your chicken is just enough to make a small batch of dirty rice.

Fry the innards with some finely chopped garlic, onion, celery, carrots and green pepper.  Toss in some salt, pepper and Bell's poultry seasoning.   Then add about two cups of water and simmer for a half hour or more.  Remove the meat, pick it off the bones of the neck and mince the remaining meat.  Add it back to the pot with a cup of raw rice and cook for approx. 15 minutes.

Serve with some hot sauce.

Cheap and easy!


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## taxlady (Feb 9, 2013)

Kayelle said:


> Yes, throw in the roasted neck also and discard.
> 
> I always thought "stock" and "broth" were interchangeable, but I found this interesting. What's the Difference? Stock vs. Broth | The Kitchn


That's the way I have always thought of the difference between stock and broth.


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## Kayelle (Feb 9, 2013)

pacanis said:


> That gravy would be good on a just spoon!
> 
> It's a hearty gravy for sure. On top of some biscuits sounds awesome.
> 
> BTW, do you know a good recipe for perfect, flakey buttermilk biscuits?



Actually I do, Pac. It was generously shared recently by .40 caliber. I've also learned I should use cake flour, as White Lilly flour isn't available out here.

Buttermilk Biscuits


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## Dawgluver (Feb 9, 2013)

Aunt Bea said:


> The bag of innards that comes inside of your chicken is just enough to make a small batch of dirty rice.
> 
> Fry the innards with some finely chopped garlic, onion, celery, carrots and green pepper.  Toss in some salt, pepper and Bell's poultry seasoning.   Then add about two cups of water and simmer for a half hour or more.  Remove the meat, pick it off the bones of the neck and mince the remaining meat.  Add it back to the pot with a cup of raw rice and cook for approx. 15 minutes.
> 
> ...



Nice, Aunt Bea!  Nowadays I would make that.

I remember the first Turkey Day that I cooked for the whole fam damnly.  Mother and MIL were breathing down my neck to make sure I cooked the giblets, which I did, and promptly threw them away when they weren't looking.  Giblets grossed me out.

I think you're supposed to do the liver separately, as it turns gravy cloudy.


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## pacanis (Feb 9, 2013)

Kay, cake flour? Yet another flour to keep? lol
As long as I can use it for gravy, I'm good ;^)


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## Addie (Feb 9, 2013)

legend_018 said:


> When you speak about "stock" is that the same term is broth? I plan on taking the carcass, leftover bones and some of the chicken to make chicken broth tomorrow. I could also throw the neck into the pot also? Of course I'll be putting in veggies and spices as well. I gather just like with the rest, you'd discard the neck after your broth is complete.


 
Keep in mind that the liver is often bitter. I usually cook it up separate and give it to the dog. Use the parts to make stock (broth) If you have the patience, you can pick the meat of the neck. It is really tasty. Otherwise toss it. Too many small bones for a family pet.


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## Greg Who Cooks (Feb 10, 2013)

When I'm roasting a turkey I simmer the giblets (including the neck) for an hour or two to tenderize them, then shred or chop them all and add them to the gravy stock.

When roasting a chicken I put roast liver, heart and giblets on the side, (they roast quickly) and then I give the giblets to my dog and eat the heart and liver as a chef's snack, while I'm finishing cooking.


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## Whiskadoodle (Feb 10, 2013)

Goodness Gracious.  Unlike what Mae West said ( what did goodness have to do with it)  This is one time where goodness has everything to do and it gives more than that little bag holds.   She also said,  "too much of a good thing can be wonderful".  Somejhow I don't think she was referring to fried chicken.  

Giblet gravy, Yes.  I like Aunt Bea's idea to make dirty rice. 

I wrap the chicken liver around a piece o bacon and have a party for one.  The giblets and neck get cooked up to make chicken gravy.  Regrets,   there is only one liver, and I seldom buy a whole chicken,  so when I do, they better have included that little bag o' goodness.


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## Addie (Feb 10, 2013)

My MIL would ocme to dinner. I would make her a mess of chicken livers and me a big ole  plate of beef liver. With lots of onions  and a baked potato of course. We were both happy.


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## Snip 13 (Feb 10, 2013)

I season them with salt, pepper and some chillies, then grill and eat with a dash of lemon. 
I don't eat the actual chicken so the bag of bits is just for me


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## sparrowgrass (Feb 10, 2013)

For beginners:  The liver is the biggest piece, probably, dark red and soft.  The gizzard is tougher and looks like two pieces connected by a band of cartilage.
The heart is the small piece.

I don't use the liver in gravy or broth, because I don't like the flavor.  The gizzard is a very muscle-y, tough piece, and needs long cooking to be tasty.  I use the neck, gizzard and heart to make broth for my gravy.  

All this applies to turkey, too, of course!


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## medtran49 (Feb 10, 2013)

Addie said:


> Keep in mind that the liver is often bitter. .


 
Chicken livers are only bitter if you don't clean them well, i.e. cut off the green parts, or you overcook them.  That's why I only ate them as a kid if my mom cooked them or now if I cook them.  

Beef liver bitterness?  Can't talk about that as I just can't get past the smell of it to try it, gag inducing for me.  My poor mother loved beef liver and onions but would only eat it out at one particular place (she always ordered it when we went there) or cook it for herself if my Dad and I weren't around as it would just send me running for the bathroom every time she tried to cook it in the house.  My dad had pretty much the same reaction as me, although not as extreme.  He'd eat chicken livers fried, although they weren't his favorite, never complained about them being bitter, just wasn't overly fond of the taste.


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## Bigjim68 (Feb 10, 2013)

GotGarlic said:


> Hi. Those are organ meats - usually the heart, liver and gizzard - and have a lot of protein and iron; because of that, they have a mineraly taste. Some people like to bread and fry them; some use them to make stock for gravy. We cook them with a little butter in a small pan and chop them up for a treat for the cats.


I cook them in a small pan with a little butter, dip them in Dijon, and snack on them while I finish the rest of the meal.

Kentucky Fried formerly sold them off menu deep fried in their secret spice breading.  Sadly they seem to be gone now.


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## Zagut (Feb 10, 2013)

I once had the brilliant idea to save the livers so I'd have enough for a meal of fried chicken livers. I love em.

The gizzards were used for gravy.

Needless to say my idea of saving enough for a meal was quickly discouraged by Lucy & Ethel (My sweet kitties). I just couldn't resist there begging for any part that didn't go onto the stove or into the pot right then and there.

So now the parts from the bags are designated as cat food.

They love it and I love them so it's a win /win situation.

I'll just have to buy enough chicken livers if I want them for dinner. And I'm sure Lucy & Ethel will get a taste.


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## lyndalou (Feb 10, 2013)

Kayelle said:


> Yes, throw in the roasted neck also and discard.
> 
> I always thought "stock" and "broth" were interchangeable, but I found this interesting. What's the Difference? Stock vs. Broth | The Kitchn



I couldn't read the article...print was miniscule.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Feb 10, 2013)

All this talk of livers...starting a craving here...


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## Snip 13 (Feb 10, 2013)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> All this talk of livers...starting a craving here...


 
Me three! I love liver


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## PrincessFiona60 (Feb 10, 2013)

Snip 13 said:


> Me three! I love liver



I remembered there was a little in the freezer, already cooked, had it for my lunch...happy now.


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## Snip 13 (Feb 10, 2013)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> I remembered there was a little in the freezer, already cooked, had it for my lunch...happy now.


 
Yum  I've still got 2 servings in my freezer too, think I should make peri- peri livers for myself tomorrow night. Hubby and kids asked for chicken. I've stopped trying to eat chicken. I'll have livers instead


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## pacanis (Feb 10, 2013)

I still have some in my freezer, too!
From way back when when I made Sipper's brandy/chicken liver sauce 
They probably are freezer burned by now  
I should have fed them to the dogs. I'm OK eating beef liver, but won't eat chicken liver unless I am chopping it up and doing something with  it.


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## Snip 13 (Feb 10, 2013)

pacanis said:


> I still have some in my freezer, too!
> From way back when when I made Sipper's brandy/chicken liver sauce
> They probably are freezer burned by now
> I should have fed them to the dogs. I'm OK eating beef liver, but won't eat chicken liver unless I am chopping it up and doing something with it.


 
Oh my word Pac! That was ages ago 
You could poison your enemies with it


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## mmyap (Feb 10, 2013)

I love liver but no one else in my house will eat it or eat a gravy with that taste.  It's a big hit with the dogs though.


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## Snip 13 (Feb 10, 2013)

mmyap said:


> I love liver but no one else in my house will eat it or eat a gravy with that taste. It's a big hit with the dogs though.


 
Just make a small portion for you. I always make liver for myself when it's bangers and mash or chicken night. My favourite is  creamy peri peri chicken liver.


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## Kayelle (Feb 10, 2013)

lyndalou said:


> I couldn't read the article...print was miniscule.



The print was fine for me, but you can make it larger by hitting Ctrl +


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## taxlady (Feb 10, 2013)

Kayelle said:


> The print was fine for me, but you can make it larger by hitting Ctrl +


That's what I was going to say. You can hit Ctrl + repeatedly to make the text bigger and bigger. When you want it back to normal, hit Ctrl 0 (that's zero).


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## PrincessFiona60 (Feb 10, 2013)

mmyap said:


> I love liver but no one else in my house will eat it or eat a gravy with that taste.  It's a big hit with the dogs though.



When I found out Shrek liked liver I hit him on the head and dragged him back to my cave...now there was a man I could grow old with.


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## mmyap (Feb 10, 2013)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> When I found out Shrek liked liver I hit him on the head and dragged him back to my cave...now there was a man I could grow old with.



You are indeed a fortune princess.


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## Greg Who Cooks (Feb 13, 2013)

I remember when nobody wanted chicken livers in the early '80s, and they were like 24 cents/pound. I used to make all kinds of creative (and some not so imaginative like "chicken livers with onions) recipes. Now they're like $1.50/$2.00 per pound. PPL discovered you can make good stuff with chicken livers.


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## Rocklobster (Feb 13, 2013)

Greg Who Cooks said:


> I remember when nobody wanted chicken livers in the early '80s, and they were like 24 cents/pound. I used to make all kinds of creative (and some not so imaginative like "chicken livers with onions) recipes. Now they're like $1.50/$2.00 per pound. PPL discovered you can make good stuff with chicken livers.


Yup. Same thing happened with wings about 20 years ago. You could get them dirt cheap. Now they are priced like breasts...


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## Greg Who Cooks (Feb 14, 2013)

Yeah, exactly. And look at the price of whole chickens. I don't mean roasters or anything, just plain bag whole chickens. They used to be "cheep, cheep, cheep" but somehow the public discovered that you could just buy a whole chicken and part it out yourself.

The costs today have adjusted to the public not caring if they have to do a bit of chopping, slicing and parting to save some money. It seems as if the markets have assumed that if you buy a whole chicken you're going to part it out yourself, and they can part out 100 chickens for less than 1/100 of what labor it takes you to part out 1 chicken.

They've priced we frugal people out of the market. We might as well just buy skinned, boned breasts and thighs, or livers if we want them. Our free labor has been priced out of the product.


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## Snip 13 (Feb 14, 2013)

Greg Who Cooks said:


> I remember when nobody wanted chicken livers in the early '80s, and they were like 24 cents/pound. I used to make all kinds of creative (and some not so imaginative like "chicken livers with onions) recipes. Now they're like $1.50/$2.00 per pound. PPL discovered you can make good stuff with chicken livers.


 
I hate it when they do that! Oxtail is also way more expensive since it gained popularity. All my favourites have gone up


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## Addie (Feb 14, 2013)

You can blame the increase in meat products on this past summer's drought. Farmers had to sell of part of their herd because there was a shortage of feed. No there is not so much meat on the market. Cattle and corn farmers got hit the hardest by the drought.


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## menumaker (Feb 14, 2013)

I call it the little bag of gold.
 Put the contents in 1 1/2pt water, ( one and half pts ) with onion, S&P, some herbs and maybe a little carrot and some celery if you have it and simmer until you can put a knife through easy. Drain. now you have a choice. You can let it cool and freeze for a soup base at your leisure or use some as a gravy by adding a little thickener, depending on how much you want, or use as a wonderful base for a casserole another day. Will be fine in fridge for a week. Our dog gets the cooked bits as a treat with his dinner. Everybody wins!
Here in France you can buy separate containers of 10-12  hearts, or gizzards which is confited ( cooked slowly in duck or goose fat) and served as a warm salad on lettuce as a starter and tubs of chicken livers to turn into pate. All good stuff


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## Greg Who Cooks (Feb 17, 2013)

Snip 13 said:


> I hate it when they do that! Oxtail is also way more expensive since it gained popularity. All my favourites have gone up



I've been meaning to try that. I guess I missed the "wave."


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## Snip 13 (Feb 18, 2013)

Greg Who Cooks said:


> I've been meaning to try that. I guess I missed the "wave."


 
Have you never eaten oxtail? You're missing something great! I make kick a$$ oxtail, if you decide to ry it I'll give you my recipe


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## legend_018 (Feb 18, 2013)

I ended up making a pate and it came out pretty good.


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## Claire (Feb 19, 2013)

Aunt Bea said:


> The bag of innards that comes inside of your chicken is just enough to make a small batch of dirty rice.
> 
> Fry the innards with some finely chopped garlic, onion, celery, carrots and green pepper.  Toss in some salt, pepper and Bell's poultry seasoning.   Then add about two cups of water and simmer for a half hour or more.  Remove the meat, pick it off the bones of the neck and mince the remaining meat.  Add it back to the pot with a cup of raw rice and cook for approx. 15 minutes.
> 
> ...



You get my vote!


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## Claire (Feb 19, 2013)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> When I found out Shrek liked liver I hit him on the head and dragged him back to my cave...now there was a man I could grow old with.



I love it!  I love it!  My husband and I both love liver, and a love of common foods is a real marriage tie for us (30 years soon!)(not necessarily liver).


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## Claire (Feb 19, 2013)

When I was young, Mom would take the bags of "innards" every time she roasted a chicken (often a Sunday dinner) and toss back into the freezer.  When she had enough, she'd stew them (and yes, if you don't remove the livers early on, they will turn bitter and rubbery and flavor the entire mess).  Then she'd pull out the necks, gizzards, hearts, and boil egg noodles in the broth until it was a lovely, sticky mess.  As they were finishing, in went a bag of frozen mixed vegetables.  I LOVED this meal.  A dab of butter (well, we called it that, it was margarine), salt and pepper (Mom always had a love of fresh ground pepper) (had?  She's still grinding pepper), a salad.  Loved that meal.  And it was sort of, as I put it now, found food.  My fussy sis loved a neck.  Daddy and I loved the livers and the rest, but mostly livers.  Mom was for gizzards and heart.  Two (at the time, another to come later) other sisters could easily live off the noodles and veggies.  

Sis and I called it "lizards and gizzards".

I keep thinking to maybe make it some day, but don't cook a whole chicken often enough to get a meal even for two, so wind up putting the innards into a bag to add to bones for a later stock.  When I can get them.

Anyone ever notice that sometimes chickens don't have them any more?  How about when you buy a turkey and pull out the innards and realize that there is no way that big a bird could possibly live on those tiny innards?  What did they do, take an 8 lb bird and put it's innards in the 22 pounder I bought?


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## PrincessFiona60 (Feb 19, 2013)

I often buy a package of gizzards and hearts, boil them up and feast.  Shrek won't eat them, so they are mine...all mine!


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Feb 20, 2013)

Kayelle said:


> Yes, throw in the roasted neck also and discard.
> 
> I always thought "stock" and "broth" were interchangeable, but I found this interesting. What's the Difference? Stock vs. Broth | The Kitchn



Wow!  That's perfect.  It's what I've been trying to say in all of those stock vs. broth posts over the years.  Stock is the basic extraction of flavors from meat, bones, or veggies, or some combination of them.  It's a basic liquid used to make other things.  The way I think of it, Stock is what you stock your pantry with.  Thanks for that post.

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Feb 20, 2013)

I love the giblets, and am the only one in the house that does.  I purchase a container of chicken livers occasionally to make a rich and smooth chicken liver pate'.  It is so yummy.

And yes, simmer those giblets to make stock for rice, for gravy, to cook noodles in, to make soup, etc.  And that neck meat.  It's a challenge to remove from the neck.  But go ahead and boil it up in salted water.  Then gnaw on it.  It is some of the best flavored meat on the chicken.  And I'm not exagerating.  If there was an easy way of separating it from the neck bones, I'd purchase chicken necks all the time.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


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## Andy M. (Feb 20, 2013)

Chief Longwind Of The North said:


> ... If there was an easy way of separating it from the neck bones, I'd purchase chicken necks all the time...



Go for the turkey necks.  More meat and easier to de-flesh-ify.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Feb 20, 2013)

Andy M. said:


> Go for the turkey necks.  More meat and easier to de-flesh-ify.



My bad.  It is turkey necks I chew on, after removing most of the meat for the dressing.  It has savory/sweet flavor that is unmatched by the other turkey meat.  Not sure why that is.  But it is sooooo good.  Thanks for pointing me in the right direction, Andy.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


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## Addie (Feb 20, 2013)

Chief Longwind Of The North said:


> My bad. It is turkey necks I chew on, after removing most of the meat for the dressing. It has savory/sweet flavor that is unmatched by the other turkey meat. Not sure why that is. But it is sooooo good. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction, Andy.
> 
> Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


 
When turkey necks are cooked long enough, you can almost suck the meat out between the bones.


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## Greg Who Cooks (Feb 20, 2013)

Snip 13 said:


> Have you never eaten oxtail? You're missing something great! I make kick a$$ oxtail, if you decide to ry it I'll give you my recipe



I've been coveting oxtails although in my present minimalistic cooking facilities I feel that I would postpone it until I have a better kitchen. Although believe me oxtails are on my list. Isn't that like Osso Bucco?


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## Greg Who Cooks (Feb 20, 2013)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> I often buy a package of gizzards and hearts, boil them up and feast.  Shrek won't eat them, so they are mine...all mine!


 
My new local supermarket Super King has huge packages (2-3#) of you pick, chicken hearts, chicken gizzards, chicken livers.

Chicken livers are of course delicious. I'm tempted to come up with a chicken hearted recipe...


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## Greg Who Cooks (Feb 20, 2013)

Andy M. said:


> Go for the turkey necks.  More meat and easier to de-flesh-ify.


I've never gotten enough meat out of turkey necks unless it's a really big turkey, to add the meat to the gravy. I simmer the necks/liver/giblets for 1-2 hours minimum...


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## taxlady (Feb 21, 2013)

Greg Who Cooks said:


> I've been coveting oxtails although in my present minimalistic cooking facilities I feel that I would postpone it until I have a better kitchen. Although believe me oxtails are on my list. Isn't that like Osso Bucco?


I'm pretty sure you use shanks for osso bucco.


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## Snip 13 (Feb 21, 2013)

Greg Who Cooks said:


> I've been coveting oxtails although in my present minimalistic cooking facilities I feel that I would postpone it until I have a better kitchen. Although believe me oxtails are on my list. Isn't that like Osso Bucco?


 
Osso Bucco is not the same as oxtail but they're both good 










I prefer oxtail.


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## Greg Who Cooks (Feb 21, 2013)

I've never cooked either. The ingrediments look similar.


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## Snip 13 (Feb 21, 2013)

Greg Who Cooks said:


> I've never cooked either. The ingrediments look similar.


 
Osso bucco is veal shank (from the leg of the cow)
Oxtail (well, tail)
Both lovely but different


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## chopper (Feb 21, 2013)

Claire said:


> Sis and I called it "lizards and gizzards".



My Mom always said "lizards and gizzards" too.  Thanks for the memories!


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