Healthy Hints for Cooking Poultry

Poultry such as chicken, turkey, duck, goose and quail can provide very healthy, nutritious meals if prepared and cooked properly.  And with poultry being so versatile, you're not limited to just one or two types of dishes.  You can cook everything from tasty roast poultry to stir-fry dishes to ground turkey burgers, and enjoy many tasty, heart-healthy meals. 

The key is to limit cooking methods to those that use the least amount of fat/sodium while preserving poultry's most nutritional qualities, such as protein, "good" fatty acids, vitamins and minerals, potassium, iron, etc.  Let's look at some healthy cooking methods for various types of poultry.

Cooking Chicken for Good Health

The first step in cooking a healthy chicken meal is to buy the right type of cut.  Choose boneless, skinless breasts if possible, or remove all fat and skin from the chicken before cooking. White meat from breasts has more health benefits than dark meat, and is much better for your waistline.  You can cook chicken breasts as a whole or cut them to make strips or stir-fry meat.

Chicken breast meat can be baked, grilled, broiled, boiled or roasted as an alternative to frying.  You can also stir-fry chicken with vegetables in a small amount of vegetable, olive or canola oil to create a nutritious meal.  Chicken can be slow cooked as well, but this means the chicken will cook in its own fat.  If slow cooking, pour off any access juices before adding to side items such as rice or soup.  Buy chunk chicken from white breast meat to prepare chicken salad for sandwiches or to eat as a side item with a green salad.  You can also shred chicken breast meat and add it to a heart-healthy vegetable soup.

If marinating chicken, avoid marinade sauces that contain high amounts of fat, sugar or sodium.  Opt for chicken rubs or healthy seasoning blends, or buy specialty poultry marinades online that are made specifically for dieting.

Healthy Turkey Preparation

Although turkey offers a number of health benefits no matter how it's cooked, you can maximize the good qualities of turkey by choosing certain cooking methods.  Enhance the flavor while also cutting calories and reducing fat intake.  Please note that because turkey is so lean to begin with, cooking it without drying out the meat can be a challenge.  For a whole turkey (usually for holiday meals), opt for slow cooking methods such as baking or roasting instead of deep frying.  Also the skin should be removed to reduce fat.

Make sure you have all the appropriate cooking items on hand - meat thermometer, carving knife, roasting pan and rack, and cutting board.  Thaw the turkey completely before preparation.  Then remove all giblets and the neck from the turkey, and rinse thoroughly inside and out.  Pat it dry and place the turkey on the roasting rack with a large pan underneath to catch drippings.  Be sure the turkey is breast side down.  Now you can stuff the turkey if desired and even add healthy spices and/or rub the turkey with unsalted butter to prevent the juices from evaporating.

For healthy turkey burgers, buy lean ground turkey meat and add a couple of eggs, bread crumbs, vegetable soup (pureed), green bell peppers, onion, curry powder, salt and pepper.  You can experiment with these ingredients to get the flavor your family will love.  This is a great alternative to beef burgers and a fabulous way to sneak extra vegetables into the family meal!

You can also opt for turkey deli slices for sandwiches instead of ham or bologna.  Place the slices on light wheat or whole wheat bread, add some lettuce, tomato, fat-free mayonnaise and low-fat cheese.

What about Duck and Goose

Duck and goose both contain a good bit of fat when compared to turkey and chicken.  Both have a fatty layer just under the skin.  This layer of fat should be prodded with a fork all over before cooking so that most of the fat will melt away. Always roast a duck or goose on a rack over a dripping pan, not in the bird's own fat juices.  This will minimize the amount of fat consumed.  Consider buying organically-raised duck or goose from a specialty shop online if you're having difficulty finding this type of poultry locally. 

Quail Meat and Eggs for Good Health

Special farming methods are used to ensure healthy quail meat and eggs.  Quail is usually sold as a whole bird due to the bird's small size.  It can be marinated in healthy sauce or seasoned, and then roasted or baked similar to other types of poultry.  Quail already has very little fat, so you might have to add oil to it before cooking to ensure tenderness and juiciness.

Quail eggs are extremely nutritional and should be considered if you have a health condition or if you simply want more nutritional eggs.  You can buy quail meat and eggs at meat specialty shops on the Web to experiment with cooking this type of poultry.

As you can see, cooking poultry for good health is merely a matter of being careful with the cooking method used and how you season the meat. Use seasonings and sauces to promote your dieting goals, such as low-fat or low-sodium options. Serve poultry with heart-healthy side dishes, such as broccoli, squash, carrots, potatoes, brown rice, peas, etc. to maintain a reasonable weight.  Now you can enjoy a guilt-free, delicious poultry meal.

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