When I opened my first restaurant, I realized that the food needed to be impeccable. Instead of worrying about food costs, I zeroed in on the best vendors and gave them my business. The rewards were incredible. Customers absolutely loved the food, and they just kept coming back. Five years later, my business is running strong, and I owe it all to those initial business relationships with vendors. Check out this blog to learn why food vendors are so important, and how to choose between multiple businesses. You never know, it could transform your restaurant for the better--so that you can protect your investment.
If you're looking for a way to have a chicken dinner without springing for an entire chicken, you have some options. There are cut-up chicken parts, of course, but those don't look nearly as good as having a whole chicken sitting on the table, roasted with crispy skin. If you want that look but not several days' worth of leftovers, poussin and Cornish hens are your best bets. Despite their similar sizes, though, they do have some differences.
Breed Specification
The biggest difference between the two small chickens is that the Cornish hen, or Cornish Rock hen, Rock Cornish hen, Cornish game hen, or any variation of that name, is a hybrid of two specific breeds. Both the Cornish hen and the poussin are chickens -- same species -- but the Cornish hen is a hybrid of the white rock (or white Plymouth rock) and Cornish chickens. The poussin (also called a Spring chicken or squab broiler) does not have a specific breed. Both types of chicken are fairly young, hence the smaller sizes.
Weight
Weight is another difference, and this has been changing over the years and becoming more of a contrast. Both the Cornish hen and poussin used to hover around the 1-pound mark, with poussins at 1 pound and Cornish hens at about 1.25 pounds. In the Joy of Cooking, authors Irma S. Rombauer and Marion Rombauer Becker note that Cornish hens are now closer to the 1.75-pound mark. It's not uncommon now to find poussins as the preferred chicken for single-serving recipes and Cornish hens for two-serving recipes. Chickens that weigh more than 2 pounds, regardless of breed, move into the realm of general roasters, broilers, and a host of other terms.
Looks
It might not seem that way when you see both of the chicken types bundled up at the supermarket, but there are some visual differences in addition to weight. Poussins are known for having little fat on them and will appear somewhat lean. Cornish hens are quite plump considering their weight. The Cornish hens, if you get a look at their meat, have proportionally more white meat than dark.
Both types of chicken can be used in similar recipes in terms of taste. However, if you truly want a small poussin for a one-person meal, contact specialty butchers near you who can order the birds. As Cornish hens grow larger, poussins may become more common as people seek out single-serving birds. This means finding poussins should become easier as time goes on.
For more information, contact Joyce Farms or a similar location.
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