Fried Chicken

Note to self.... no fried chicken.... 

In PR they put a piece down and hit it with the cleaver or big knife. Makes it easier to fry and makes for more portions. I eat both white and dark so I have no issue with it.

When cooked with the rice "Arroz con Pollo" the cutting of the chicken makes for more pieces of about the same size so every spoonful ends up with a piece of chicken.

Rotisserie chicken is very common in the island, you can order a plate or the whole chicken. Let them know not to cut it or they will cut it up with the cleaver prior to handling you the plate.

A plate is usually 1/2 chicken with some verduras or rice or potato salad or fries.

By the way .... dig in with your fingers we do not normally use a knife to cut into the chicken on our plate, tastes better that way.

ReyP wrote:

In PR they put a piece down and hit it with the cleaver or big knife. Makes it easier to fry and makes for more portions. I eat both white and dark so I have no issue with it.

When cooked with the rice "Arroz con Pollo" the cutting of the chicken makes for more pieces of about the same size so every spoonful ends up with a piece of chicken.

Actually in Spain it's the same way.  Arroz con pollo has a lot of smaller pieces of chicken on the bone throughout the dish.  So the thigh may be in two pieces... the breast in three pieces.  Hard to figure out what part of the bird each part came from once it's all cut up.

Easier to fry also since pieces are more even so they cook fairly well. My whole family in PR does it also at home, chop it into small in bone pieces. Less likely a piece will be raw also.

I do however appreciate the locally-produced baked products such as cakes, rolls, bread, doughnuts etc....in fact highly recommend a bakery in Fahardo ( cant remember the name but its located accross and about half way down the block on the street that runs parallel to Fahardo Publico Station....on the Police station side). Just ask someone.
Undoubtedly  the ver best sugar donughts I ever tasted.....and belive u me as a former semi-cop ( police/emergency communications officer) I'm a doughnut connoisseur.  They have a great variety of freshly-made bakery goods...all visually mouth-watering.
I'm definitely going back there intentionally famished.....simply to pig-out.

Lol. Exactly. Thankfully P.R. has a few KFC's.... for Southerners like me.

Panaderias are also great for sandwiches specially breakfast sandwiches. Also try the Pan Sobao and Pan de Agua, people get them before going to bed or in the morning to eat with their meal. Regular sandwich bread is not as popular.

Many sweat breads, try Mayorca is a semi sweet bread people like to snack on.

From one guy that appreciates good food /drink to another :- thanks for the reccomendations.

I was born and raised in the island and while it has been several decades since I lived there some things like good food never change, it just gets a little more refined.

My go-to spot for fried chicken in Puerto Rico is Church's.  Their biscuits are De-Lish!

I prefer Puerto Rican pollo frito over Southern fried chicken. There isn't that battery coating and it's much more flavorful. Being Nuyorican I am use to chicken being chopped up as it is done here in NYC at Chinese, Dominican and Puerto Rican restaurants, as well. I admit that it is definitely a "to each it's own" especially if you're not use to eating Puerto Rican prepared food.

In my book if you like both dark and white meat, it makes no difference where each piece came from.

Gramma stile; take the chicken out of the freezer, smash it against the floor to separate the pieces, season it with plenty of adobo and toss it on the frying pan.

Crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside!! 

Your beloved grandma and not mine (God bless them both).
One of my Southern grandmas not only raised her own chickens on her ranch but killed and dressed them also.
As a boy, I would help her catch the young chickens then "ring" their necks holding on to the chicken's head and then violently spin the bird with a twisting motion breaking their necks.
After cleaning and cutting up her freshly butchered ("fryers" as she called them) into descernably distinctive pieces  (neck, breast, back, thigh, leg/drumstick, gizzard, liver, wing) she would then soak all in buttermilk overnight for frying the next day.
Pieces were dredged in flour/ secret spices and fried in cast iron skillet until golden-brown and crispy. Yum! Yum!!!
Most delicious chicken I ever tasted....and I like chicken! Never will be any better. Shame she's not still here. She made the best biscuits ever tasted according to everyone that had the privilege of eating one.

My grandmother killed hre chickens too.

She gave me one for my house and that chicken died of old age, I would refuse to eat chicken at my house until I had a chance to go outside and verify it was not my chicken on the dinner plate.

My rabbits were not that lucky, they were eaten.

Gramma used to send me to the chicken coop to get one of the chicken for her special stew.
As a young kid, I learned that the farm animals were there for a purpose. 

Gotta check if my wife is really PuertoRican (j/k).
Maybe it's because she's from a family of chefs but she gets a raw chicken, her big sharp chef knife and divides it in wings, legs, thighs and breasts within minutes before she fries it.

Chef genes are dominant Gary

Any good cooking schools in the Condado/Dorado area?

Captainculebra wrote:

Perhaps it just me with my somewhat unique perspective......but has anyone else noticed that fried chicken in P.R. is unusual in regard to the way the pieces are cut prior to cooking....and the confusing result?

What's up with that?

I've orderd chicken a few times at local restaraunts and I never actually end up knowing what part of the chicken I'm receiving (or eventually reticently eating post amazed inspection) as there is never a defined piece....such as leg, thigh, breast, wing etc.....which always makes me wonder at the time if I'm actually eating real chicken - even though it may taste like fried chicken....it always tastes slightly strange....as I can't distinguish the taste differences of thigh-meat vs breast, or wing....and certainly can't distinguish by shape of piece.

Is it just me...or have other gringos noticed the same?

I love P.R.... but not especially enamored with some of the local cuisine....so far anyway...

Lol.. I had a food business and I know about this. When they offered fried chicken there's 2 types: "Chicharrón de pollo" (mix of chicken leg, thigh or one of both cut in pieces), Pollo frito/fried chicken ( normally is chicken leg and thigh). This is what you get at the normal side in a restaurant or cafeteria.

We grew up eating chicken leg and thigh no money for white meat. I remember grampa buying the 5# boxes of frozen chicken leg at the cash n carry. The only times we had chicken breast and wings were when we killed a fresh chicken. And those parts where for grampa!! Lol

I raised four children on 5# boxes of frozen chicken leg-quarters. Best value protein fo the buck.....and amazingly good for chicken & rice, chicken n dumplings, chicken pot pie. etc..... but barbecued. was always the best!

I'm not a huge fan of "white" meat or chicken breast, I think the meat of legs and thighs is tastier.

A good deal on chicken is to be found in Sam's club where you buy a large roasted/grilled chicken for 4.99. Really good value!

Gary wrote:

I'm not a huge fan of "white" meat or chicken breast, I think the meat of legs and thighs is tastier.

A good deal on chicken is to be found in Sam's club where you buy a large roasted/grilled chicken for 4.99. Really good value!

I'm with you on that! My favorite part of the chicken is the leg and thigh. Actually just started eating chicken breast when I started preparing "pollo plancha" for my husband because he prefers white meat over dark. Somehow I managed to make it without it tasting dry and now love it. Dark meat is still my favorite though!

I'm a leg man. Best meat on the bird in my opinion. Second best is the drumette part of the wing.
Sams's rotisserie chicken is indeed good-tastin' and a good value. Make great. meat for chicken salad meat as well.....just tear meat off the carcass...shred it or cut it up....add red-seedless grapes cut in half, a little diced red onion and /or sweet peppers, pineapple tidbits (optional) chopped walnuts or pecans,  a little ground pepper, and mayonnaise....or if you like it sweeter....salad dressing.
Chill.....Yum.

I am more into wings and legs but eat the whole chicken including necks and gizzards. But if speaking of KFC I like breast and wings the most. Their breasts are tasty, well cooked and still juicy the way they do it. I heard they use a pressure frier, One day, I am going to get one of those cookers and try it.

At nice Chinese restaurants I eat chicken feet once in a while, they are good.

I neve had the guts to try chicken feet. Your definitely more man than I am.
Fried gizzards are definitely tasty. Miss eating them... not possible now as there is not enough polident in the world to hold a denture in place when chewing a chicken gizzard. Lol

Captainculebra wrote:

I neve had the guts to try chicken feet. Your definitely more man than I am.
Fried gizzards are definitely tasty. Miss eating them... not possible now as there is not enough polident in the world to hold a denture in place when chewing a chicken gizzard. Lol

Then Bayamon's Chicharrones are out also for you,
I also eat mondongo and tripe, pig feet, pig ears, Morcilla (blood Sausage), I do avoid eating vegetables unless forced by my wife.

😂 Nothing with feet, ears, mondongo stuff....
Maybe because I was raise and born in Jersey. My favorit part is chicken thighs & Chicken breast. I love to eat and want bigger portions!!

Amkonline19 wrote:

😂 Nothing with feet, ears, mondongo stuff....
Maybe because I was raise and born in Jersey. My favorit part is chicken thighs & Chicken breast. I love to eat and want bigger portions!!

I was born and raised until 20 1/2 in the island, but will not eat liver, heart, or brain of any animal and will not drink a raw egg like my great-grand mother used to do. Outside of that I eat just about anything. By the way, the crest of the roosters are a delicacy in Asia, I have not tried it yet but see no problem eating it.

ReyP wrote:

Amkonline19 wrote:

😂 Nothing with feet, ears, mondongo stuff....
Maybe because I was raise and born in Jersey. My favorit part is chicken thighs & Chicken breast. I love to eat and want bigger portions!!

I was born and raised until 20 1/2 in the island, but will not eat liver, heart, or brain of any animal and will not drink a raw egg like my great-grand mother used to do. Outside of that I eat just about anything. By the way, the crest of the roosters are a delicacy in Asia, I have not tried it yet but see no problem eating it.

Never heard about eating the crest of the rooster. Whynandelicacy? Does it gives special powers?