47th National Chicken Cooking Contest

47th National Chicken Cooking Contest

The $100,000 first prize went to Michelle Anderson from Eagle,
Idaho. Her winning recipe is Thai-Inspired Stuffed Chicken Breast and Slaw. Here is the complete recipe and information on the facts about free-range, natural and hormone-free chickens.

Did you know that we eat about 85 pounds of poultry per person each year? I’ve just come back from the 47th national chicken cooking contest. It’s held every other year and the first one was held in 1949. It’s amazing to see the set up. There were over 10,000 entries for the contest and these are checked to make sure they’re original. And then finally 51 finalists are picked and flown to
Birmingham, AL to cook their recipe for the judges.

Here are some chicken cooking facts:

Hormones – There are no artificial or added hormones in any chickens in the us. This is a law here that is regulated by the USDA. So whether it says it on the package or not there are no added hormones.

Free-range chickens – This is what the law says. Chickens can be called free- range if they are allowed free access to the outside. I’ve seen many chicken coops where they do have free access, but the chickens all stay inside, because the food and water is easy access for them. So I’m not sure what it really means to buy a free-range chicken.

Fresh – What does it mean when it’s labeled as fresh? It means the chicken has never been below 26 degrees. When I pick up a chicken at the market, many times it feels frozen or there are ice crystals. This means that it has been deep chilled, to keep it fresh but not frozen to 26 degrees.

All Natural – The US government has changed the guidelines. All natural really has very little meaning. Arsenic is all natural and so are many other products, but that doesn’t mean there is a good health proponent to them. So natural doesn’t really mean a lot to me.

Michelle Anderson lives with her 5-year old daughter Jordan and husband, Chuck. She has a full-time job and still makes a home-cooked meal every night. Here is her $100,000 National Chicken Cooking Contest recipe.

Recipe courtesy of the National Chicken Cooking Contest sponsored by the National Chicken Council and the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association. Visit www.chickencookingcontest.com and www.eatchicken.com for more great chicken recipes.

Thai-Inspired Stuffed Chicken Breast and Slaw Michelle Anderson
Eagle, ID
2007 1st Place4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 cup cooked jasmine rice
1/2 cup shredded coconut
2 green onions, finely sliced
1/2 cup finely chopped Thai basil
1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons Thai chili sauce
2 limes, juice and zest, divided
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 can (14 oz.) coconut milk
1 cup chopped roasted peanuts
3/4 cup panko
1/4 cup white sesame seeds, toasted
1/4 cup black sesame seeds, toasted
Thai-style Slaw: recipe follows
1/2 English cucumber, thinly sliced
lime wedges
cilantro

In large bowl, mix together rice, coconut, green onion, basil, cilantro, chili sauce, 1 tablespoon lime juice and zest of 1 lime. Place chicken between 2 sheets of plastic wrap; pound to even thickness. Place equal amounts of rice mixture on each chicken breast half. Wrap chicken around filling; secure with wooden pick. In glass pie plate, mix together flour, zest of 1 lime, salt and pepper. In another plate, mix coconut milk and 2 tablespoons lime juice. In third plate, mix together peanuts, panko, black and white sesame seeds. Roll chicken breasts, one at a time, first in flour mixture; then in coconut milk mixture and finally, in peanut mixture, coating well. In shallow baking pan, arrange chicken, seam side down; place in 350 F. oven. Bake 30 minutes or until juices run clear. Place slaw on serving platter; remove wooden picks and add chicken to platter. Garnish with cucumber, lime and cilantro. Makes 4 servings.

Thai-style Slaw: In large bowl, mix together 3/4 cup chunky peanut butter; 1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar; juice 1 lime; and 1 finely minced Thai chili. Stir in 1/2 cup chopped cilantro; 1/2 cup chopped basil; 1 Napa cabbage, finely sliced; 1 English cucumber, coarsely grated; 1 carrot, grated; and 1/2 red onion, finely diced. Refrigerate.