I eat a lot of chicken. I used to buy all of my chicken from the store, but many years ago I began raising my own chickens, both for meat and for eggs. Until 2 years ago, my meat chicken of choice was the Cornish cross, the work horse (or work chicken) of the meat poultry industry. Home grown Cornish cross, when raised properly, are superior in flavor than those bought at the store. At least in my opinion they are.
In 2014 I started cooking with dual purpose chickens (birds used for both egg and meat production). Since then, I've cooked almost exclusively with these breeds. I've been cooking with and eating birds from young cockerels (4-6 months old) to aged hens and roosters. While I still like the Cornish cross for some things, I've found that you just can't beat dual purpose birds if you like to make dishes that are rich in flavor which require somewhat longer cooking times that a young Cornish cross can't take.
In order to share the information I've garnered about these wonderful birds, I've been writing profiles of the different breeds I've been working with, and will continue to write profiles as I add new breeds and crosses to my repertoire. I'll also be posting recipes from my upcoming cookbook about working with various breeds.
Light Sussex hens (left) and Light Sussex rooster (right)
Pictures © Farwest Hatchery, used with permission.
Sussex chickens are a large, dual purpose bird used for both egg and meat production. They come in a variety of colors, the Light Sussex being used for this profile. As always, a Cornish Cross chicken purchased from my local grocery store is used as a benchmark in all of the pictures. I use a store bought Cornish Cross as a benchmark bird because that's what most people cooking at home will be familiar with, and readers will be able to see the differences in body type as well as meat and, where visible, fat. In general, most other breeds of bird will have noticeably darker meat than the store bought Cornish Cross. This is due to multiple factors, not the least of which is breed characteristics. But it's also due to the way the birds are raised. A Cornish Cross raised at home will be more or less similar to one purchased from the store, depending on how the bird was raised (I'll be writing an article just on Cornish Cross chickens later this year), but the rest of the chicken breeds will be very different. Which is the purpose of these breed profiles.
The Sussex chicken is a very old breed, and are believed to have been present during the time of the Roman invasion of Britan around AD 43. Sussex roosters can reach live weights approaching 10 lbs., with the hens being lighter at around 7 lbs. Pullets can begin laying as young as 4 1/2 months. Cockerels may begin breeding as early as 4 months.
They are a calm, inquisitive bird with a lovely temperament and are very easy to work with. Both the males and females tolerate each other well with little fighting. They rarely become agressive or territorial toward people, but, being very curious, they do like to explore new things and any contrasting object. They will readily accept handling and will follow you around when you are in the pen or around them in a free range environment.
Cockerels can be large enough for slaughter as early as 5 months, and will, of course, be more tender than aged birds. Aged birds will have a larger carcass size and more meat.
They have white skin and yellow fat which renders well for Schmaltz (the oil rendered from chicken fat). The rendered oil is mild flavored and excellent for cooking. Mature birds can be fed a richer feed to increase fat production if desired.
The skin on mature roosters is thicker than what you will find in a store bought Cornish Cross. It can be left on or removed for cooking. If removed, it can be saved to use in stock or broth. The skin on younger roosters and all hens is, of course, thinner and thus more tender.
The body and legs are longer with darker meat on all parts than the Cornish Cross. The breast is smaller than a Cornish Cross. The drumsticks and thighs are longer and with slightly less weight than a Cornish Cross, but, being a darker meat, is richer. Both the breast meat and tenders (deep pectoral muscle) are dark and remain tender even in aged birds if prepared properly.
Cooking recomendations for aged birds (older than 6 months of age)
⦁ Breast and tenders - suitable for all cooking methods. On birds over 1 year of age, the breasts will need to be tenderized or braised, but the teners (deep pectoral muscle) can be pan fried or stir fried as long as the tendon is removed.
⦁ Thighs - best for braising, cut into strips and marinated for stir fry or pan frying, grinding. They can also be pounded and tenderized for pan frying.
⦁ Wings - best for long, slow braising, pressure cooking, canning.
⦁ Drumsticks - best for long slow braising, shredded or chopped chicken after braising, pressure cooking, canning.
All images used in this profile are of the same birds at various stages of processing.
Light Sussex (yearling roosters) in the back, a Cornish Cross from the store in front. The Cornish Cross weight a bit over 6 lbs., the Light Sussex roosters weighed between 6 and 7 lbs dressed. This picture also shows examples of the differences between dominant roosters and subordinate roosters. The larger carcass in the rear right corner was a dominant rooster. All three birds were the same age at slaughter and came from a uniform flock. That is, all of the birds in this flock as well as the parent flock, were all uniform in their genetics. The Cornish Cross was from a large commercial producer and was probably 6-8 weeks old at time of slaughter.
Also evident, is the body type and way that the muscles are developed on the different ages and types of bird. Part of this is due to the age difference between the Cornish Cross and the Light Sussex birds, but also, is due, in the Light Sussex birds, to the difference in dominance between the 3 roosters.
Leg/thigh attached comparison. Cornish Cross are at the bottom of the picture.
Note the difference in color of the meat between the two types. The thigh and drumstick meat is the dark meat of any chicken, and it's darker on the Light Sussex than that of the Cornish Cross. This is primarily due to the difference in type, but also due in small part to the age of the birds (the Cornish Cross being considerably younger than the Light Sussex) and the amount of activity that the two types have engaged in.
Leg/thigh detached. Light Sussex above, Cornish Cross below.
Boneless breast meat, skin on. Light Sussex above, Cornish Cross below. In this image, the tender (deep pectoral muscle) had been removed from all breast halves.
All content in this article, including images, © Joanne Rigutto except where noted.
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