When you think about the best piece of chicken, what comes to your mind? Most people will say that it is the leg, and some will choose the breast. Although it does depend on the person eating it, did you know that there is an official best part of the chicken? We say official because it has been considered the most tender, juicy, and perfect piece of the entire body.
An oyster is a body part of the chicken that is considered to be the best part of it. It is quite dark which makes it a less preferable choice for a lot. But when you know about the taste, the texture, and the nutrition it provides, you won’t think twice before choosing chicken oysters the next time you go to the store.
What is a Chicken Oyster?
If you have never seen or heard about chicken oysters, don’t worry about it. You are not alone. It is quite uncommon for people to know other than chefs since all the marketing and ads we see are about other pieces of chicken. It is a small circular-shaped piece. The size will be about two thumbs together.
If the name confuses you, it surprisingly does look like an oyster from where it gets the name! Some people have said that they also taste the same.
When the chicken is being cooked the juice gathers at the center which is where the oysters are. Hence, they get all the moisture and best-textured pieces.
Where is it located?
The reason why most people struggle to find it is that it is basically hidden behind the muscles. If you consider a whole bird for roasting, the oysters will be at the back of the thigh near the spine. They are also on both sides of the backbone, so you will get two oysters if you consider cutting them.
However, considering the size and the number compared to other pieces of chicken, save the oysters for premium dishes, esteemed guests, or for your own to enjoy the tender, delicious, and tasty pieces of chicken.
When the bird gets cooked the juice and the fat tend to gather around the oyster and when it rests it goes back to the body. In this way, the fat gets through the oyster twice to make it oily, rich, and juicy. Although the fat content doesn’t sound healthy, comparatively it will be healthier to eat chicken than beef according to the doctors.
How to Cut
Although it might not be as easy to comprehend from the description as it is from a video, we are still adding it so that you can have a look while cooking or cutting.
From Raw
When you are cutting a raw chicken, you will need to put it with its legs up first as in the skinless whole chicken on its back. You will see there is a joint that connects the leg to the body, you will need to cut that diagonally but not all the way. Once you have it a bit, grab the leg with one hand and the body with the other. When you pull you’ll be able to see a white piece of meat.
You will want to keep that with the leg. Now, flip the bird, and cut it from behind to detach the leg from the body. Once you have done that you will see the oyster attached. Now you need to take a sharp knife to cut that apart as well.
For the raw chicken watch this video
From Cooked
It is much easier to cut oysters from a cooked bird. Once you are done roasting or cooking the bird, you need to let it cool down. Once it is warm, cut the thigh along the body part.
Again, at the back of the thigh, you will find two pieces of the oyster. For your advantage, we are adding two youtube videos so that you can look at how and where to cut. For the cooked chicken version, here is another one-
Nutrition
Not only is it tasty, but it also comes with a lot of health benefits. Let’s take a 112-gram of chicken oyster for example. It has a total fat of 2% and zero carbohydrates. 100 calories along with nutrients like sodium, potassium, iron, etc. It also has a huge amount of protein measuring about 21 grams.
With a huge amount of nutrition and zero carbohydrates, it can be considered a regular choice for those who seek healthy options. It can also boost your protein intake.
What Makes It So Incredibly Tasty?
You might wonder at this point, why are the oysters so tasty? Well, there are plenty of reasons.
The first is the position of the meat. It is at a position that doesn’t move at all when the bird is alive. Which makes the piece very tender and soft. You can almost compare it to wagyu beef, the most expensive beef in the world.
The second reason is the moisture it holds because of getting all the body fat. As we mentioned earlier, it gets flushed by body fat twice. Hence, without any oil, oysters get their own oil to get moist and juicy.
The third reason is all the flavor it takes in. Again because of the position, the oysters absorb the natural flavors that otherwise wouldn’t be possible to be soaked in.
The fourth reason is the best, it is boneless! Unlike other pieces, oysters are boneless which makes them very easy to cut and cook. Although there isn’t much to cook from one bird, you can cut it from a whole chicken and enjoy it without any extra seasoning or oil.
Bonus Recipe Ideas
Now that you have had plenty of lessons on oysters, it is time to know how you can eat them.
First, you will definitely need to cook since these are chickens and not literally oysters. Second, you can eat them all the traditional ways we eat chicken. But if you want to enjoy the pure delicacy and know what makes it so appealing, you can take a look at some ideas.
You can use multiple chickens to get a few pairs of oysters. Then you can add them to delicate dishes like risotto, chicken alfredo, etc. Add some appropriate seasoning, cheese, sauce, etc you want.
Only the pieces of chicken can be kept as oysters. In this way, the entire dish will have double delicacy. Serve with white wine and a cheeseboard to level up your game.
The second idea is to grill them. You can marinate the whole chicken in the traditional way. When you are done, put it on the grill and wait till it is roasted to the middle. Once that is done, cut the oysters out of the cooked chicken and enjoy. Don’t have a grill? you can get a Hamilton Beach Electric Indoor Grill here at a very low cost!
Conclusion
You can find oysters in other animals like geese, ducks, turkeys, etc. You can try to implement the same ideas on turkey the next thanksgiving and see if you can find a hidden gem. However, remember that there is a difference between chicken oysters and only oysters.
The original oysters are seafood with the same name but completely different tastes and flavors. Although a lot of people claim they have similar tastes, they will in fact have polar opposite flavors and textures. It is a good idea to try both and find out for yourself.
