Poultry

Poultry is the general culinary and foodservice term for domesticated birds raised for meat and eggs. Common poultry includes chicken, turkey, duck, goose, guinea fowl and quail. Pigeon or squab may also be included in broader culinary classifications. The French term is volaille.

Common poultry types

• Chicken: the most widely consumed poultry, sold whole or fabricated into breast, leg, wing and other portions.
• Turkey: a larger bird commonly sold whole, as breast portions, thighs and drumsticks.
• Duck: richer, darker meat with a substantial layer of fat beneath the skin.
• Goose: a large waterfowl with dark meat and a high quantity of renderable fat.
• Guinea fowl: leaner meat with a mild game-like flavour.
• Quail: a small bird, often farm-raised and sold whole or portioned.

White meat and dark meat

In chicken and turkey, breast meat is generally leaner and cooks more quickly, while leg meat contains more myoglobin, connective tissue and often more fat. Dark meat is well suited to roasting, braising and other methods that allow connective tissue to soften. These broad descriptions do not apply identically to every bird species.

Fabrication and culinary use

Poultry may be roasted whole, portioned, boned, stuffed, grilled, braised, poached or cured. Fabrication includes removing the wishbone, separating legs and wings, Frenching bones, deboning and preparing suprêmes or airline breasts. Carcasses and suitable trimmings can be used for poultry stock.

Chef’s tip: Specify species, weight, origin, fresh or frozen status, bone-in or boneless, and skin-on or skinless format when ordering. These details affect yield, cooking time and menu costing.

Food-safety note: Poultry requires strict raw-product hygiene, separation from ready-to-eat foods and an approved cooking process. Use a calibrated thermometer and follow the applicable jurisdictional time-temperature standard.