I was recently teaching a class on how to make a delicious Valentine’s dinner. During that class, a question was asked about the pros and cons of air-chilled chicken. Since this was a topic of interest, I thought I would dedicate this Cooking Tip to that topic.
When poultry is processed commercially, part of the process involves chilling the meat. For food safety reasons, the USDA requires that the chicken be cooled to 40°F or lower within four hours of slaughter.
There are two ways to accomplish this – cold water chilling and air chilling. The former is how most chickens are handled in the US, although air chilling has been widely used in Europe since the 1960s. According to D’Artagnan, air chilling has only been used in the US since 1998.
Here are some differences between these two methods and some of the claims made about them.
Water chilling
- With this method, the chickens are submerged in chlorinated ice-cold water.
- The temperature is quickly reduced to the proper temperature.
- Because of being submerged in the water, the chicken absorbs excess water. Studies have shown that the chickens can absorb anywhere between 2 and 12% of the weight in water, which you pay for at the checkout.
- Many chickens are cooled in the same vat of water. Some feel this increases the risk of cross-contamination of pathogens from one chicken to the others. Consumer Reports periodically analyzes chicken for pathogens. A 2010 report found that 62% of the chickens were contaminated with campylobacter, and 14% contained salmonella. Testing done a few years later (2018) found 9% of the samples testing positive for salmonella. It is important to note that both of these pathogens are killed by proper cooking.
Air Chilling
- The process involves putting the chicken into temperature-controlled chambers, where they are chilled for about three hours.
- Because the chicken is not put into water, no excess water is absorbed. Proponents claim the following benefits.
- More tender chicken
- Better texture
- Better tasting chicken
- The chicken cooks faster as it does not contain excess moisture.
- As the skin does not get water-logged, you are able to get very crispy skin when the chicken is roasted.
- This process saves water but incurs higher electrical costs.
- Reduced chance of cross-contamination of pathogens. Testing has shown that air-chilled chickens are cleaner. However, one study showed that about 40% were still contaminated with salmonella and/or campylobacter.
- Because this process takes much longer, is more labor intensive and takes special chambers, it is more expensive. Some of this cost is offset by the fact that you are only paying for the weight of the chicken, not excess water.
According to Bell and Evans, a poultry business that started in 1894, most US producers may claim air chilling, but, in reality, they use a hybrid method that combines chlorinated water chill and air chill. They built the first 100% air-chilled facility in 2005, although they are not the only such facility today.
If you wish to try air-chilled chicken, ensure it states so on the package. It is most likely water-chilled if it doesn’t say it is air-chilled.
Unless you order online from some farms that have invested in air-chilling facilities or have a local farm that uses this technique, air-chilled chickens may be hard to find. Sources say that Whole Foods and Costco sell air-chilled chickens. My local supermarket does not carry them, but some Safeway stores do.
I must admit that I have not tried air-chilled chicken. Have you? What do you think of it? Let me know.
Culinary Journeys, LLC 