Plain cooked chicken calories isn’t exactly a dieter’s main worry.  A single cup contains about 200 calories, is high in niacin, vitamin B6 and protein. 

Compare that with barbecued chicken wings or fried chicken and you are going to double or triple the calories and increase your fat intake.

As with many food items, look for recipes that do not use oil or fat.  If every calories counts, then look to chicken salads or use chicken sparingly for flavor and protein.

One downside to chicken is its cholesterol content.  A plain cup of diced chicken (about 5 ounces) contains just over a third of the daily recommended cholesterol input.  If your doctor prescribes a “heart healthy” diet, then keep the portion size small.

A Chicken in YOUR backyard!

10. Start by removing the skin – that is where the calories are.  Or simply buy boneless and skinless white meat for convenience.

9. Extreme high calories in a fast food chicken sandwich – Crispy FlameThrower Chicken Sandwich from Dairy Queen weighing in at 860 calories.

8. Calorie conscious fast food chicken sandwich – Chargrilled Chicken Sandwich from Chick-Fil-A – only 260 calories

7. COLOR OF SKIN – From FoodReference.com: “Chicken skin color varies from cream-colored to yellow. Skin color is a result of the type of feed eaten by the chicken, not a measure of nutritional value, flavor, tenderness or fat content. Color preferences vary in different sections of the country, so growers use the type of feed which produces the desired color.” http://www.foodreference.com/html/fchicken.html

6. White meat vs. dark meat – which wins?  That depends: there are slightly fewer calories in white meat but dark wins handily when it comes to iron, B vitamins and other nutrients.

5. Jerk Chicken – The term jerk refers to heavily spiced and often spicy hot seasonings which are dry rubbed or wet marinated.  Jerk recipes have their origins in Jamaica and the Carribean in general as a way of preserving meat similar to “jerky” or dried meat.  See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamaican_jerk_spice for more information.

4. You are probably aware that eating raw or partially cooked chicken is dangerous because of salmonella. Chicken must always be cooked thoroughly to 167° F  (75° C) as measured using a meat thermometer pierced into the center of the meat.

3. Chicken bones can be boiled with vegetables and spices to make chicken stock and are a great starting point for flavorful chicken soup.

2. Chickens that are raised specifically for meat are called broilers.

1. Capons are castrated male chickens.  They were once commonly available in the US, but are hard to find today.  Chefs prefer them for their fattier, tastier meat.

Cooking Light Cook’s Essential Recipe Collection – 58 recipes for healthy, low fat meals.  Easily obtained for less than $10.
Betty Crocker’s Best Chicken Cookbook – A popular classic, need we say more? Inexpensive, too.

There are over 60 chicken breeds.  An amazing compendium of detail on each breed, complete with information on egg color, origins, behavior, etc. , is maintained by John Henderson of Ithaca College.

There’s a huge renewed interest in keeping backyard birds – you don’t need much room at all and it’s easy.  Witness the incredible following on the BackYardChickens.com web site. 

Raising Chickens

Are you in an urban environment?  Check out http://www.urbanchickens.org for lots of good information and advice.

Chickens not legal in your neighborhood?  Lots of people are pressuring their local government to allow small backyard flocks.  You’ll find support and advice on sites like http://urbanchickenunderground.blogspot.com/

Just how popular is this trend??  If Martha Stewart is in on the game, then it must be big time.  She recently had a show on backyard chickens – as reported on urbanchickens.net

Start at your local hardware or feed store (in the springtime) or shop online at places like Murray McMurray or My Pet Chicken http://www.mypetchicken.com McMurray has a minimum order requirement of 25 while MPC has the advantage of a low minimum order of just 3.

You’ll find them in Japanese and Asian restaurants where they are usually served salted and at room temperature. Typically, you eat the beans inside and discard the pods. Check your grocery or specialty foods store – they can sometimes be found in the frozen foods aisle.

In Chinese, young soybeans in the pod are known as maodoujia which literally translates as “hairy bean pod.” No matter what you call them, they are a specific species of soybean grown for early harvesting and are different than soybean crops grown specifically for their mature beans.

Cook them by steaming or boiling for 3 to 5 minutes. Don’t overcook – you don’t want a bunch of mush.

We are used to seeing edamame served salted at Japanese restaurants but edamame without salt is equally delicious.

Edamame calories are high in protein, fiber and potassium. According to http://www.soygrowers.com, soy beans are the world’s foremost provider of protein and oil.

Edamame in the Shell © Seapoint Farms

10. “Healthy” is the first word that should come to mind with edamame – they are a low-fat, low-cholesterol, and high-protein food.  What more can you ask for: easy preparation, super taste and high nutrition value?
9. Look for bags of frozen edamame in your local specialty food or health food store.
8. Edamame are popular in Japan and China but are catching on in the US – you will find them served as appetizers in Japanese and Chinese restaurants.
7. Worried about edamame calories?  You shouldn’t be.  There are only 125 calories per 100 grams.
6. Farmers in Kentucky and other states are now growing edamame.  The USDA has an interesting web page discussing US growing of edamame.
5. US products include those by Woodstock Farms, Trader Joe’s and Seapoint Farms.  You can buy Seapoint Farms products online from Amazon.
4. Grow your own edamame!  Buy seeds from Wannamaker Farms or other vendors online (See the “Grow Your Own” section below).  You can grow edamame just about anywhere in the US.
3. Edamame nutrion equals soy foods nutrition since they are made from the same thing.  There is a great facts sheet at soyfoods.org which discusses all aspects of soy-related nutrition issues.
2. Sprinkle the edamame with lemon juice after cooking or add soy sauce/tamari to the water when cooking to subtly enhance their flavor.
1. Edamame, maodoujia, vegetable soybeans, beer beans, sweet beans,  garden soybeans, green soybeans, immature soybeans, edible soybeans – they are all the same thing.

Edamame: 60 Tempting Recipes Featuring America’s Hottest New Vegetable – “These tasty beans are highlighted in 60 mouthwatering recipes. Whet your taste buds with Grilled Tomatoes with Edamame and Goat Cheese, Flank Steak with Jeweled Salsa, Balsamic Glazed Winter Vegetables, or Warm Scallop and Edamame Salad. Not just delicious, these recipes are packed with nutrients. But health benefits are just a bonus because the recipes are ones that any chef would be proud to serve his diners. No bland health food here but instead rich appetizers like guacamole and creamy soups such as Thai Seafood Bisque. Although the market has many cookbooks, this is the first to focus completely on Edamame-America’s Hottest New Vegetable.”

Soy of Cooking: Easy-to-Make Vegetarian, Low-Fat, Fat-Free, and Antioxidant-Rich Gourmet Recipes – “Soy of Cooking Now, you can create elegant meals that are as healthy as they are delicious. Soy of Cooking is a gourmet guide to preparing savory meatless dishes that incorporate nutrient-rich soyfoods into your diet—high in antioxidants and phytochemicals, as well as fiber and vitamins. With more than 170 enticing recipes, this innovative cookbook shows how to combine creative techniques and easy-to-find soyfoods to make healthy starters, main dishes, desserts, and more with tempting, artful presentations. Soy of Cooking defines 30 new and traditional soyfoods, most of which can be found in supermarkets and health food stores around the country. It also includes a guide to useful cooking techniques, tips on using spices,and soyfood exchange information.”

A few varieties include: “Envy”, “Besweet 2020″, “Beer Friend”, “Butterbaby”, “Butterbeans”, “Early Hakucho”, “Green Pearls”, “Misono Green”, “Shironomai”, “Tohya”  Seed companies that carry Edamame:  vermontbean.com, johnnyseeds.com, and Wannamaker Farms. Here are some direct links to buy seeds on Amazon.com: Edamame Green Soybean Seeds 50 Seeds at Amazon and Soybeans Edamame Black Seeds 7 Grams at Amazon

Soybean Plants © ARS/USDA

Growing your own healthy low-calorie edamame is easy.  Here is one person’s discussion of growing soy bean plants in flower pots on their deck.  Of interesting note in this blog post: soybeans have small root systems and thus you can plant them close together – in 2 inch spacings.  They put six plants in a large flower pot – lots of beautiful foliage and lots of edamame pods!

If you often find yourself in coveralls driving a tractor, then you will find the USDA page on growing edamame as a row crop more informative.

Finally, you will find this article at the National Garden Bureau web site to be most informative: history, seed varieties, growing and harvesting are all covered.