Chicken - the main bird in terms of livestock and culinary popularity on Earth. It is appreciated almost entirely, but, unfortunately, the paws are paid attention in the last turn.
But they can be equally delicious and extremely useful.
How to cook chicken paws profitably and for what they are valued
Chicken legs are our specific by-product, often considered no more than waste, in the worst case - pet food, at best - a minor ingredient for aspic (jelly).
In fact, in chicken legs there is both good and taste, they are suitable for more than broth.
Although, I must admit, with them it turns out to be very rich, bold, it freezes perfectly.
A real abundance of chicken paw recipes is found in the culinary traditions of China and Southeast Asia. There, on the broth, they prepare the first dishes and sauces, the legs are stewed in honey-mustard sauce, cooked with rice and noodles, vegetables and mushrooms.
The taste of this part of the domestic chicken is unusual, there is no appetizing meat, in a word, paws - the product is very amateurish and, of course, a find for connoisseurs of jelly.
To prepare chicken legs according to any recipe, you need to properly process them, and there is nothing complicated about it:
· Paws need to be thoroughly washed in water, it is possible in a bowl or under the tap;
· Then gently rub with salt;
· Then you need to put them in a bowl and pour boiling water for 3 minutes;
· Draining the water and waiting until it has cooled, they can be cleaned without difficulty from the upper yellowish layer of the skin;
· Next, you need to cut off the claws with culinary scissors or a knife, rinse the legs again and finally you can cook them.
Neither fillet, nor giblets with scallops, nor chicken skin possess the same nutritional, wholesome qualities as plain tiles.
At one time, they were one of the main ingredients of traditional medicine in many countries of Asia, prominent scholars of antiquity believed that it would be possible without them to create an elixir of youth, longevity, immortality ... This, of course, is too much.
But there is really huge benefit in chicken paws.
How the composition and benefits of chicken legs are interconnected
The high content of a special protein cannot be recommended for athletes to build muscle, but according to studies by scientists from Japan, it has the ability to normalize blood pressure and, therefore, can be useful for hypertensive patients.
Chicken legs contain a lot of copper, sodium and phosphorus, calcium.
They contain vitamins A, E, C, K, as well as most of group B, but B4 (choline) is especially worth noting, the high content of which provides:
· Prevention of gallstones formation;
· Healthy heart function;
· The full functioning of the liver and the prevention of its obesity (lack of choline is one of the main reasons for its development);
· Stability of the nervous system;
· Maintaining an optimal level of cholesterol in the blood;
· Good short-term memory and ability to concentrate.
But almost the main thing in the legs of the chicken is collagen. No matter how you cook the limbs of a chicken, it will be preserved and assimilated in full. And much can be said about its benefits:
· It is necessary for the health of the musculoskeletal system. Collagen makes joints and ligaments more elastic and mobile, literally reduces their biological age, and in the presence of joint diseases - reduces pain, swelling and inflammatory processes;
· Protein and calcium from anything are absorbed an order of magnitude better if the body does not lack collagen;
· In such an important area of the functioning of the body as hematopoiesis, collagen stimulates the production of red blood cells;
· Collagen is involved in the metabolism of fats and can significantly accelerate it.
Collagen is also one of the most famous substances in the modern beauty industry.
The production of collagen in the human body is directly related to its intake in food.
Thanks to collagen, the skin is able to look young, fresh and radiant. It gives it elasticity, hastily supports cell regeneration, smoothes wrinkles and even prevents the occurrence of inflammatory processes in the epidermis.
A sufficient amount of collagen in the body is necessary for fluffy, prone to rapid growth (rather than loss), strong, silky hair.
In addition, in chicken legs there are two more serious substances:
· Hyaluronic acid is necessary for the water balance of the skin, and it is well known how a lack of moisture can age and make the youngest face “wilted”. Also, the acid is an antioxidant, has antibacterial properties. Supports the health and hydration of eye tissues;
· Chondroitin sulfate is involved in phosphorus-calcium metabolism and is effective in the treatment of osteoarthrosis.
Significant fat content could endanger chicken legs, if not for the fact that it is well absorbed and saturates the body with energy, increases the tone and functionality of internal organs.
The energy value of chicken legs is 215 kcal per 100 g of product, that is enough to not get carried away excessively.
When will chicken paws benefit?
The most easily digestible dishes from chicken legs, for example, soup and aspic, can also find a place in a strict diet menu during the recovery period after serious illnesses, operations or injuries. Such nutrition quickly strengthens the immune system and activates all the body's natural protective resources involved in its recovery processes.
Regular consumption of chicken legs contributes not only to the regeneration of damaged tissues, but also to the improvement of the state of healthy ones.
Chicken legs are also useful in old age, when it is especially important to maintain a normal metabolic rate and protect bones that are becoming increasingly fragile.
Scientists also note the property of the paws of chickens to normalize the hormonal background of men and women, which is clearly useful both in terms of reproductive functions and in the sphere of the psycho-emotional state, which, as is known, is often often caused by hormonal disorders.
Can there be harm from the chicken legs
According to nutritionists, chicken legs, for all their usefulness, still do not belong to the meat and offal of the first value categories, so you should not make their appearance on the table regular and abundant. To try out their beneficial properties, it’s enough to eat only 3-4 of them per month, of course, not forgetting the balance and benefits of the rest of the diet.
If you lean on chicken legs, there will still be harm, at least from the fact that they are very fatty, and also - they are not so easily digested and absorbed.
Caution should be taken by people with steadily lowered blood pressure so that it does not stray even lower than normal.
In addition, the harm of chicken legs is expressed in a significant cholesterol content, so theoretically, their use can provoke a deterioration in the state of blood vessels and the development of atherosclerosis.
