A guide to poultry: From choosing the best, farm-raised bird, to preparing it in the kitchen
A seasonal treat that few know about
Before we get into portioning, there's one myth that needs to be debunked. Truly good chicken is, in fact, a seasonal treat — just like asparagus or strawberries. “Chickens that run around outside on the grass, free-range, are available roughly from May through to November. Depending on the weather, of course,” explains Ondra Kuracina. This means that during the winter, it’s necessary to settle for a reasonable compromise and look for farms with high-quality indoor housing.
At Biskup, they work with the Loužná farm. “They have a barn that can hold 15,000 chickens, but they only keep 8,000 at a time. This gives the animals plenty of space, and they grow up stress-free,” Ondra explains. He adds that you can buy a whole bird, or choose one of the pre-prepared cuts — thighs, breasts, or a carcass for broth.
Chicken at Biskup
Finding farmers with the space, time, and courage to raise poultry the old-fashioned way and experiment with non-standard feeding methods was almost a year-long detective mission for Ondra Kuracina, ahead of the opening of Prague's Biskup. Now, on the store’s counter, you’ll find meat from the very best local farmers, all of whom he visited in person:
Letařovice Farm: A place where chickens (including egg-laying hens) graze outdoors on fresh grass.
Martin Svoboda: A farmer who lets his chickens roam freely and graze in his own orchard.
Tůmovi Farm: A beautiful space where the whole family lovingly cares for the animals.
Loužná Farm: Our main supplier for the winter months. Although the chickens are raised in barns, they enjoy above-average comfort and space. The farm also has its own slaughterhouse.
The Kořínkovi Family’s Nový Dvůr Farm: Here, they’ve been dedicated to high-quality and ethical turkey farming for over thirty years.
Other trusted places that caught Ondra’s attention with their approach include Rašovice, the Počepický Family Farm and Kozojedy Eco-Farm.
Conventional broiler vs. farm-raised chicken
The taste, texture, and behaviour of the meat in the pan all depend on one key factor: time. This is where you'll spot the biggest difference between an industrially-raised broiler chicken you'll find in the supermarket, and one from a trusted farm.
- Age at slaughter: From a genetic standpoint, a typical supermarket broiler chicken is essentially still a baby. It’s bred to gain weight at a rapid pace and is sent to slaughter after just 35 to 42 days. In contrast, free-range and pasture-raised chickens grow naturally and slowly. They reach slaughter age after at least 81 to 90 days, more than twice as long.
- Water-filled muscles vs. solid muscle structure: Because industrial broiler chickens grow faster than their bodies can naturally build firm muscle fibres, their meat is full of water. That’s why it often shrinks to half its size in the pan. Slow-growing, organically raised chickens have time to literally “work out” their muscles in the sun and fresh air. The result is a firmer texture, a higher protein content, natural fat that carries the flavour, and minimal excess water.
- Living space: In intensive factory farms, as many as 15 to 17 chickens are crammed into a single square meter of a windowless hall. In organic farms, legislation allows for a maximum of 5 to 6 chickens per square meter in a covered area, and, most importantly, the animals have free access to pasture. This stress-free life is directly reflected in the tenderness of the meat on your plate.
When such a high-quality chicken arrives at Biskup, the butchers portion it so that not a single gram of meat goes to waste. Let's take a look at what you can get from a single bird.
A guide to poultry cuts
Each part of the chicken has a different texture, a different fat content, and requires a slightly different approach when cooking. Here’s a simple breakdown for home cooks.
1. Chicken breasts
An absolute classic. The leanest and most tender meat, though prone to drying out when cooking. Ondra Kuracina recommends the lesser-known inner fillet, which is hidden beneath the main breast muscle. “It’s very good, delicate meat. Turkey breast is also great — you can cook it like a minute steak, and it’s incredibly tender.” He also advises buying breasts on the bone, because they stay nice and juicy. “The bone retains heat, and the skin keeps the juices from escaping,” he explains.
- What it’s good for: Quick-cook dishes, fast Asian stir-fries, a hearty chicken schnitzel.
- You can use it to make a quick lunch inspired by Lokál, such as chicken breast with marjoram and rice or chicken Kiev with mashed potatoes based on a recipe from the Kalendů family.
2. Chicken thighs
While most people swear by the breasts, real foodies prefer the thighs. They may be fattier, but that makes them much juicier and gives a more distinctive flavour. “Personally, I prefer thighs to breasts,” confirms Ondra Kuracina.
- What they’re good for: Slow roasting, braising, roasting whole in butter and caraway seeds, making drumsticks for kids, boneless thighs for the grill or in juicy roulades.
- Try your hand at preparing chicken with paprika, a dish all Czechs know and love, using a recipe from the chefs at Lokál, or even fried chicken in a bun à la Bufet.
3. Chicken wings
They’re full of skin, bones, and collagen, which means they're packed with flavour too. At Biskup, they have big plans for wings and soon want to offer them stuffed with a delicate poultry filling.
- What they’re good for: Marinated wings roasted until crispy, or as a flavour base for sauces and broths.
4. Carcasses, necks, and giblets
Parts that many people overlook, yet you can’t make a proper Sunday lunch without them.
- What they’re good for: Clean carcasses and necks are the absolute foundation for a delicious, slow-simmered chicken broth. Try making a hearty chicken soup following Chef Jirka Horák’s recipe. Or, use chicken livers to make the best homemade pâté, perhaps using this time-tested recipe from Kuchyň.
5. The tail or "Parson's nose"
This is something most people automatically cut off and throw away, yet it’s a culinary delicacy. “I remember from my childhood that when the neighbours were roasting chickens on a spit, the first thing I’d grab was the tail. We’d peel it off while the chicken was still turning,” Ondra recalls with a smile. It’s a very fatty cut because it contains the tail fat gland, but once roasted, it’s incredibly crispy and delicious. At Biskup, they routinely use it in the kitchen, so on the menu you’ll find, for example, a “Biskup” skewer.
Poultry math and a few interesting numbers
- The average Czech consumes roughly 27 to 29 kilograms of poultry meat per year. It is by far the most popular meat on our plates, and its consumption continues to rise.
- 70 to 30. That’s roughly the weight ratio of meat (including skin) to bones and skeleton in a typical chicken. When they completely debone a chicken at Biskup, that 30% of bones certainly doesn’t end up in the trash — it goes straight into pots to form a rich base for sauces and soups.
- Only 10% of people worldwide seek out and buy free-range chickens from organic farms.
- Every year, in the European Union, 5.9 billion chickens are raised solely for food.
- At one of the largest hatcheries in the Czech Republic, they produce an astronomical 120 to 130 million chicks.
Why go to Biskup for poultry?
Even though chicken is the king of Czech kitchens, at Biskup the menu goes far beyond — their best-selling item right now is turkey breasts. Depending on the season, you’ll also find free-range turkeys, ducks, geese, and gourmet specialties like quail and pigeons on the counter.
If you’re not in a hurry to get home to cook and are looking for something quick to go, you can grab a ready-made salad with marinated chicken or a chicken sandwich. Right next door in the restaurant, you can taste how the professionals work with this meat. The menu changes regularly depending on the season, but you’ll often find hearty chicken broth, chicken cutlets, or chicken salad with toast.
Plus, at Biskup, they offer top-notch butcher services. Want your chicken deboned? Diced for a sauce? Prepared as a roulade? Just ask right there in the store. Or call the butchers an hour in advance, and when you arrive, a package prepared exactly to your specifications will be waiting for you.
A quick-fire round of everything you should know:
- Should you wash the chicken before cooking?
The chicken you bring home from the farmer has already been through so many cleaning processes that more washing isn’t necessary. Vacuum-sealed chicken may release a little water or blood, but that’s natural, and it’s just juices. However, if you feel better rinsing the meat, feel free to do so. - Will freezing ruin premium chicken?
No, as long as you follow two rules. The ideal temperature is –18 to –24 °C. The meat must be well vacuum-sealed or tightly wrapped; then it will stay in top condition in the freezer for about three months. - What’s store manager Biskup Ondra Kuracina’s favourite chicken dish?
A classic. Either a hearty fried cutlet, or chicken roasted in butter, caraway, and salt. Served with boiled potatoes and homemade tomato salad.
