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What Is Kosher Chicken?

Carol Luther
Carol Luther

"Kosher" is a term that refers to foods that satisfy Jewish dietary laws. These laws are found in religious texts and contain specific instructions about the foods that members of this religious group can consume. To be considered kosher, chicken and other poultry must be handled in accordance with kosher laws during slaughter and butchering. Kosher chicken must also conform to additional Jewish dietary restrictions related to the preparation of foods.

Jewish law requires that a kosher chicken be handled humanely during its slaughter. A shochet, someone who has been specially trained to slaughter animals in a kosher manner, must kill the chicken by making only one incision in its neck with a sharp instrument. This centuries-old technique spares the chicken from excess suffering. The incision must simultaneously sever the chicken’s jugular vein, carotid artery, trachea and esophagus.

In the Jewish tradition, coarse kosher salt is used to season a chicken that has been processed in accordance with traditional kosher laws.
In the Jewish tradition, coarse kosher salt is used to season a chicken that has been processed in accordance with traditional kosher laws.

After the chicken’s neck is cut, the person who slaughters it must inspect the bird’s internal organs. This is to determine if the chicken had any disease from which it would have died naturally within a year. A diseased bird cannot receive certification as a kosher chicken, even when the proper method of slaughter has been used.

Kosher law forbids consumption of the blood of a slaughtered animal and requires that the chicken’s blood be completely extracted from the dead animal by brining the carcass in salt. Salt must be applied to the flesh of a chicken within 72 hours of its slaughter. One leaves the bird in the brine for at least an hour in specific positions that let the blood drain from the body naturally.

According to Jewish kosher dietary laws, dairy products and meat should never be served together.
According to Jewish kosher dietary laws, dairy products and meat should never be served together.

Poultry that Jewish law allows its followers to eat must also eat kosher. Chickens that have consumed any food products that are forbidden for Jewish consumption will not be considered kosher chicken. The main products that would make chicken unacceptable are pork and grains that are not kosher under Jewish law. Chickens processed in non-kosher facilities or using non-kosher utensils and equipment also are not kosher.

Kosher chicken is processed in a way that conforms to Jewish dietary laws.
Kosher chicken is processed in a way that conforms to Jewish dietary laws.

Additional kosher dietary laws forbid combining meat and milk. This restriction also applies to kitchen utensils used in cooking the two foods. To keep a kitchen kosher, one uses separate pots, pans and utensils for dairy products and meat, including chicken. During the preparation of kosher chicken, one must not add dairy products to the dish while taking care to use only the meat preparation utensils and equipment.

Discussion Comments

anon1006872

I recently read about the process for kosher chicken. My boyfriend bought me kosher chicken for me to cook for my next chicken meal. From this day on, I will only purchase kosher chicken. It was delicious! I like the process used to meet the kosher standards.

turquoise

I had kosher chicken at a restaurant the other day. I wasn't sure what to expect but it was a well roasted chicken with a base of pita bread and sauce. It was delicious!

SteamLouis

@burcinc-- I never eat non-kosher foods, for both religious and health related reasons. Kosher foods truly are better because they're from the earth and they're completely pure. That's how food ought to be.

The worst part about non-kosher chicken is that these birds are treated inhumanely. They are kept in cages their whole lives and fed antibiotics and fattening grains so that they grow quickly. I'm not sure how they're slaughtered and plucked, but it's probably not in accordance with Jewish law And I don't think that any extra effort is made to remove all of their blood.

burcinc

I buy kosher chicken from a Jewish market that only sells kosher foods. I was not following a kosher diet for a while and did eat non-kosher chicken. But I felt terrible about it, not knowing what the chicken had been fed, how it was slaughtered and whether the blood had been drained properly. Now I make sure to only purchase kosher foods including chicken. I've also noticed that kosher chicken tastes much better. I guess that's because of the pure, healthy grains the bird is fed with.

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    • In the Jewish tradition, coarse kosher salt is used to season a chicken that has been processed in accordance with traditional kosher laws.
      By: natashamam35
      In the Jewish tradition, coarse kosher salt is used to season a chicken that has been processed in accordance with traditional kosher laws.
    • According to Jewish kosher dietary laws, dairy products and meat should never be served together.
      By: seqoya
      According to Jewish kosher dietary laws, dairy products and meat should never be served together.
    • Kosher chicken is processed in a way that conforms to Jewish dietary laws.
      By: marrakeshh
      Kosher chicken is processed in a way that conforms to Jewish dietary laws.
    • Kosher chicken might be served at a bris.
      By: Kuvien
      Kosher chicken might be served at a bris.