Chicken Neck Products

Although a chicken's neck is often considered an "unusual" part of a chicken to consume, it can be very delicious. Chicken necks make up a part of chicken giblets, including the heart, gizzard, and liver of the bird. Giblets are often packaged and included in the body cavity — occasionally, along with the kidneys —when you buy a whole chicken. You can also find chicken neck to purchase on its own. 

The chicken neck is frequently less expensive than other chicken parts like thighs, drumsticks, and breasts. Though a chicken neck doesn't offer much meat, it does boast a considerable amount of fat, connective tissue, and skin you can use for some delicious crisping. Those characteristics make chicken neck particularly well suited for creating stock or cooking like you would with chicken wings. 

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The chicken neck is the ideal ingredient in a sumptuous and silky stock. Bone, collagen and connective tissue help create the best possible stock, and chicken necks have all of that. You can use the chicken neck on its own or as part of the giblet to flavor your homemade gravy or stock. Unlike chicken feet, chicken necks do not require deep cleaning before cooking. You just put them in a pot with some aromatics, a teaspoon or so of salt, and the contents of the scrap bag in your freezer.

Cover everything in the pot with water and bring to a boil. Then, turn the heat down and let the pot simmer. You should let the chicken necks cook for several hours, skimming off the top of the pot as you go. If you prefer, you can also use these ingredients to make stock in a pressure cooker; this method takes about an hour. When the stock reaches your desired flavor, strain, chill, and place it in the refrigerator to let the fat rise to the top and congeal. You can skim this part off if you prefer a low-fat stock. You can store your stock in the refrigerator for a few days or indefinitely in the freezer.

You can also cook chicken neck as you would chicken wings. A sous vide process often works best as a first step, as the neck is primarily made up of fat, connective tissue, and skin. Start by seasoning the necks with salt, then set them in a freezer bag and cook for two to four hours in a bath at 150 degrees Fahrenheit. Blot the chicken necks with paper towels after removing them from the bag.

Chicken necks taste great when they've been broiled or fried. Because necks are fattier than wings, they may still release some grease during cooking, so you should exercise caution when cooking these products in your oven. If you want to broil, you should cook a chicken neck sous vide for four hours and broil on the oven's lower rack, so it's further from the heating coil.

To fry a chicken neck, fill a cast iron pan or Dutch oven with enough oil to cover the necks, then heat to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Fry until the neck's skin gets golden brown and crisp, about seven to 10 minutes. Then remove the necks from the oil, drain on paper towels, and serve with your go-to wing sauce.