There was a time when almost nothing from a chicken was wasted.
The breast had its purpose. The thighs went into the roasting pan. The wings became a quick supper. And the back, neck, skin, and tail—pieces many people now walk straight past—were exactly what experienced home cooks wanted for the deepest, richest dishes.
Chicken backs are inexpensive because there isn’t an enormous amount of neat, boneless meat attached to them. But that is also what makes them interesting.
They’re full of bones, connective tissue, skin, little pockets of meat, and intensely flavored pieces surrounding the backbone.
And the chicken tail—sometimes called the parson’s nose—is particularly fatty and flavorful.
Cook these pieces quickly and they can seem disappointing.
Cook them slowly, and something completely different happens.
The Cut Most People Leave Behind
Chicken backs aren’t pretty.
That’s probably half the reason they’re overlooked.
But when I look at one now, I don’t see an inferior cut. I see exactly what I want when making a deeply flavored broth or slow-cooked chicken dish.
Around all those bones are small muscles and connective tissues.
During slow, moist cooking, collagen in connective tissue gradually converts into gelatin.
That’s what gives homemade chicken broth that characteristic body—the texture that can become almost jelly-like once refrigerated.
And unlike boneless chicken breast, these pieces bring plenty of chicken flavor to the cooking liquid.
The Tail Is Completely Different
Then there’s the tail.
This little triangular piece at the rear of the chicken contains substantially more fat than lean breast meat.
That means it becomes beautifully rich when browned properly.
But there’s a trick:
don’t begin by drowning everything in water.
I brown the chicken first.
That single step completely changes the final dish.
The First 10 Minutes Create the Flavor
Pat the chicken backs and tails dry.
Heat a heavy pan or Dutch oven.
Place the pieces skin-side down and allow some of their own fat to render.
Don’t keep moving them.
Give the surface time to become deeply golden.
That browning creates hundreds of flavorful compounds through the Maillard reaction.
Then look at the bottom of the pan.
Those dark golden bits stuck underneath?
Don’t throw them away.
That’s concentrated flavor waiting to become sauce.
My Old-Fashioned Chicken Back & Tail Pot
This is the recipe that made me wonder why these cuts had disappeared from so many kitchens.
Ingredients
- 1 kg chicken backs and tails
- 2 large onions, sliced
- 2 carrots, roughly chopped
- 2 celery stalks
- 5 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- approximately 750 ml water or unsalted chicken stock
- fresh parsley
- salt to taste
Start by patting the chicken completely dry.
Place the tails skin-side down in a cold heavy pot and gradually bring up the heat. They’ll begin releasing their own fat.
Once you have a thin layer of rendered fat, add the backs.
Brown everything thoroughly.
Remove the chicken temporarily.
Now add the onions, carrots, and celery directly to that flavorful fat.
Cook until the onions begin turning golden.
Then add garlic and tomato paste.
Cook the tomato paste for another minute or two until it darkens slightly.
Add both paprikas and immediately pour in a splash of water, scraping every browned piece from the bottom.
This is the moment that creates the sauce.
Return the chicken.
Add marjoram, bay leaves, peppercorns, vinegar, and enough liquid to come most of the way up the chicken without completely drowning it.
Cover and cook gently for approximately 1½–2 hours.
You can also place the covered pot in a 160°C / 320°F oven.
By the end, the meat surrounding the bones should pull away easily and the cooking liquid should feel noticeably richer.
Don’t Throw Away the Liquid
This may be the best part.
Remove the chicken and vegetables.
Strain the cooking liquid if you want a smoother broth.
Then refrigerate it.
The following morning, don’t be surprised if it has transformed into something resembling jelly.
That isn’t something gone wrong.
That’s gelatin.
Warm it and it liquefies again.
This intensely flavored stock can become the base for soup, beans, lentils, rice, vegetables, sauces, or another stew.
One inexpensive batch of chicken backs has suddenly produced several meals.
And Don’t Throw Away the Meat Either
Once the cooked backs are cool enough to handle, I sit down for five minutes and pick every piece of meat from the bones.
There’s more than you expect.
Collect it in a bowl.
Then mix the shredded chicken with:
- chopped parsley
- finely diced pickles
- a little mustard
- finely chopped spring onion
- black pepper
- spoonful of thick yogurt
Now you have a wonderfully savory chicken spread for toast or sandwiches.
One pot.
Dinner + broth + another meal.
That’s the old-fashioned kitchen economy I love.
The Crispy Tail Trick
If you enjoy the richer tail pieces, there’s another way to finish them.
After braising, remove the tails and pat the surface dry.
Place them under a hot grill/broiler for 3–5 minutes.
The outside becomes crisp while the interior remains rich and tender.
Finish with paprika, garlic, and a squeeze of lemon.
It’s intensely savory, so a small portion alongside vegetables is plenty.
Why Our Grandparents Loved Cuts Like These
It wasn’t because they possessed some mysterious ingredient we’ve lost.
They simply understood how different cuts behave.
Lean meat likes relatively careful cooking.
Connective-tissue-rich cuts reward time.
Bones create flavorful stock.
Skin and fatty pieces can provide the cooking fat.
Leftover meat becomes tomorrow’s meal.
Broth becomes soup.
Nothing has to be glamorous.
It simply has to be used intelligently.
One Important Kitchen Detail
Because these are poultry pieces, I keep the raw chicken completely separate from foods that won’t be cooked, wash hands and utensils after handling it, and cook the chicken thoroughly.
For poultry, the center should reach at least 74°C / 165°F.
After that, the long braising time does something entirely different: it continues tenderizing the connective tissues and developing the texture.
The Second-Day Soup May Be Even Better
The next day, heat approximately three cups of your reserved broth.
Add diced carrot, a handful of barley, chopped cabbage, garlic, and some of the picked chicken meat.
Simmer until the barley becomes tender.
Finish with parsley and lemon.
And suddenly the “cheap scraps” bought yesterday have become a rich homemade soup that tastes as though it simmered in somebody’s grandmother’s kitchen all afternoon.
The Cheap Cut I Would Buy Again
Chicken backs and tails will never look as convenient as a tray of perfectly trimmed chicken breasts.
That’s fine.
Their value is somewhere else.
Brown them first. Cook them slowly. Save the broth. Pick the meat. Use everything.
The bones and connective tissue give the cooking liquid body.
The little pieces of meat provide flavor.
The tail contributes richness.
And vegetables and herbs transform everything into a meal that costs surprisingly little.
Sometimes the best recipe isn’t about discovering a new ingredient.
It’s about realizing that the part we’ve been ignoring all these years was delicious all along.
If you’re looking for more surprising culinary delights, you might enjoy this Brussels Sprouts Recipe That Is a Real Gem, or discover Why I Eat Dill Regularly for its incredible benefits.
