Looking at and feeling the chicken can give you information that the label does not provide. When shopping for a whole fresh chicken that you are planning on roasting whole, select one that has a rounded, plump breast. It would contain more breast meat and that provides a nicely shaped bird when roasted. When selecting chicken parts, choose those that are plump and moist. Compare the proportion of meat to bone. If lacking in meat, you are paying for more bone than meat. When feeling the breastbone, it should easily yield to your touch, indicating that it is a young bird that will provide tender meat. The colour of the skin does not have any bearing on the tenderness or taste of the chicken. Breed and what the chickens eat affect the colour of the skin. Producers will raise white or yellow skinned chickens according to preferences in different regions. It is important to look at the skin, avoiding chicken with skin that it is patchy coloured or skin that has a transparent look to it.
Another sign of freshness is the color of the bones. Look at the ends of the bone and if they are turning gray, the chicken is getting old. If they are a pinkish color, they are still fairly fresh and the pinker the color the fresher the chicken. Look at the chicken to be sure it has been cleaned thoroughly, checking for signs of hair or feathers that were not completely removed. Fresh chicken, whether whole or pieces, should have a fresh smell.
