Chicken supply in peril as lockdown chokes poultry farmers’ access to markets, supplies

MANILA – Poultry farmers are finding it difficult to supply chicken to Metro Manila and parts of Luzon because local government units are not implementing the policies laid down by the national government, the head of an industry group said on Sunday. 

The United Broiler Raisers Association (UBRA) said some LGUs have set up roadblocks and personnel restrictions that have affected their deliveries and supply chains. This was in spite of the order from the national government to allow food deliveries through checkpoints.

“There was an LGU in Nueva Ecija who piled 2 dump trucks in the middle of the road and no one can pass (not) even their constituents. Things like those disrupt the supply chain and also the movement of essential personnel,” UBRA president Bong Inciong said in an interview with ANC.

Central Luzon and the Calabarzon areas are particularly critical to the supply of poultry to Metro Manila and Luzon, Inciong said. 

Poultry farmers, he said, hope that by this week, the national government will be able to convince LGUs to withdraw restrictions on the movement of poultry farm personnel; the delivery of feeds, medicines and other supplies; as well as the delivery of poultry to markets.

“If we don’t straighten this out… in 30 days we will start to feel the effects.”

The poultry industry has also been battered by the drop in demand, which plunged farmgate prices of chicken to P30 on Saturday from P69 before the lockdown, Inciong said. 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Poultry-related stocks fall as investors react to bird flu outbreak

Listed poultry farms and chicken restaurants took a hit Monday as investors reacted to the Philippines' first ever bird flu outbreak in Pampanga. - Business Nightly, ANC, August 14, 2017

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Burger joint goes 'healthy' with chicken patties

MANILA — How do you stand out in the tightly contested burger segment?

Make it healthy… or at least healthier. This is what the owners of H.I.D. Burgers did and this decision proved to be correct since the burger joint, which started in Cainta and Antipolo, now has several branches, including one at City Golf Plaza in Pasig, which will have its official opening on Saturday.

H.I.D. Burgers uses patties made from chicken meat. Instead of coming up with a sandwich like the McChicken or KFC’s Zinger, H.I.D.’s chicken burgers try to approximate the look and taste of an all-beef patty.

“All our burgers are freshly made from 100% chicken. No extenders,” it said.

“Your burgers are also not pre-cooked so please allow several minutes of cooking time. We guarantee that our flame-grilled H.I.D. burgers are worth the wait.”

While H.I.D. burgers look like the standard hamburger, the texture gives it away since it certainly doesn’t have the bite of a beef burger.

But taste-wise, these will certainly satisfy your burger cravings with a wide array of add-ons from mushrooms and coleslaw to several kinds of cheeses; and styles like the Sicilian, Chicano and the Mediterranean.

If you’re not that strict with their diet, you can even choose to add bacon.

At the same time, if you are following a no-carb diet, you can avail of the burgers with lettuce leaves instead of the rather interesting — and tasty — pandesal bun.

But if you just got to have an all-beef burger, H.I.D. has added the Beast Mode BLT, which comes with a 200-gram patty made from beef and bacon, in addition to two strips of bacon.

To go with your burgers, customers can order Classic Potato Wedges (with salt, pepper and olive oil) or the more gourmet Cheesy Bacon Wedge Fries.

Apart from burgers, H.I.D. also has several types of hotdog sandwiches, as well as Hungarian sausage slices, which you can enjoy as pica-pica.

Also popular among regulars are the Hot Wings, which comes in six flavors ranging from mild to spicy; and the Chicken Nuggets with BBQ or garlic sauce.

For the grand opening of the City Golf Ortigas branch on Saturday, the first 100 customers starting at 2 p.m. will get free burgers on their next visit, while all deluxe burgers will be upgraded to premium for free from October 15-17.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken starts global expansion

MANILA – After a decade of operations here in the Philippines, homegrown restaurant chain Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken & Sauce Bar is setting its sights abroad.

Bryan Tiu, owner of I-Foods Inc., said Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken & Sauce Bar recently opened its first international branch in Myanmar.

“We entered Myanmar and we opened two weeks ago,” Tiu told selected members of the media last week. “Ang ganda ng reception… It’s a good market.”

Aside from Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken & Sauce Bar, I-Foods Inc. is home to other homegrown dining concepts such as Stackers Burger Café, Kogi Bulgogi and Wafu.

When asked why he chose Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken & Sauce Bar for his first international venture, Tiu said he believes it is a concept that can be appreciated by anyone: “Tingin ko kasi mas generic siya.”

Weeks before the Myanmar launch, Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken & Sauce Bar opened at Capitol Commons in Pasig. The new restaurant is much larger compared to the previous branches which are usually located inside malls. The Pasig branch even has a second floor that can be closed for private gatherings.

The menu has been expanded to include late-night grub and cocktails, targeting those who want to unwind after a long day at work. There are also affordable salads, appetizers and sandwiches that don’t go above the P400 mark.

But of course, the grilled chicken remains the star here at Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken & Sauce Bar. The restaurant takes pride in using a unique blend of herbs and spices from Africa for its marinade, as well as a wide range of sauces to go with the chicken.

There are eight sauces, to be exact. Tiu said these give them an edge over other peri-peri establishments in Metro Manila, which usually rely on one hot sauce.

“Ang Pinoys mahilig sa sauces, hindi ba?” he noted. “When we go to some peri-peri restaurants, they only have one hot sauce as a highlight… But we did not settle with just one. We have eight sauces.”

Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken & Sauce Bar’s grilled fare is flavorful enough as is, but it also serves as an ideal canvas for the restaurant’s sauces, which range from mild to hot. Expect to go beyond the usual chili and taste flavors like soy, barbecue, hoisin, garlic, mayonnaise and even our very own pinakurat vinegar.

Those who like it fiery may want to try Harissa Exotica, which includes a blend of spices for more layers of flavor, or the straight-up spicy Chili Peppa.

With many restaurants joining the peri-peri chicken trend, Tiu said he is happy that more Filipinos are starting to become more exposed to different dining concepts.

“I think only this year nagkaroon ng mushroom ng mga peri-peri restaurants… I think it’s helping the category,” he said.

Aside from Capitol Commons, Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken & Sauce Bar has branches at SM City North Edsa Annex, Promenade Greenhills and Robinsons Mall Bacolod, and soon at SM Megamall, Solenad Mall in Nuvali and Eastwood City Mall.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Do you want video games with your chicken wings?

MANILA -- The newest branch of Buffalo Wild Wings in Glorietta takes its “wings, beer, sports” mantra seriously.

The American chain's second Philippine branch after Estancia Mall in Capitol Commons, Pasig is a restaurant, a bar, a stadium and a gamer’s paradise all rolled into one.

The Makati branch is the first among the 1,100 Buffalo Wild Wings locations worldwide to feature a gaming wall equipped with Xbox One with Kinect. Guests can test their skills with the latest Electronic Arts games for free.

This is on top of the flat-screen TVs for more traditional sports fans to watch football, boxing and other sporting events from here and abroad.

As for the food, start with bar chow like the Jalapeño Poppers, Pretzels and Nachos before attacking Buffalo Wild Wings’ hand-spun chicken wings.

Choose from 18 different sauces ranging from mild Smilin’ for timid taste buds, to tongue-incinerating Sizzling for those who like their wings extra hot. Be adventurous and check out unique sauces like the Asian Zing, which is like having Thai Red Curry Wings.

Buffalo Wild Wings also boasts of giving customers the most pleasant beer drinking experience that can be found anywhere. This is due to their proprietary nucleic beer glasses that virtually removes the froth and that unpleasant bloated feeling from downing too many mugs of beer. The bar is stocked with both local and foreign beers. Craft beers, for the more discerning beer drinkers, are also on the beverage list.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

No ChickenJoy? Jollibee explains why

MANILA - Jollibee Foods Corp. apologized to its customers on Thursday, after ChickenJoy and other items were unavailable in some branches in Metro Manila.

In a statement, Jollibee Foods vice president for marketing Harvey Ong said a major systems upgrade was the main reason why a number of Jollibee stores in Metro Manila and nearby cities were operating on a limited menu.

"Unfortunately, this change in system has initially affected the delivery schedule of raw materials from our commissary to select stores," he said.

Ong clarified that there is no shortage of chicken.

"We would like to clarify that this is NOT a supply issue or a chicken shortage situation. Rest assured that this is only temporary as we are working round the clock to ensure that all our products – including Chickenjoy, Jolly Spaghetti and Yumburgers – will be made available again in all the affected stores soonest. In fact, some of these stores have already begun offering these Jollibee favorites again," he said.

"We would like to sincerely apologize for this temporary inconvenience, and thank our customers for bearing with us," he added.

Some netizens even created the hashtag #ChickenSad on Twitter when complaining about the lack of ChickenJoy in some Jollibee stores.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

McDonald's Japan stops sourcing all chicken from China

TOKYO - McDonald's Holdings Co (Japan) said it halted sales of all products that use chicken meat that originates in China on Friday, switching its sourcing completely to Thailand.

McDonald's Japan had already stopped selling items that used meat sourced from Shanghai Husi Food Co, a China-based supplier that had been shut down over food safety concerns. Shanghai Husi had supplied about 20 percent of its Chicken McNuggets.

"We made this decision in view of the growing concern over McDonald's chicken products made in China," McDonald's Japan Chief Executive Sarah Casanova said in a statement.

McDonald's Japan said some stores could sell out of chicken-based items depending on the level of available inventory.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Celebrate National Fried Chicken Day with fried chicken five ways

It's National Fried Chicken Day y'all. Why not celebrate the ultimate comfort food, tailgate snack and guilty pleasure of finger lick'n fans everywhere? There's a reason why fried chicken is typically served by the bucket full. It's simply too hard to ever get enough of that crispy, salty skin and juicy moist chicken. After all, it really is the best way to cook a bird.

To celebrate, you can definitely get your chicken fix at a restaurant, but why not make the good stuff at home? Think of it as a way to eat as much as you want, as messily as you want in the comfort of your own home. I've been known to cause quite a mess of my own with what I like to call my "special technique." Take all the meat and skin off a piece of fried chicken, with your hands of course, then pile it sky high on a waffle or a biscuit. Top it off with a healthy dose of syrup and hot sauce then wrap it up like a burrito and voila. Some serious finger lick'n is sure to ensue.

If you're up for the challenge, here are five ways to make fried chicken from the Los Angeles Times test kitchen. And as a bonus, here's the recipe for The Tasting Kitchen executive chef Casey Lane's sweet and savory bacon waffles with fried "clucks" after the jump. Enjoy, and don't forget the napkins!

Fried "clucks" recipe *note this recipe has not been tested by the Los Angeles Times test kitchen

Fried chicken batter
5 1/2 cups butter milk
2 eggs
1 whole chicken cut into 8 frying piece
1 pound pastry flour (will cook up crispier and lighter do to the lower gluten content)
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder

Preparation

Season chicken to taste with salt and fine ground black pepper. Whisk 2 eggs very well in a large bowl. Whisk in the buttermilk at a medium pace, not too vigorously as you do not want to whip the milk. Sift all of the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl. Heat frying oil to 325 degrees F. (A frying thermometer is a useful tool to have).

Place a piece of chicken inside the flour mixture and coat well, be careful to toss it gently. Next dip chicken in the milk and egg mixture. Let sit for 10 seconds to allow flour to absorb batter.

Take chicken out of the batter and gently lay in the flour mixture again. Toss the chicken gently, but liberally coat with flour mix. Handle the chicken as gently as possible, without dusting off too much of the flour place chicken in the frying oil. Cooking usually takes about 8-10 min. for the leg and thigh pieces, a bit less for the breast and wing.

Sweet and savory bacon waffle recipe * note this recipe has not been tested by the Los Angeles Times test kitchen

20 ounces all-purpose (AP) flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons baking powder
6 egg yolks
3 cups milk (room temp)
8 ounces melted butter
6 egg whites
2 ounces sugar

Preparation

For bacon option: 4 slices of precooked bacon to your liking, be it crispy or slightly chewy. Thin sliced is preferable for this recipe.

Warm up waffle iron. Sift together dry ingredients. Whisk together egg yolks, milk, and melted butter. Fold together wet and dry ingredients, being careful not to stir too much to avoid gluten development. Beat egg whites and sugar to create a meringue with soft peaks. Fold meringue into batter. Add half of the waffle batter to the hot iron. Layer in bacon. Ladle other half of batter into iron to cover bacon.

source: latimes.com