Old Chicken vs Young Chicken

[barryg]

When I shop in the Asian markets around me I see two kinds of chicken available in the pre-packed butcher section: young chicken and old chicken.

Which is what I would be used to getting in a regular supermarket? What is the difference between the two kinds and what types of recipes is one or the other better for?

[barryg]

Thanks for the excellent info!

[LabRat]

Supermarket chickens are almost always young chickens. They are suited to fast cooking methods like frying, broiling, roasting and grilling. Old chickens are less tender but more flavorful. They tend to be used with slower cooking methods like stewing and braising.

[greygarious]

You will sometimes see old chickens labeled as "fowl". Also topnotch for soup stock. If memory serves, chickens are usually sold by or before age 12 weeks. There's an early, black&white episode of The French Chef that starts with a line-up of different sized/aged chickens and she explains each of them. The younger the chicken, the more cartilaginous the end of the breastbone is. If it is hard and won't move, the bird is mature.