But What Do You DO With A Whole Chicken? (Introduction)
Greetings from The Cluckery! This time last year found me watching the hens peck around outside during a February thaw. Ha! This year I can’t get them to do more than peek out the door of their winter quarters. They don’t want to be out in a foot of snow any more than we do, so I’m doing my best to keep them happy indoors: alfalfa hay hanging from the ceiling for them to jump and peck at, and scratch grains thrown on the floor to keep them hunting and scratching. They weren’t laying eggs for anything, but a homeopathic remedy and some heat lamps have turned that corner, thank the Lord.
Anyway, while I don’t yet have order forms ready for this year’s chickens, I thought of a fun way to get you thinking toward how many chickens you might like to order this time around, because I do hope to have the forms mailed out to you within the next month or two. Let me give you a little back story to this idea.
About a year ago Kevin and I and one or two of our kids were pulling away from a local restaurant. We had shared a taco salad and I suppose the kids got a burger, but either the restaurant cheapened their ingredients, or we’ve turned into food snobs, because about $40 later, we had eaten, but we felt – just – heavy. It was sort of good-ish going down, I suppose, but not worth $40, and we knew we had just eaten a bunch of plastic-cheese-coated garbage. I remember telling Kevin, “We could have “bought” about two of our pastured chickens for what just paid for that meal, and we would feel a million times better.”
Ever since that experience, I’ve been tossing around in my mind all the many ways a chicken can feed your family, from the initial “chicken dinner” to the various ways of making stock and what on earth to do with the giblets! And what if you hate chicken skin? So just over the next four to six weeks, Lord willing, I intend to send you a weekly e-mail with ideas to prepare and then stretch your chicken. I hope you enjoy this and feel inspired. And of course, if you have any favorite recipes, send them my way!
My intent is to feature a different method each week: perhaps Oven Roasting, Slow Cooker, Instant Pot, Air Fryer, Stove Top; maybe something else if inspiration strikes. Aha! Inspiration has struck! Let us not forget the Brined Spatchcocked Chicken on the Grill! You might even make a treat for your pets…I don’t want to drive you nuts, so I don’t plan to hit them all, but ideas are swirling in my head, and I’m taking requests. 😉
So watch your e-mail, and God willing tomorrow I’ll send the first “installment.” Let me know what you think!