Whole Soup Chicken (each)

$15.00

Size

Raised on pasture and organic, non-GMO feed.

These chickens are also called "spent hens", as they were raised to produce eggs. A typical egg-laying hen produces about 300 eggs during it's first year, with a steady decline after that. Once the hen no longer produces enough eggs to pay for their feed cost, they are processed for their meat.

Soup chickens are very different from chickens raised for their meat. Meat birds are bred to grow very quickly, and develop full breasts and thighs, while egg-layers are bred to spend most of their energy for egg laying so their meat is tougher and there is far less of it.

To cook a soup chicken, the best course of action is "low and slow" in order to tenderize the tougher meat, and draw out the health benefits of the bones and skin. We recommend bringing the bird to boil in a pot with vegetables, aromatics and seasoning, before reducing the heat to a simmer for 6ish hours. Remove the bird and cooked vegetables from the stock, shred the meat, and return the meat to the stock along with any rice or noodles you prefer!

You can also find wonderful recipes that use soup hens, like the classic "coq au vin".