One of my favorite products to feature is a whole, pasture raised chicken. Our chickens have so much flavor because of the way they are raised – slow and naturally outside on green grass where the chickens can forage for bugs, seeds, and grasses in the pasture. These plump birds are juicy and flavorful.
Or if you want to read a bit more about how and where our chickens are raised, click here to read “Countdown to Summer: 8 Weeks to Grow out a Chicken.”
A whole, fresh pasture raised chicken can yield a few great meals for your family: plan ahead, and let the frozen bird thaw in your fridge for at least 2 days before cooking. If you want more to read, check out our original Chicken 101 Class Guide written by Parker Bosley.
Roasting the whole bird first is the easiest way to tackle your chicken. Check out our Simple Roasted Chicken with Garlic recipe for crispy skin, or our Chicken in a Pot recipe for soft and juicy chicken (and the beginnings of stock), or the classic, Parker’s Roast Chicken. If you want to cut up your bird into pieces first, click here for directions.
About ½-⅔ of a roasted five pound chicken is enough for a group of 4.
Here are Parker’s roast chicken directions for high and low heat:
HIGH HEAT ROASTING
Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Rinse the whole chicken, cavity and surface, with cold water, removing the neck and the giblets (reserve for stock– keep reading!) Dry the surface and the cavity with a towel. Place a few large pieces of chopped onion, carrot and celery with a half teaspoon of dried thyme and a bay leaf in the cavity. Place the chicken, breast side up, in a shallow roasting pay. Soften two tablespoons of butter and combine the butter with a tablespoon of minced fresh herbs—parsley, rosemary, thyme, tarragon—in any combination. Add a little salt and fresh ground pepper.
Rub the surface with the butter (or use olive oil) for crispy skin.
Roast the chicken for 20 minutes to ½ hour at 450 degrees. Lower the heat to 350. A small chicken—3 to 4 lbs—will take about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes; 5 to 6 lbs will take about 1 hour and 45 minutes. Chickens over 6 lbs will 2 to 2 ½ hours.
Let the roasted chicken rest for 10 or 15 minutes before carving it. Save the cooking juices for the stock pot. Remove the leg and thigh pieces and then separate the leg from the thigh. Remove the breast portions. Cut the breast into two portions. When the remaining chicken is cool, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for leftovers.
SLOW ROASTING (LOW HEAT)
Prep the chicken as mentioned above in the high heat roasting, but start your oven at just 250. Roast the chicken for 3 hours at 250. Stir the vegetable from time to time. Baste the chicken with the oil, butter and juice in the pan.
To finish, raise the temperature to 375. Add some sprigs of herbs to the pan. Roast for an additional ½ hour to 45 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the oven and set aside to rest about ten minutes. Place a cutting/carving board on a tray and then place the chicken on the cutting/carving board. The tray will prevent the juices from flowing out on the counter. Carefully remove the thigh and leg portions. Separate these into two parts yielding four portions. Serve the roasted vegetables with the pan juices.
SALAD
Cold, cooked chicken makes for a fantastic lunch. Toss diced chicken with lemon juice, olive oil and minced garlic and serve on a bed of greens with some sliced cherry tomatoes and you’re good to go!
Parker also likes to add cold boiled potatoes, chopped hard cooked eggs and some minced parsley and other herbs. Toss it with a teaspoon of Dijon mustard with 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil and toss with the chicken and potatoes.
SANDWICHES
Or make a sandwich: On top of some toasted bread, add some homemade mayo, some lettuce, sliced cooked beets with half of a hard cooked egg. Season with a little salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil and a small piece of Pepper Havarti. Or, you know, however you like to make chicken sandwiches!
POT PIE
Another great full meal is to make a Chicken Pot Pie— use up a bunch of root vegetables and have a piping hot dinner on the table in less than an hour.
CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP
Dice carrot and onion to equal ½ cup each. Place these in a heavy bottom pan with a little olive oil. Cover the pan and place over low heat for about 20 minutes to sweat the vegetables. Add a teaspoon of dried thyme.
Into a soup pot, add about 3 cups of chicken stock and egg noodles, and cook until almost done (you can pre-cook egg noodles separately as well.) Mix into pot shredded chicken breast meat and softened veggies and season with salt and pepper. Taste to adjust seasoning.