Happy Chicken
Brenda Gimpl is a local foods enthusiast and has a passion for finding ways to make it available and affordable for everyone.
Happy Chicken
When my husband and I decided to “go green” with our diet as much as we could, we felt the sticker shock that most people living on a budget do when it comes to paying the sometimes higher prices for locally grown food.
A few weeks ago I was at the Rochester Downtown Farmer’s Market shopping for happy chicken. That’s what my son and I call animals that graze outside and experience the life that they were supposed to, “happy!” He elaborated on the story, of course, and talked about the games they play with their friends on their chicken playground. He also wondered if they get sunburns or like taking baths. I so enjoy my son’s imagination and humor at the market!
The real point, though, is that happy chicken is far healthier for us; and to him, it’s more interesting to eat than food he couldn’t relate to (this is a recent discovery, by the way), like chicken nuggets.
So, there we are, contemplating the purchase of another 3 lb chicken for about $12 dollars. That is more than I ever thought I would pay for chicken! But, this isn’t just any chicken; it is happy chicken, packed with nutrition that is just not available in factory-farmed chicken.
It’s also important what happy chicken doesn’t have in it, too. The farmer I buy it from is wonderful and isn’t living in a mansion somewhere charging these prices. They’re doing their best to raise their four children in a modest home, reinvesting in their business of providing nutritious food locally to those of us who will partake. So, we partake.
How does a family of three on a budget afford food like this chicken on a regular basis? First, we use every part of the chicken, we waste almost nothing. And, second, we redirect other parts of our budget (like dining out). The transition that has taken place since we have connected with our local farmers, cook our own whole foods, and sit down and share them as a family together is amazing.
Here is what I made with the chicken.
Meal One: Roasted Chicken
Rinse the chicken, saving the giblets for stock. To roast it, leave it whole, or, to speed the process by cutting it in half straight through the breast bone, leaving the back in tact. Then, place it skin side up in a pan. It cooks much faster and tastes the same. Rub with olive oil or butter and sprinkle with salt, pepper and seasonings like thyme, rosemary, sage, or fresh garlic. Slow roast it on 350 until its brown and juicy tender (2 hours ‘ish). I served it with fresh spinach sautéed in garlic along with my son’s favorite, fried potatoes (also from the market). (Refrigerate leftovers and save the bones.)
Meal Two: More Roasted Chicken
We had more than half of the chicken left, so I put a portion of it in the toaster oven and roasted it again on 350 for about thirty minutes, skin side up. It was just like new. I served that with a fresh salad and cooked carrots.
Meal Three: Chicken Salad
We made a generous salad topped with roasted chicken.
Meal Four and Five: Chicken Soup
Throw all of the remaining parts and saved bones of the chicken carcass into a pot (or crock pot) of water with some salt, a touch of vinegar, and let it boil for a total of twelve hours or so to ensure all of the nutritional benefit is drawn from them. Strain the stock and use it to make chicken soup. For the soup, add onions, carrots, and celery and season with thyme and a touch of sage. It is a simple soup that I served multiple times with a generous salad.
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