How to Cook: Heritage Chicken
Not many folks know this, but these days 99.9% of chickens raised for meat are a single fast growing, top-heavy breed. These chickens are tender because they don’t move around much, and they are slaughtered when they are only 6 weeks old. That is the type of chicken found at every restaurant, food cart, fast food place, grocery store, and even most local farms.
By contrast, we raise a breed of chicken that was more common 50 years ago, when chickens were still raised outdoors. These chickens grow at a normal speed, and therefore have the energy to run around and forage on our pastures. This also means they develop more flavorful and nutritious meat, which most people have never tasted before, let alone had any experience cooking.
Mostly they just require a bit more care, as it’s easier to accidentally overcook them, which will produce tough, stringy meat.
We want to give you some pointers that we’ve found helpful for getting good results with heritage, free-range birds…
Tips for Heritage Chicken
Low & Slow is Best - Setting the oven or slow cooker to a lower temperature like 300℉ will allow the chicken to cook more gradually and reduce the chances of it getting overcooked and tough. At this temperature, rule of thumb is 25-30 min per lb. If cooking in an oven, the temperature can be increased for the last 10 - 15 minutes to 450℉ in order to get a crispier skin.
Roasting Breast-side Down - This helps insulate the breast meat from the dry hot oven air, while allowing the legs and wings to get fully cooked. The chicken can then be turned breast-side up for the last 15 - 20 minutes of cooking to brown the skin.
Use Butter for Browning - Rubbing butter all over the skin of the chicken will encourage browning. Additionally, you can mix salt, herbs, or spices into the butter, and rub it under the skin for extra flavor.
Use a Meat Thermometer - Insert into the thickest part of the leg. Cook to a temperature of 170℉ to ensure the connective tissue in the legs has become tender. The breast meat becomes properly cooked at a lower temp than this, which is why it’s helpful to roast a whole chicken breast-side down, which exposes only the legs and wings to the higher temps.
Let it Rest! - Like most cuts of meat, chicken is best when allowed to rest for 10 - 15 minutes after being cooked.
Brining the bird, especially overnight, can add extra flavor and help prevent toughness from overcooking.
Spatchcocking helps the meat cook more evenly and a whole chicken can be cooked in a shorter amount of time.
Braising is another good technique for cooking heritage chickens, as the low, moist heat is more forgiving than a hot dry oven.
