We despatched the last four Dinner chickens on Monday. We're having 2, and Other Chap is having 2.
They were meant to be done before Christmas, but the snow made it impractical. They were 33 weeks old, which is rather older than ideal.,and huge. The dressed out weight is over 6lb. We're roasting one tonight; if it's a bit tough then we'll make proper coq au vin (proper as in a recipe designed for ancient old cock birds) with the other.
I don't find it gets any easier. We rarely eat chicken now, unless it is one of our own. I always remind myself that at least I'm eating a bird which has had a good and happy life. I also like the joy of raising them, right from setting our Girls eggs in the Incubator, through the hatching and rearing, and watching them grow. Without the Dinner chickens we wouldn't need Roo, and we wouldn't need our beautiful breeding Girls.
And we don't waste any of it. In the BC (Before Chickens) days, I wouldn't think twice about cooking a chicken and only eating the breast, or chucking out some past-it's-use-by date chicken breast. I try to be equally rigorous with any meat we eat now, whatever the animal.
So, our plan is for a minimum of:
- roast chicken (but eating only a breast)
- something delicious with the other breast and maybe the thighs
- chicken fajitas with the legs
- risotto or similar with the remains
- stock
They were meant to be done before Christmas, but the snow made it impractical. They were 33 weeks old, which is rather older than ideal.,and huge. The dressed out weight is over 6lb. We're roasting one tonight; if it's a bit tough then we'll make proper coq au vin (proper as in a recipe designed for ancient old cock birds) with the other.
I don't find it gets any easier. We rarely eat chicken now, unless it is one of our own. I always remind myself that at least I'm eating a bird which has had a good and happy life. I also like the joy of raising them, right from setting our Girls eggs in the Incubator, through the hatching and rearing, and watching them grow. Without the Dinner chickens we wouldn't need Roo, and we wouldn't need our beautiful breeding Girls.
And we don't waste any of it. In the BC (Before Chickens) days, I wouldn't think twice about cooking a chicken and only eating the breast, or chucking out some past-it's-use-by date chicken breast. I try to be equally rigorous with any meat we eat now, whatever the animal.
So, our plan is for a minimum of:
- roast chicken (but eating only a breast)
- something delicious with the other breast and maybe the thighs
- chicken fajitas with the legs
- risotto or similar with the remains
- stock
