Another offering from our outdoor farm is pasture-raised broiler chickens. You can contact us to reserve your broiler chickens for pick up or to schedule free local delivery.
Why is it good to eat pasture-raised chickens? “Pasture-raised chicken meat tends to be higher in iron, higher in Omega 3, have a lower Omega 6:3 ratio, and be higher in antioxidants (Vitamin E, for example).” – Mike Badger, American Pastured Poultry Producers Association
Why choose pasture-raised broiler chickens over cage free or free range chickens?
The main distinction between these types of chickens is that pasture-raised chickens generally have more space than ‘free range’ chickens do.
Here are two photos of our young broilers (Rangers & Cornish Cross chickens).
Here’s a recipe for cooking pasture-raised broiler chickens from Fed By The Farm’s website.
Whole Roasted Chicken (Pasture Raised)
INGREDIENTS
- 3-4 lb whole chicken
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium lemon quartered
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 large rosemary sprigs finely chop just 1 heaping tsp, reserve the rest of the sprigs in whole
- 1 small onion quartered
- 1 tsp coarse kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp ground pepper
- 4 medium carrots cut in half lengthwise then chopped into 2-inch long pieces
- 4 medium yellow or red potatoes quartered
INSTRUCTIONS
Before Roasting:
- Drain the chicken and pat well to dry. Remove the thawed chicken from its wrapper. Tip the cavity over your sink drain to drain any excess. Pat the chicken well to dry. This will make it easier for your spices to adhere to the skin.
- I then lay my chicken on a clean baking sheet to season it before placing inside my roaster. This gives me easy access to the full chicken and catches any drippings.
- Preheat a conventional oven to 350 degrees.
- Season your chicken. Rub the olive oil over the chicken, be sure to cover all the skin…top, bottom, around those legs and wings. I like to do this with my hands for best coverage.
- Squeeze half the lemon over the bird on both sides.
- Next, stuff the cavity. Use the lemon half you just squeezed, butter, rosemary sprigs and at least half of the onion.
- Rub the salt, pepper and teaspoon of chopped rosemary all over your chicken.
- Add the seasoned chicken and veggies to your pot. Put the chicken breast side down in a deep glass or cast aluminum dutch oven that has a lid. Breast side down will ensure the white meat stays juicy and flavorful!
- Nestle the potatoes in around the chicken. Put the potatoes in before the carrots. As they sit on the bottom of the pan they roast in the juices. Then squeeze a quarter of the remaining lemon over your potatoes.
- Now fill in the spaces in between and on top of the potatoes with the carrots. Optional: squeeze the rest of the lemon over the veggies and chicken. You can discard the remaining lemon peel, or stuff it inside the chicken if there’s room.
Instructions for Roasting:
- Roast the whole chicken at 350 degrees. Count on about 20 minutes of roasting per pound of chicken, plus up to 15 additional minutes. Put the lid on your roaster and place it in the center of your preheated oven.
- Your chicken is done when a meat thermometer inserted deep into the thigh measures 165 degrees. The meat should be pulling back from the ankle bone and the juices are running clear.
- Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes before carving. This will give the chicken’s juices some time to retract back into the meat.
We also sell eggs. Why buy pasture-raised eggs? According to Mike Badger, American Pastured Poultry Producers Association, they “have higher Omega 3s, a lower Omega 6:3 ratio, increased vitamin D, and more antioxidants.” Interested in our pasture-raised eggs?
