White Oak Pastures raises their heritage breed broilers in the open organic pastures and woods of the farm with several other species roaming the same ground. These are active chickens and need to be cooked properly to keep them from being tough and chewy. Slow, low and wet heat are good things to keep in mind whenever you are preparing anything that has spent its life roaming freely, living as nature intended.
Ingredients:
- 1 Small/Medium/Large White Oak Pastures Chicken or Guinea
- 1 Large Onion, large chop
- 3 Carrots, large chop
- 4 Celery Stalks, large chop
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 1 cup Water
- 1/2 cup Olive Oil
- 1.5 cup Kosher Salt
- 1/3 cup Black Pepper
- 1 TBL Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Chili Powder
- 1/2 tsp White Pepper
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 1/4 tsp Allspice
- 2 TBL Oregano, dried
Instructions:
Put the onion, carrot, celery, bay leaf and chicken in a roasting pan, deep enough to cover with foil or a lid if using a Dutch oven or cast iron. Mix all spices and herbs together (Kosher salt through Oregano) in a bowl. You’ll have more than you need, but this is a good all-purpose seasoning to keep on hand. Pour the olive oil over the chicken and begin to sprinkle the chicken with the spice rub you just made. Season generously and then rub the seasoning over the bird and make sure to get it under the skin and in the cavity so the flavors can penetrate the meat.
At this point, if you can let it marinate for about a day, this will help tenderize the bird, as the salt begins to break down tougher muscle fibers. If you don’t have a day, that’s okay, just let it sit out, covered at room temp for about an hour before you put it in the over, which should be preheated to 325F
When you are ready to cook, add the 1 cup of water to the roasting pan. Cover with lid or foil and place in middle rack of your 325F oven. Allow to roast for 140minutes. Remove from the oven. Remove, lid or foil ::CAUTION:: there will be hot steam so make sure to use caution when removing the lid. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes. Once the bird has cooled enough to handle, remove the meat and use in your favorite chicken salad recipe or anything else you’d like. Make sure you save the stock from the pan, as it’s a great base for soup and highly nutritious!
