Bargain Hunter: Stewing Hen
No one wants to spend more than they need to, so let's look at how to add stewing hens to your repertoire. You'll impress others with delicious and healthy meals while simultaneously stretching your dollar just a little bit further!
What are stewing hens?
Stewing hens are egg-laying hens who have aged out of our organic egg enterprise. They are usually 2 1/2 years old as compared to the 8-week-old Red Rangers and 6-week-old Cornish cross roasting birds. Stewing hens are a less expensive, high-yield chicken option and should be incorporated in any cook's repertoire.
Laying hens are heartier animals than roasting birds, but not meatier. They are bred to lay eggs for years and live outdoors year-round, not to produce muscle. This means their metabolic energy is put into egg production and being able to run, forage and perch. Because of this, there will be much less meat and the bones will be stronger. In contrast, roasting breeds are raised for meat only so they do not develop past 8 weeks and they do not need to be good at living on pasture or in cold temperatures.
Yield Comparison:
Culinary & Nutrition Benefits
It isn't only the cost benefits, though. There are also nutritional and culinary benefits:
Because they are older, more mature birds, their musculature yields a more savory and traditional "chicken" flavor than younger birds.
You can expect that flavor to be enhanced because ours were raised on pasture.
The abundance of connective tissue, cartilage and bone density in laying hens as compared to roasters creates a thicker, gelatin-rich broth with more nutrition.
Cooking time also will draw out more collagen, amino acids and minerals from the marrow and joints.
Have you heard of nose-to-tail eating regarding beef, pork and lamb? Cooking with and consuming stewing hens is similar since nothing about that laying hen goes to waste after she has stopped laying.
Thank you to Gina Matsoukas for the gorgeous photos. Her website, Running to the Kitchen, has a lovely recipe for stewing hen. Click on the photos to get there.
Recipe: How to Cook a Stewing Hen
Okay, so how do you cook a stewing hen? It couldn't be simpler: submerge in cold water, bring to a low boil and then simmer on low for 3 hours. This process will cook and tenderize tough muscle fibers and extract the nutrients from the bones and cartilege. The broth can be used to make soup, with or without the meat. Meat can also be used in recipes like enchiladas, chicken pot pie and chicken salad.
Ingredients
1 whole stewing hen
Aromatics: 1 onion, 2 carrots, 2 celery stalks (chopped coarsely)
Seasonings: 1 bay leaf, peppercorns, and a pinch of salt
Water: Enough cold water to fully submerge the bird (about 8–10 cups)
Instructions
Combine: Place the hen, aromatics, and seasonings into a large stockpot and cover entirely with cold water.
Note: many recipes suggest not adding the aromatics until the last hour.
Simmer: Bring to a slow boil, skim off any foam, then lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook for 2.5 to 3 hours until the meat easily pulls away from the bone.
Separate: Remove the hen with tongs to cool. Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve to save your rich chicken broth.
Shred: Once the hen is cool enough to handle, discard the skin, pull the tender meat off the bones, and shred for use in soups, casseroles, or salads.
Go ahead and immediately make a soup, or put the cooled broth in freezer-safe containers for use later. Be sure to leave room for the liquid to expand as it freezes, so don't fill a rigid container like a glass jar all the way to the top.
Use or store the meat as you would any other cooked product.
