How To Make Three Meals From One Chicken

Final week, Jo of Primal Residing shared a really poignant publish on her Instagram account. It was about killing their first hen. Extra importantly, it was about our tradition’s disconnection with meals, the place it comes from, and what it takes for us to have meat on our tables.

It made me take into consideration how many individuals eat meat mindlessly. I used to eat meat that method, and on events I nonetheless do, however I’m studying to be higher. I select to eat meat for dietary, well being causes however I attempt achieve this very consciously and intently.

This publish isn’t about paleo vs vegetarianism, or which is extra sustainable – there are various strong arguments professional and towards for each – nevertheless it’s about making higher decisions and being extra aware about what you eat.

What does it imply to eat meat extra mindfully?

• In the beginning, it’s about making a acutely aware choice to decide on meat and poultry from the proper supply. Grass fed, natural, and free-range are dearer however you get what you pay for.
• Secondly, it’s about consuming rather less and getting probably the most out of the meat you purchase, which is what right this moment’s publish is about.
• And lastly, it’s about honouring the entire animal that gave its life so you might have protein in your plate. This implies going past the premium, lean cuts of meat and poultry and utilizing up as a lot of the entire animal as potential – bones, offal and all.

The perfect instance I may give right this moment is the best way to eat hen in a extra sustainable, and extra economical method.

1 Rooster – 3 Meals + Some

I purchase an entire giant hen on the weekend. It’s free-range and natural, and sure it’s expensive, however by the point I’m carried out with it, I’d have served three strong meals for 2 individuals, after which some. Here’s what I normally make from one entire hen.

1. Rooster soup for 2 + leftovers
2. Rooster salad for 2
3. Egg drop soup with hen broth for 2

1. Save hen breasts for later

Image from Cherry Capital Meals

Separate the breast meat from the carcass. Season the hen breasts with salt, pepper and a few dried herbs and retailer in an air-tight container to make use of within the hen salad in a day or so. It’s also possible to grill the breasts and retailer them cooked to save lots of time in a while. In any other case, freeze the meat for later.

2. Make the hen soup

You possibly can comply with the recipe for my Fall Off The Bone Rooster Soup, and use the entire hen minus the breast meat, or comply with my directions beneath.

• Minimize the remainder of the hen into two thighs and break the carcass in half if wanted, so as to match all of it in a big pot with chilly water. I normally use 1.5-2 litres of water. Add an onion, some celery, garlic, bay leaf, ginger, carrot, black pepper, salt, and juice of ½ lemon to the soup. You possibly can add some dried mushrooms as properly. Deliver all the things to boil (take away a number of the scummy foams that floats to the highest firstly), then prepare dinner for 1-2 hours on low-medium warmth, coated. Pressure the inventory into a big bowl and switch the hen items and bones to a plate to chill down. Reserve the cooking greens for later.
• Add the inventory again to the pot and add some chopped up contemporary celery, carrot, kale, some diced candy potato or white potato, extra garlic, chilli and ginger (you’ll be able to add some lemongrass in case you like), star anise, just a little fish sauce, and pepper. Deliver to the boil and prepare dinner collectively for about 5 minutes. Then add some broccoli or cauliflower florets, and style for salt. Add extra salt, you’ll be able to even use some wheat free tamari sauce or coconut aminos.
• By now, the hen would have cooled down sufficient to deal with. Strip away as a lot meat from the bones as potential, tear it into strips and add to the soup. Reserve the remainder of the bones and leftover meat to make hen bone broth.
• Lastly, prepare dinner the soup with the hen and added broccoli or cauliflower for a couple of extra minutes. Add a big handful of contemporary coriander or parsley, and an additional squeeze of lemon or lime juice. In case you eat white rice, you’ll be able to add some pre-cooked rice noodles or buckwheat soba noodles. It’s best to have sufficient for 4 serves.

3. Make the hen bone broth

Add the leftover hen bones, meat and pores and skin to a gradual cooker or one other pot. Add the leftover greens, plus some further contemporary onion, garlic and ginger. Add one other bay leaf, some pepper and salt, and a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. Add 1.25-1.5L of chilly water and produce to the boil. Then prepare dinner on LOW for not less than 12 hours, 24 hours is healthier. In case you don’t have a gradual cooker, you are able to do this on the range on very low warmth, coated with a lid.

As soon as cooked, pressure the inventory right into a glass jar or one other air-tight container and retailer within the fridge for 3-4 days. You possibly can drink the broth as is with some contemporary coriander or added fermented miso paste, or you should use it in stews, curries, braises and different soups. See my suggestion for an egg drop soup.

Take a look at this recipe in case you’re making hen bone broth utilizing an Immediate Pot stress cooker.

4. Make a hen salad

You possibly can attempt my Rooster, Kohlrabi & Pear Salad or my Heat Rooster & Avocado Salad. Each are nice as lunch or dinner meals and can serve 2-3 individuals.

5. Make my hen broth egg drop soup

Comply with my easy recipe for a Chinese language Impressed Egg Drop Soup. I like utilizing leftover hen broth on this soup, and I add some mushrooms and greens to finish this glorious meal. My recipe is for 1 individual, however you must have sufficient hen broth to make two serves.

One other nice different is to do a hen roast. Eat some meat as a part of the roast meal with a lot of veggies on the aspect, make a gravy with leftover juices and sticky roasting tray goodness, use some meat in a salad the day after, and make a bone broth with leftover bones and carcass.

So there you go my mates – that’s how one can prepare dinner with the entire hen in a extra sustainable method. I’d like to know your ideas and methods for consuming meat extra mindfully and sustainably. Share with us within the feedback beneath.