Author Topic: cooking oldish hen (Read 2711 times)

AndynJ · « **on:** June 23, 2013, 07:37:34 pm »

Hi all,
We had a branch hit one of the older girls last week, it didn't look so clever so as I wasn't around my wife finished her off and plucked her, carved her up and stuck her in the freezer, just had her for dinner as tuff as old boots, any suggestions on how to cook so its edible

Boiling up whats left for soup this time.

sidds · « **Reply #1 on:** June 23, 2013, 07:53:27 pm »

A recipe we use for old birds
Sweat off some onions, leeks and garlic, add peeled root vegetables and plenty of stock, season with salt pepper and herbs. Boil for 10 mins then add the old chicken and weight it down with an old leather boot, cover and leave to simmer. After about 2 hours remove old boot, take the chicken out and throw it away, eat old boot with the soup. Delicious...

AndynJ · « **Reply #2 on:** June 23, 2013, 08:30:55 pm »

Got the flipping laces stuck In my throat, apart from that hmmmmmm lovely

hughesy · « **Reply #3 on:** June 23, 2013, 10:01:12 pm »

A long cooking time usually works, making sure there's plenty of moisture in there so it doesn't dry out.

Auld Cairnallochy · « **Reply #4 on:** June 23, 2013, 10:27:34 pm »

Best way to deal with an old bird (chicken) is to obtain a pressure cooker. place chicken in pan, season to taste cover with water and cook at medium pressure for about 3/4 of an hour or until flesh falls off bone, remove all chicken and chop up meat coarsly and then either reduce stock to about half place chicken in tray add stock for jellied chicken, or return meat to stock add chopped up mixed veg that you like simmer gently until veg cooked thicken if required and you have a chicken soup to die for.

shygirl · « **Reply #5 on:** June 23, 2013, 10:58:44 pm »

you have to hang them for a while first. if you kill and butcher straight away it will be tough. hang until the body softens again after rigamortise and before its starts to stink. a bit tricky in this weather unless you have a fridge.
we use to pluck wild birds for an estate and they were hung so long the maggots were all over it...yum

Anke · « **Reply #6 on:** June 23, 2013, 11:01:44 pm »

A good marinating (24h) in the cheapest Bulgarian (or Greek) Red the local Coop sells, with lots of garlic, salt and pepper, then cook as for coq-au-vin for about 3 hours in the slow cooking oven. V nice.

PS.: and yes as shygirl says, hanging even for 12h or so is important. We normally only take the breast and legs, skin off (and no gutting etc). Even at the moment we kill cockerels in the evening, hang o/night in garage and prepare for cooking next morning.

AndynJ · « **Reply #7 on:** June 24, 2013, 10:03:25 pm »

Thanks for the suggestions, I will try hanging the old bird, stuffing her then give her a good roasting, until she s tender through & through.

No rely thanks.

graham-j · « **Reply #8 on:** June 24, 2013, 11:36:26 pm »

Hi,I have hung mine for up to 9 days with out any smell or sign of going off.I hang with the guts in.I have an old fridge with the shelves all taken out.I hang them from a piece of wood wedged in the top,you can get 3 large cockerels in there.Set the temp between 2 and 4c.

Graham.