Cooking Older Chickens

[luvmyvet]

we have some slow whites that are about 14months old and a new batch that are about 11 weeks.
We had planned to butcher and can some of the older hens for broth and soups, and keep some of the new hens to replace them... so is that not a workable idea?

at what age are they not edible for humans?

and Davey, we butchered some older chickens and they were so tough even after cooking for hours the dogs wouldn't eat them, lol, we now have a pressure canner to use..
such a learning curve..

[Homesteader]

we have some slow whites that are about 14months old and a new batch that are about 11 weeks.
We had planned to butcher and can some of the older hens for broth and soups, and keep some of the new hens to replace them... so is that not a workable idea?

at what age are they not edible for humans?

and Davey, we butchered some older chickens and they were so tough even after cooking for hours the dogs wouldn't eat them, lol, we now have a pressure canner to use..
such a learning curve..

If the meat is fresh, it's always edible for humans. You just may need to cook it for a looooooooong time. But the flavor is richer and more intensely "chicken" so it's great for soups. I have an egg route and some of my Asian customers always ask for my 5-6 year old laying hens so they can make soup.

Pressure can or cook for 90 minutes and it'll be fork tender.

[Summerthyme]

They should make great broth and soup, and probably fine for casseroles and other dishes (if you've first cooked the meat for broth).

If I want them for eating, I generally replace them every year, rather than letting them go through a molt and lay for a second year. However, hens tend to stay more tender than roosters- probably a function of a little less activity and the whole hormone thing. (they also tend to be quite a bit fatter)

Summerthyme

[luvmyvet]

glad to hear it, don't mind using the yardbirds for dog and cat food, but hate to lose the feed we have invested in the broilers, we feed them, they feed us back.

[Davy Crockett]

Thanks again everyone.
So, if I slow cook for 6 hours or so, will I have edible chicken?

[Summerthyme]

You SHOULD. That's the best we can say! Toss in a little white wine or even a tiny splash of vinegar (this is where I use my homegrown purple basil vinegar) and it will help tenderize the meat. Flavor wasn't the only reason that old time cooks added wine or other acidic ingredients to their dishes.

Summerthyme

[LC]

Yep, as others have said, loooooong slooooow cooking will do the trick. How long? That depends on the individual situation. I've cooked some oldies including roos and they made fine soup or chick & dumplings.

To ST's onion, celery, carrot, I also add a clove or two of garlic and a cayenne pepper or two. For a big pot of old birds that much pepper won't make it hot but will give another layer of flavor.

I have canned those old birds after cooking and picking and they come out fine or soups, etc.

LC

[Disastercat]

Old Irish recipe for cooking old hens (and yes I've used it and it works)

Take an old hen; butcher, get and pluck - wash well to get all feathers off.

Tie/truss up bird and place in a cast iron pot (in the old days this would have legs or be hung above the fire)

Add an onion which is pealed then covered in whole cloves

(if you wish, you can also add a carrot, some celery and even garlic but the old recipes just use the onion and cloves).

Now bring water to a boil, remove "scum" from top of chicken (I don't always bother) and bring heat down right away to a low simmer (this would have been done by raising the chains on the pot or knocking turf out from under the pot).

Cover with lid and simmer for at least three hours on a low heat - DO NOT BOIL

Chicken is done when meat is so tender it starts to fall off the bone on its own.

Potatoes may be added the last 30 minutes of cooking or more often boiled as a side dish and served with the chicken. Another alternative was to make flour dumplings and add during the last 30 minutes or so, to make a larger meal.

The clove and onion combination is a bit of an unusual taste but was common in Ireland for at least two hundred years.

In my experience, some hens are just so old and tough that even this method doesn't always work (I would use a pressure cooker now that I have one) but it usually results in chicken that can be used in other things (like soup) even if it is sometimes a bit tough to eat as is.

For most Irish people, old chickens and occasional "bacon" (aka salt pork) was the only meat they ever saw (maybe lamb or turkey on a holiday like Easter or Christmas). They had to make due with what there was, so developed methods for long cooking to make things tender.

The stocks of chickens made this way are always useful and you can omit the cloves if you like. The French have a similar method for old "stewing hens" and I think they leave out the cloves but use the garlic/carrot/parsley combination.

The trick seems to be the long, slow cooking; which is probably best done today in a pressure cooker if you have one or a crock pot/slow oven if you don't.

[Animal Lover]

My grandmother taught me how to cook the tough old bird I love soup and casseroles too. She always looked to get the old birds for making her soups and stews with broth. We had gravy over buns and leftover meat tonight for supper. Love it that way. Stretches a little into a full tummy.

The old bird wasn't my beautiful Grammy The old chicken or rooster was the Old bird.

[goatlady]

I remember when one could buy "stewing hens" in the meat departments of all the grocery stores! That went by the wayside looong ago though.