If you spend your time and budget on nutritious food supporting a local food system, then we know you want to do this right! Here are 5 common mistakes that could hold you back from having the best experience with your food. Dive in and find great resources from us to get the most out of your whole chicken experience. Reach out to us with any questions!

Skip Washing the Chicken

The FDA and USDA recommend not washing your chicken. We promise you this chicken is clean. We take extra steps during our butchering process to ensure the inside and outside of Shady Hill chicken is cleaner than anything you'll find in chain grocery stores. Side note: our chicken is consistently cleaner than a free-range poultry company I worked for and was closely in quality assurance happenings.

Washing your chicken in the sink can increase the likelihood of spreading raw chicken splashes on counters without you realizing it. This can increase the chances of spreading salmonella. So save ya water and just cook it!

2. Having The Tools for the Job

Nothing will make you feel more frustrated than having a dull knife. If you are struggling with cutting your whole chicken into parts or getting it out of the packaging, it is likely the right tools will fix your problems and give you peace in the kitchen.

Pick a "chicken cutting knife" that will be your go-to and always sharpen it before cutting your whole bird. When I was learning how to cut up my whole bird, my sharp knife easily removed chicken skin from the meat and cut through a bone when I accidentally missed the "right spot" to cut. Fewer accidents occur with sharp knives.

Kitchen shears are helpful but not required. These can help with opening the packaging as we recommend and with small pieces to trim.

3. Purge Doesn't Have To Be A Mess

When I worked in customer service for a large chicken company, people were confused about what purge was. Purge is a 100% normal thing with meat and we can easily dodge making a mess if we know more about it.

Your whole chicken will have liquid in the bottom of the bag (and maybe a little inside the whole bird carcass). As your chicken thaws after being frozen, you may notice more of this. Purge is the liquid that is within the meat and over time as the meat rests it "purges". With grocery store chicken, often there is a giant plastic pad with gel beads soaking in the purged liquid like a diaper. We decided to avoid that and keep things environmentally friendly.

Watch this video for tips on taking the chicken out of our packaging, so you can keep that purge in the bag or the trash. We have totally made a mistake and have gotten a purge on the kitchen counter or dripped it on the floor. I like to keep some paper towels and cleaners around to wipe up surfaces after I am done just in case that happens.

4. Cutting Up A Whole Bird

One chicken can provide 2-3 meals for a family of 3. Cutting your whole bird into parts gets you the best value! Whole chickens will always be cheaper, especially from local farmers because it is also the best value for our time and chicken. If you can learn how to cut up a whole bird, then you will open up tons of recipe opportunities. If a recipe calls for 6 chicken breasts, then split your whole bird chicken breast in half and use the thighs and tenders too! Save the rest for another meal. You’ll also get chicken stock out of it (next point).

It’s a no-brainer. When I was learning it would take me 20 minutes to cut it up. Now I am done in under 10 minutes. Watch our video with a faster playback time or open it on YouTube if you don’t have much time.

How To Cut Up A Whole Chicken

5. Don't Ditch The Carcass!

The chicken carcass will make a great stock that can be used right away or frozen for later.

If someone in our family is feeling under the weather, I turn to chicken stock and it has never disappointed. I also use chicken stock as an opportunity to get more nutrients, so I add it or sub it for water in rice or mashed potatoes. Here is a simple recipe for chicken stock. All you need is that chicken carcass and water.

6. Defrosting Your Chicken

Okay, bonus! It takes 2-3 days for a whole chicken to fully thaw in the refrigerator. If you put this in the microwave or try other methods of thawing, it can change the texture and quality of the meat. Once it is thawed, it can be in the fridge for up to 4 days. So if you’re planning for a chicken-heavy week with recipes, go ahead and put two frozen whole birds in the fridge! If you did forget to thaw your chicken you can speed up the process by putting your chicken (still in packaging) in a bowl of water in the fridge.