Rest, Brine, Freeze (or Cook)

There is nothing like fresh chicken…so we’ve heard and read.

I don’t mean fresh from the store or fresh from the freezer.

I mean really fresh chicken.

Ray, his dad and brother butchered 5 chickens on Saturday. Last year, we vacuum sealed them, labeled them and put them in the freezer immediately.

That was a mistake. Since they were older birds, we should have let them ‘rest’ in a brine in the fridge for a few days. That’s what we did this year.

After 4 days, in a salt water brine, we pulled two out to test.

I made vegetable chicken soup. I threw in whatever I had on hand. Carrots, celery, onion and mix of herbs and spices…garlic, oregano, basil, parsley, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper.

I cooked it all afternoon on a low simmer, removed the bones, shredded the meat and put it all back in the pot. The meat was a little tough, but not nearly as leathery as last year’s birds.

We tasted it.

I thought it was delicious, but Joe told me it needed more salt…and broccoli.

Farm fresh chicken soup
Simmering on the stove top
Delicious and warm