Our Stew Hens honor the whole bird.
When a hen reaches 2 years of age it’s egg production decreases greatly. These hens are referred to as ‘Spend Hens’ or ‘Stew Hens’ as their meat is too tough for oven roasting. But these birds still can nourish our bodies and that is where our Stew Hen program comes in. We honor these birds by using as much of the bird as possible for meat. Below you will find information on how our farmers honor their stew hens.
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Cracker Jack Prize
Every Wise Acre Farm stew hen comes with some goodies tucked inside the cavity. The feet and gizzard have been properly cleaned and prepped. You will also find the neck and organs such as the heart or liver. All these parts make for a great addition for chicken stock if you don’t want to cook them separately. Best part is they can just be left in the cavity of the bird when making stock!
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Chicken Stock
Have you ever had homemade chicken broth? If this is your first time you are in for a treat! I like to make a big batch to freeze. In the above photos is a large crock pot with two stew hens, seasons carrots, celery, onion and spices. Don’t be intimaded, making stock is really easy and there are a lot of great recipes online.
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Shredded Yum
After letting the stew hens and veggies simmer on low in the crockpot for 12 to 24 hours then the liquid is strained and transferred to storage containers, once cooled I place it in the fridge as when the stock is cold it is easier to scrape the fat off the top. Then the broth can be used in soup or to make rice. The carcus of the chicken can be shredded up and the meat used in tacos, pasta or soup!