Ideas for cooking 9 month old hen?

[Morrigan]

I have a 9 month old hen resting in my refrigerator, and I am wondering if anyone here has cooked hens in this age range other than turning them into stock/canned chicken. For chickens over a year, I have typically either pressure canned, or made into sausage.

But, I'm wondering if 9 months is still young enough that I might get good results by doing a slow roast -- either uncovered or in a dutch oven. Technically they aren't considering "stewing fowl" in the old cookbooks until they are a year old.

Anyone very cooked a hen at this age?

 

[Morrigan]

Curious why cook a 9mo pullet?

She was part of a Spring hatch I raised and kept for the purpose of getting eggs over the winter. She was always a bit of a spotty layer and then stopped completely in October. She seemed totally healthy, just not a good layer. I was processing some cockerels today and decided to put her in with them.

I always like to have 4 or 5 keeper spring chicks every year for winter eggs, which means I'm usually in a position where I need to cull 4 or 5 hens to make room. So, I'm always on the lookout for volunteers or, as the saying goes, an egg a day keeps the hatchet away.

 

[Morrigan]

Dinner is over. I ended up going a slightly different direction with the chicken, based on some slow roasting recipes I discovered, where you roast a bird uncovered for several hours at 275 to 300 degrees. My thinking for doing so, was that I didn't want to skin the chicken, and I worried that a stewed/covered dish would wind up hopelessly greasy with rubbery skin unless I did. That hen had a lot of fatty skin on her.

So, I made an herb rub with cracked fennel, pepper, marjoram, thyme and salt and rubbed it all over the hen. Put a quartered lemon, a halved head of garlic and fresh thyme in the cavity. Put the hen in a pan atop a layer of lemon slices to act as the "rack" Cooked for 3 hours at 280 degrees in a non-convection oven.

The verdict -- it was quite tasty. Truly excellent flavor with an acceptable, if slightly chewy texture. Chewy, but not so chewy that we didn't enjoy eating it. The best part was the lovely pan of drippings, which I turned into the most awesome gravy. The lemon, herbs and rich chicken flavor were really captured nicely in the gravy. It made way too much gravy for one meal, but I see some potatoes and gravy in our future breakfasts.

In short, I'm glad I tried something new.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I'm having very good results with a crock pot. Four day rest in the fridge to wet age. Often in seasoned yogurt or buttermilk (highly acidic marinades, like a cuban mojo, should be avoided, they leave a mealy texture, or the marinade time should be greatly shortened). Throw the bird in, add aromatics, a bit of liquid at the bottom (less than an inch, more than a quarter - you are adding moisture to ensure the bird doesn't burn to the bottom and help convey flavor). Lid. Three hours on high. Three hours on low. Reduce to keep warm and prepare your side dishes.

More often than not, I'll take the meat off the carcass as I remove it from the crock pot.

and, especially for cockerels, a little less important with hens, the stronger flavor of the bird stands up nicely to heavy spice. Same with free rangers. - doro wat, curries, berbere, etc. Even shredded chicken tacos.

 

[3KillerBs]

She seemed totally healthy, just not a good layer. I was processing some cockerels today and decided to put her in with them.

Makes sense.

I'd think a moist roasting technique would probably work. Something more pot-roasting than stewing, but not dry heat.

Do you ever roast a chicken in a covered pan with onions, carrots, and celery around it?

 

[Ridgerunner]

I cook my pullets that age the same way I cook my 23 week old cockerels. I use a baking dish with a tight cover to keep the moisture in.

Cut her into serving pieces, rinse off, and coat those pieces with herbs. I use oregano and basil and may add thyme or parsley. Whatever herbs make you happy. Put in a carrot and stalk of celery an onion and a clove of garlic. I do not add any liquid.

Bake covered at 250 Fahrenheit for 2-1/2 to 3 hours. When finished gently remove with a slotted spoon. The meat can easily fall off of the bone. You'll probably have a half cup or so of liquid. Since it is a pullet you'll probably also have a fair amount of fat, much more than you get from a cockerel. De-fat the liquid and you have great broth.

 

[cchardwick]

You could cook her like I cook my roosters. Put her in a pot, add some water and add a polished stone. Boil for three days, then drain the water, throw out the chicken and eat the stone!

 

[iwltfum]

9 months? I would say you can cook it anyway you like as long as its rested for a day or two. Certainly still young enough to be grilled or deep fried in parts.

 

[aart]

Chewy, but not so chewy that we didn't enjoy eating it.

I call that 'toothsome'.
Most homegrown birds, other than the young(~8wo) CX, have a more toothsome texture than grocery birds.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

How old and what breed?
Did you rest cleaned carcass?

"Mutt".

At this point, I'd guess 25 or 29 weeks. (I edited the post to fix)

Not long enough. We had her the evening of the 3rd, so three full days in the chill chest, plus some hours.

I knew this was a mistake when I did it, but I had a craving, see...