We wanted a whole chicken for the snowed-in weekend that looms ahead. A chicken yields dinner, another dinner, and soup. We tried two stores: no whole chickens. So we bought a hen. Here’s the difference:
A hen is an adult female chicken that has reached sexual maturity. Once a female bird starts laying eggs, she’s classified as a hen. Egg laying typically begins around 18 to 20 weeks of age, depending on the breed and health conditions.So Elaine is going to stew a hen — something never before attempted in this household. And I think we might glean a better understanding of the expression “tough old bird.”
Hens are the backbone of egg production in the poultry industry, and breeds are selectively bred for productivity. After their productive years, they may be processed as hen meat, although it’s tougher than typical broiler cuts and often used in stews.
For everyone about to endure the weekend storm: be safe, be prepared. See this painting.
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The hen was delicious: it spent five hours in the oven in a covered Dutch oven, first at 325°F, then at 300°. The meat was slightly dry, very tender, and more flavorful than chicken. Elaine and I thought our bird tasted rather old-timey.
[Which came first: the chicken, or the hen?]
comments: 3
I grew up in St. Louis where the holy trinity of winter storm preparation is milk, eggs, & bread. No chicken, hen, or toilet paper. Stormy weather is french toast weather. Stay home, stay safe, stay warm!
"[N]o whole chickens. So we bought a hen." According to the linked article, a hen is a chicken; so you did buy a chicken. Did you mean no "broilers" [young chickens], so you bought a hen [mature chicken]? Not trying to nitpick . . .
In my NY/NJ youth, it was always bread and milk. Strangely enough, I'm planning to make French toast tomorrow morning, inspired by making some for two granddaughters last week and by the presence of cow's milk in the house. (We usually have Silk.)
C'mon, Anon. If you went into a butcher shop and asked for a whole chicken and received a hen, you'd make it clear that you weren't getting what you asked for. But yes, all hens are chickens. I'm not sure I've seen whole chickens identified as broilers. Elaine says she's seen them advertised as broilers.
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