• Look for local farmer’s market, food co-ops, natural foods markets and mail order services to provide you with natural chickens. Many supermarkets are also carrying natural chickens these days thanks to consumer demand.
• Do not buy frozen birds.
• When shopping, look for fresh blood lines, clean skin, no accumulation of moisture or liquids (weeping flesh) and a fresh aroma.
• Read the labels! They are your best source of information.
• White meat is perfectly cooked at 152 degrees, but dark meat needs to reach 160 degrees to adequately melt the tendons and connective tissues and make the meat melt in your mouth tender. When roasting larger birds, let the bottom of your bird sit in a pan filled with simmering stock for 10 minutes. This pre-cooking of the dark meat will create a picture perfect roasted chicken.
• Brine your birds in a half gallon of water seasoned with ½ cup sugar and ½ cup salt for 6 hours. Let dry overnight, uncovered in the fridge before roasting. The result will be a more flavorful and moister bird.
• Let your chickens come to room temperature before roasting to promote even cooking.
• Use chicken within 24 hours of purchase or freeze. Do not freeze chicken for longer than 3 months. Do not freeze in the market wrapping.
• D’artagnan is a great source for several varieties of the best European style chickens 1-800-DARTAGN.
• Handle all raw poultry in your kitchen sink, then wash with hot water and a bacteria fighting dish soap, to avoid cross contamination with other foods and surfaces.
• Remember to keep poultry below 40 degrees for storage and to cook it past 140 degrees to kill salmonella.
• A great resource is the USDA Poultry Hot Line 1-800-535-4555

Size Labeling
Size labeling is confusing, especially when it comes to chickens. This might help.
• Game hens and poussin are really baby chickens, of either sex, 5-7 weeks old.
• Broiler birds are 9 to 12 week old male or female birds.
• Roasters are 3 to 5 month old chickens of either sex
• Pullets (Poule or poulet in some places) are traditional cooking hens weighing 2 to4 pounds and appropriate for all cooking styles.
• Capons are castrated young domesticated cocks under 8 months old.
• Stewing Hens are 10 months old or more and should be braised or turned into soup.