They say that “blood runs thicker than water”; well, in the case of poultry, it also runs deeper than feed or environment. While most feel secure in the animal welfare standards of organic and pasture-raised poultry, they don’t realize that the single most important thing one should consider when buying chicken or turkey is the bloodlines these animals come from. Should you buy hybrids or heritage? If you want to make the world’s best chicken soup, there’s only one way to go.

Most meat eaters I know don’t like to think about the fact that they are chewing on an actual animal when eating their steak or chicken breast. Many are put off by biting into cartilage or seeing a stray feather on their supermarket bird. Needless to say, when it comes to chicken feet they are simply repulsed. I was originally part of this crowd as well. But after exposure to the amazing flavor and texture they add to soup… I couldn’t help but be hooked! Our culture’s rejection of this part of our birds has cost us a great deal: not only in flavor, but also in nutritive value. I want to challenge all my readers to expand their horizons. Power through your initial rejection, and a land of thick, divine chicken soup awaits you!

One of greatest disconnects I've found between people and the meat they eat is in knowing the age of the animals they consume. Most seem to assume that it takes a chicken several years of growth to reach their plate; they are very surprised to hear that their supermarket chickens are in fact slaughtered after only 5 ½ weeks. Sixty years ago, knowing how old a chicken is was considered essential knowledge for determining the method used to cook it. But with the advent of hybridization and the modern poultry production system, our centuries old knowledge of how to cook chickens of every age has all but disappeared.

There are few things I love more in this world than a steaming bowl of chicken soup. The hot soothing broth and easily digestible protein has always been just the ticket when I am sick. While I greatly enjoy this traditional medicinal food, I’ve also always felt that it lacks sufficient depth and flavor. Only recently did I learn how to make real chicken soup. It turned out like I always thought it should be: thick, rich, yellow, and bursting with flavor. Compared to my most recent creation, all other chicken soups I’ve encountered literally tasted like flavored water.