Before the advent of factory farming, chicken was considered a gourmet food, eaten maybe once per week. In those days large roasted birds served as grand centerpieces for elaborate Sunday dinners. Conserving traditional breeds also means conserving these old cooking traditions. You can do both by serving beautifully roasted heritage birds for your shabbat and holiday meals. Below is my recipe for a traditional herb and garlic roasted bird adapted specifically for kosher heritage chickens. 

Ingredients

• 1  whole kosher heritage chicken
• ~2 gallons water
• ~¼ cup salt
• ~¼ cup sugar
• handful of dried herbs
• 2-3 tbs whole peppercorns
• 1 large lemon cut into slices
• 2-3 bunches of fresh herbs such as thyme, rosemary, and sage - 1/2 minced
• 1-2 tbs cracked black pepper
• 1/4 cup shmaltz, beef tallow, or margarine
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3-5 cloves garlic - minced
• 2+ cups chopped veggies of your choice - (enough to lightly cover roasting pan)

Cooking Directions:

1. ​Brine - Per gallon of water add ⅛ cup salt and ⅛ cup sugar. Also add a handful of dried herbs, the whole peppercorns, and half of the cut up lemon. Brine whole bird in the fridge for 4-18 hours. If you don't have the time to brine you can skip this step by adding 1-2 cups of liquid to the cooking pan instead, though I far prefer brining to adding liquid to the pan. 
2. Rub - Take bird out of the brine and dry. Vigorously massage the minced fresh herbs, 1/2 of the garlic, and cracked black pepper into your oil for 60-90 seconds. Rub 1/2 of the herbs and oil generously onto every part of the bird. Pull up skin around the breasts and thighs and rub remaining oil into the bird under the skin.
3. Stuff - Fill cavity with remaining garlic, fresh herbs, lemon, and truss (tie up) the legs.
4. Roast - Layer bottom of cooking vessel with veggies and place the prepared bird on top. Roast in a tightly covered pan at 300° until meat is tender, usually 30+ minutes per pound. 
5. Finish - Broil uncovered chicken for approximately 5-10 minutes making sure to rotate so skin gets fully crisp on all sides. Let chicken rest for 10 minutes, carve, and serve.

Writing this series has me on quite a journey. We've talked about so many of the elements that go into making a truly incredible chicken soup: the fat, the feet, the organs, the age... and most importantly the blood. I hope you've learned as much as me, so with no further ado enjoy the recipe!



Heritage Chicken Soup
Prep time: 1-2 hours
Cook time: 8- 10 hours

Ingredients:
1 whole 4-6 lb heritage stewing chicken including the feet, gizzard, heart and neck - (if you source smaller 2-3 pound hens than you can use 2 birds)
2-4 tablespoons schmaltz (add more or less shmaltz depending on how fat your chicken is)
1 big bag of fresh or frozen vegetable scraps - such as onion skins & ends, carrot peels, celery leaves & buts, leek tops etc..
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2-3 medium yellow onions - quartered
1 head of garlic - 1/2 peeled and the other half minced
3/4 pound carrots - roughly chopped into large pieces
3/4 pound celery - roughly chopped into large pieces
3/4 pound cauliflower - roughly chopped (optional, adds thickness to the soup)
1 1/2 pound russet potatoes -peeled and halved or quartered
3/4 pound parsnip or celery root - peeled and roughly chopped into large pieces
1 head of fresh parsley - minced
1 pinch of dried thyme
Your choice of fresh herbs, I personally enjoy thyme or dill (optional)
A few cups of fully cooked noodles or rice (optional)
salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste (optional)