What to do about chicken?

Summerly2

Where do you buy chicken? I haven't bought any since watching Food, Inc. and I'm still trying to find out where to buy. I bought a quarter side of beef recently from a local farmer and I feel good about that, but I'm still trying to figure out chicken (and next will be pork, since we do eat a little of that).

Is there any "ok" chicken sold at mainstream grocery stores? Should I just check the farmer's market and stock up there when I go (it's a hike over there and I'm never in that area of town). Or just keep checking localharvest and eatwild (I haven't had any luck there yet, but there are a few more places on there to check).

What is a decent price (specifially for boneless, skinless breasts)? Thanks!

Mrs.MauiBride24

The ranch that I occasionally buy meat from (at the farmer's market) sells boneless, skinless chicken breasts for $8.99/#.

CharlottesWeb

Chicken is pretty much unavailable in the late fall and winter in these parts.The guy I buy from processed the last of his birds in mid November. I bought 3 and those are now gone. I have been buying organic, "free range" chicken at Trader Joe's for right now.

I prefer to buy my chickens from our local farmers. They usually are sold whole. It is up to you to cut it up. I'm sure that varies, but that is the most common way producers sell their birds. I usually pay around $4-5 a pound. I can't wait for spring to get chicken again.

SuperGreen

When DH and ate meat we got chicken from the Farmer's Market.  If you can only make it once a month or whatever to your market because it's inconvienent, talk to the farmer about that.  He's probably be willing to put aside the amount you need if you can arrange a regular pickup, like every 3rd Saturday or something.  Our Farmer's Market runs year round and always has drums, legs, and thighs.  Boneless, skinless breast is more popular of course and sells out quickly.  Most vendors charge somewhere between $7-$8/lb.  You can get whole chickens though for a lot cheaper, like $3-$4 a pound.  We usually made roast chicken the first night, then chicken sandwiches or soup later in the week with the leftovers.  Then the carcass goes into the stockpot for chicken stock.  That's a lot of meals out of one inexpensive chicken!

curlydoglover

We source them from a butcher who primarily buys local meats.

I think it's about $3.50/lb from him for b.s. chicken breasts.  Which is cheaper than the grocery store.

jennyk213

DH buys chicken from either the farmer's market or the co-op (both options are locally raised and sustainable).  Nobody at the farmer's market near us sells boneless.  Boneless at the co-op is around $6.50/lb.  Bone in at the farmer's market is around that, maybe a little cheaper. 

derky17

SuperGreen:

If you can only make it once a month or whatever to your market because it's inconvienent, talk to the farmer about that.  He's probably be willing to put aside the amount you need if you can arrange a regular pickup, like every 3rd Saturday or something.  Our Farmer's Market runs year round and always has drums, legs, and thighs.  Boneless, skinless breast is more popular of course and sells out quickly.  Most vendors charge somewhere between $7-$8/lb.  You can get whole chickens though for a lot cheaper, like $3-$4 a pound. 

I have modified this answer to apply to our local farmers market situation.  Clearly from the variety in answers, it seems to be a regional thing. 

Tambcat

Where do you live? Publix sells Springer Mountain Farms chicken cuts in the Greenwise section. This is the same brand my co-op sells, so I've been kind of operating under the assumption that it was okay. Anyone (Alisha?) feel free to chime in here if it isn't. I just went to the website, and it looks pretty good.

jolata

This is what we started buying after watching Oprah (still haven't seen Food Inc) It is only available in the Midwest, but I found it at my local small town grocery store. I found a place on localharvest.com that sells free range chicken. I may check that out too.

 

WendyGR

Ditto on checking with local farmers, co-ops, and local butchers. The chicken we buy from our local butcher isn't free range organic, but I figure it's better than the grocery store and is labeled as no hormones/antibiotics. We do get whole chickens from our farm but I can't bring myself to buy the expensive breasts. We don't eat them that often, though.

Alirebco

I buy organic and humanely raised chickens from Whole Foods but they are pricey - normally $7-8 for a 2 pack of skin on, bone-in breasts.  I also looked into eatwild and found a local place near me that offers pastured poultry.  I'm also going to probably purchase some of Polyface Farms meat when they start selling meat again in March. 

Mrs Manners

Tambcat:

Where do you live? Publix sells Springer Mountain Farms chicken cuts in the Greenwise section. This is the same brand my co-op sells, so I've been kind of operating under the assumption that it was okay. Anyone (Alisha?) feel free to chime in here if it isn't. I just went to the website, and it looks pretty good.

I checked with Publix on their greenwise meats. While they are raised without hormones and antibiotics, they aren't certified organic....so they don't have to have pasture access, they don't have to be fed organic feed, they could be cloned animals, etc....basically all the other things that are ruled out by being organic. I've stopped buying them completely since although they are more "natural", they aren't worth the premium price if they aren't organic IMO.

ETA: I saw organic whole chickens at Trader Joes today.

Tambcat

Mrs Manners:

Tambcat:

Where do you live? Publix sells Springer Mountain Farms chicken cuts in the Greenwise section. This is the same brand my co-op sells, so I've been kind of operating under the assumption that it was okay. Anyone (Alisha?) feel free to chime in here if it isn't. I just went to the website, and it looks pretty good.

I checked with Publix on their greenwise meats. While they are raised without hormones and antibiotics, they aren't certified organic....so they don't have to have pasture access, they don't have to be fed organic feed, they could be cloned animals, etc....basically all the other things that are ruled out by being organic. I've stopped buying them completely since although they are more "natural", they aren't worth the premium price if they aren't organic IMO.

ETA: I saw organic whole chickens at Trader Joes today.

Oh, sorry, this isn't their Greenwise brand. It's sold in its own branded packaging, and they just started carrying it at Publixes here in the last year or so. I was actually just talking to H about being skeptical about the Greenwise stuff for the same reasons you just confirmed. The stuff just says "antibiotic and hormone free" and then there's a little footnote saying that the FDA prohibits use of hormones in poultry. Well, yeah, that's worth triple the price. *sarcasm*

Thanks for the info!

maykat

Not sure if you live by a Super Target, but the one by us in FL carries a brand called "BARE" chicken and it's all natural and you can actually trace each package back to the farm.  I've gotten it on sale for as low as $3.99 LB but it's typically $5.99 LB--tastes great.

Summerly2

Thanks for all the suggestions. I do not have a SuperTarget anywhere near me, but we do have Publix, so I might check that out. I'm also going to check out the farmers market and see if that might be a possibility.