Chicken Crown 1.3 kg

Roasting a whole bird and achieving perfectly cooked breasts and legs is a formidable challenge - a chicken* crown reduces cooking time ensuring succulent, juicy meat. Simply stuff with half a lemon and sprigs of fresh thyme or bast with a yoghurt-based tandoori marinade, then roast the crown hard. Free range, slow-grown chicken crowns are excellent for numerous preparations and are a joy to both cook and eat providing distinct flavour and a succulent texture. If the breasts of the bird are your preferred cut then cooking** them on the crown is a fantastic option. Remaining on the bone helps the meat to retain as much moisture as possible whilst also lending a little extra depth of flavour. You also have the added benefit of bones for stock.

Chef George Ryle inspires:
"Browned in a pan with foaming butter and then roasted through the oven on a bed of wild mushrooms. Served with a side dish of little Austrian dumplings called Spätzle and a Vermouth cream sauce.

Brined overnight and then poached in stock. Add some rice, pasta or noodles plus some vegetables of your choice for a healthy and restorative broth.

For pure simplicity, roast the crown hard, smothered in butter, with fresh thyme, lemon and garlic in its cavity. Let it cool, carve off the bone and slice thinly. Then proceed to make an epic sandwich – good quality bread, a fairly aggressive aïoli, perhaps with some wild garlic chopped through it if the season is right and watercress. Hard to top that!

Don’t forget to keep the bones for bone broth. Just cover with water and bring to a gentle simmer, add peppercorns, fennel seeds, an onion, a carrot and a couple of fresh bay leaves."

*Swaledale is a whole carcass butcher so in addition to our chicken crowns, a full range of fresh, free range chicken products are available, including chicken thighs, breasts and wings. Our chicken is versatile and can be the perfect meat for whatever meal you're cooking; whether it's a curry, summer barbecue or a roast dinner, our tasty and high welfare chicken will shine.

**The following have been published on our journal: a detailed guide on how to cook a chicken crown and George Ryle's recipe roast chicken crown, wild mushrooms & cream sauce.