Stewing hen, cleaned and bone-in
A stewing hen is an adult bird with firm meat, suited to slow cooking in broth. Buy it cleaned and bone-in, whole or portioned, for a substantial pot of soup.
- The right bird
- Adult hen is a different cooking form from a boneless chicken breast.
- For the pot
- The cleaned body retains its bones; it may be sold whole, halved or in pieces.
Simmer for the broth
Place the cleaned hen in the pot as directed by the recipe, bring the liquid up gently and skim the surface. Continue a gentle simmer until the meat is tender.
Build a full-flavored soup
Hen joins beef and pork salumi in Campanian minestra maritata. Celery, onion and leafy greens help turn the broth into a complete dish.
Ask for a cleaned stewing hen
Ask the butcher for gallina da brodo, eviscerated and ready for the pot. Specify whole or halved according to the recipe and confirm whether head and feet are included.
Keep it chilled
Keep the hen refrigerated and follow the butcher’s or package’s use-by and storage instructions. Keep raw meat separate from ready-to-eat foods.
