Chicken 101: Maximizing your Whole Chicken

One of my favorite products to feature is a whole, pasture raised chicken. Our chickens have so much flavor because of the way they are raised - slow and naturally outside on green grass where the chickens can forage for bugs, seeds, and grasses in the pasture. These plump birds are juicy and flavorful.

However, each year I get customers who ask me what to do with a whole chicken. They are used to buying boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs at the grocery store. They ask if I can give them that. My answer: NO. If I had to pay someone to debone chickens and package them individually, your chicken breasts would cost $9 per lb. That's not a fair price.

Instead, we provide whole chickens and education to help you maximize your bird. Please join the Fresh Fork Market staff and Parker Bosley as we demonstrate:

- How to debone your chicken, including making boneless chicken breasts, boneless thighs, and generally quartering a chicken.

- Learn a few techniques from Parker, including cooking methods and a few recipes

- Sample some chicken dishes

- Hands-on cut a chicken. Please bring a sharp kitchen knife. We'll provide the meat.

- Attendees will receive a pamphlet of recipes, instructions, and notes so that you can recreate this experience at home.

There is a $30 fee per person for this class and attendees do not have to be Fresh Fork Market members. The attendees will get a heavy tasting menu, an instruction booklet, hands on instruction, and a chicken to take home with them (after they cut it up).

Please bring a sharp knife and cutting board.

About Parker Bosley: Parker is most remembered for his successfully Ohio City restaurant, Parker's New American Bistro. However, Parker is really a behind-the-scenes pioneer in local foods. Over 30 years ago he was creating menus featuring almost exclusively local and seasonal ingredients. His work, including developing the Westlake Farmers Market, has brought new farmers and new products to the marketplace. Today, in his retirement, Parker stays busy educating Fresh Fork Market customers, writing recipes, and working with farmers through Innovative Farmers of Ohio.