We ♥ Free Union Grass Farm Chicken

Happy Chicks at Free Union Grass Farm. Photo: www.freeuniongrassfarm.com

We’ve really enjoyed sharing local grass-fed, pastured beef and eggs from pastured chickens with our family and customers. It made us long for a local source of grass-fed, pastured chicken too. And now we are delighted to offer chickens from Free Union Grass Farm, right in our winery!

Erica Hellen and Joel Slezak, featured in Flavor Magazine. Photo: Molly McDonald Peterson

Owners Erica Hellen and Joel Slezak were featured in Flavor Magazine’s “Meet the Future of Farming” Issue. Self-described as “two farmer/foodies who decided to join passions and make a go of it”, Joel and Erica do a wonderful job raising the chickens humanely and healthily. We are happy to retail their whole chickens, legs and thighs, and boneless, skinless chicken breasts and tenders.

Here’s an easy, super savory, and tender chicken roast from Robert Clickner of Blue Ridge Oriental Medicine. It’s “très facile” to make and goes great with a bottle of our lightly oaked 2010 Chardonnay!

Chicken Adobo

Ingredients:

4 – 6 chicken legs cut up (leave skin on or take off, optional)

2 Tbsp red wine (substitute rice wine or red wine vinegar)

¾ cup soy sauce

½ cup water

15 clove buds

15 peppercorns

2 bay leaves broken in half

3 cloves garlic chopped

Throw all the ingredients in a Dutch Oven. The liquid does not have to completely cover the chicken.

Bring to a light boil on stovetop under moderate heat. Cover and turn the heat down to a simmer. Occasionally stir so chicken on top gets submerged under the liquid.

Cook until the meat is darker from the liquid and loose on the bone. The minimum cooking time is 45 minutes.  Recommended cooking is at least 2 hours, up to 4 hours. If you plan to cook this long just keep the simmer very low. You’ll get much more flavor and nutrition this way.

Serve over rice.

*You can also marinade the meat in all of the ingredients overnight or for a few hours before making and then cook for more flavor.

Strain and save the sauce that is left over after you eat the meat. It is very tasty to make a pot of jasmine rice and pour the sauce over it for a light lunch.

–Martha

Tags: Chicken, Chicken Adobo, Flavor Magazine, Free Range, Free Union Grass Farm, Pastured, Recipe, Stinson Vineyards, Young Farmers