California Farm Old Fashioned Hen Stew

Name: California Farm Old Fashioned Hen Stew
Total time: 7200 s
Yield: 2 people, 16 dinners
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 whole chicken, 7 pounds, cut in eight; 1 green cabbage, cut in eight; 1 green apple, unpeeled; 1 whole garlic bulb, unpeeled; 8 pints water; 8 chicken bouillon cubes, optional; 8 russet potatoes, cut in half; 8 big pieces celery stalk; 8 bay leaves; 8 ginger slices, thin; 8 star anise; 8 cloves, whole; 4 cups long grain rice; 2 cups black turtle beans; dabs of grassfed butter for topping, to taste

Hobby Horseman @HobbyHorseman

California, United States

This old family recipe starts with: “ kill and pluck a large old hen”. It is probably the oldest recipe I have. My grandfather taught me to butcher chickens humanely, we hypnotize them first till they fall asleep and then butcher.

This recipe is for a whole large chicken, seven pounds. If your store does not have large old hens, ask for a large capon. You can also cut this recipe in half, or use two frozen young chickens and add one chicken bouillion cube per cup of liquid to imitate the strong old hen flavor.

The chicken flavor should permeate the whole stew, potatoes, rice, beans and cabbage included.
#oldfashioned

Hobby Horseman @HobbyHorseman

California, United States

The chicken flavor should permeate the whole stew, potatoes, rice, beans and cabbage included.
#oldfashioned

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Ingredients

4 1/2 hours

2 people, 16 dinners

1whole chicken, 7 pounds, cut in eight
1green cabbage, cut in eight
1green apple, unpeeled
1whole garlic bulb, unpeeled
8 pintswater
8chicken bouillon cubes, optional
8russet potatoes, cut in half
8big pieces celery stalk
8bay leaves
8ginger slices, thin
8star anise
8cloves, whole
4 cupslong grain rice
2 cupsblack turtle beans
dabs of grassfed butter for topping, to taste
Equipment: large dutch oven with lid
Cost: chicken farm free or $10.50, vegetables, other $5.50, per dinner stew $1

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Steps

4 1/2 hours

1

Wipe room temperature chicken in and out with vinegar, cut off leg quarters, cut off wing quarters, split breasts in two lengthwise, put chicken neck and organs in cheesecloth bag with garlic bulb, bay leaves, cloves, ginger, star anise. Put everything in large dutch oven. Add green apple. Add two cups of dried black turtle beans.
2

Bring 16 cups of cold water to a hard boil and pour carefully over the cold chicken and beans in the dutch oven. Do not splash. Put lid on, bring back to boil, turn down to low simmer. Simmer 3 hours, lid on. Broth will extract chicken flavor best if there is a lively bubble in the simmering broth.
3

Test if done: lift meat with fork thongs, it should come clean off the bone. Pour off the leftover broth, measure, set aside. Should be 16 cups. Remove apple. Slice whole breast meat, set aside, debone and dice other meat and put back in pot with the beans. Bones go to garden fermenter. Remove cheesecloth bag, dice chicken organs, put back in pot. Pour broth over diced chicken.
4

Taste broth, add optional chicken bouillon cubes, bring to boil, taste again. Broth should taste strong like a whole cube of chicken bouillon in a single cup of boiling water.
5

Add 4 cups of long grain rice. Stir with diced chicken and beans. Add cabbage pieces, celery stalk chunks, halved potatoes to steam on top.
6

Bring stew to hard boil with lid on, then simmer half an hour till done. Let rest half an hour to absorb the chicken broth. Set cabbage, potato and celery aside. Taste rice and beans. All liquids should be absorbed by rice and beans. Now add flaked seasalt and crushed black pepper to the stew to taste.
7

Serve bed of stew on dinner plate with breast meat, steamed celery, cabbage, half a potato and dabs of grassfed butter on top. Leftover stew freezes well. Enjoy.

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Hobby Horseman @HobbyHorseman

on August 01, 2025 07:01

California, United States

I teach people at the farmers market to grow small scale fruits and vegetables. My grandparents and parents taught me growing, cooking and preserving home grown fruits and vegetables, eggs, meats and fish. I got certified by the University of California Master Gardener Program in 2005. I try to bring out the original flavor of ingredients, then add layers of spices, herbs and flavorings that enhance, not distort the taste. These are the global, organic and vegan family recipes we use.