Chicken for Stew

The bone-in drumstick is the one cut on the bird that has never kept pace with the rest. Everything else moves and the drums sit, so most of ours now go to ground and sausage. When we stop the packer before the grinder and request them whole instead, the result is a boneless skin-on drum. Farmer David wanted them this way specifically for the chicken cassoulet in our Sunday Braise Bundle. Cassoulet is traditionally built on the richness of pork shoulder, belly, shank, and sausage. The drum is the chicken cut that does that work. It is the hardest working muscle on the bird, which is why it carries the deepest flavor and why it holds up to hours in a pot. A breast in that pot goes stringy and dry an hour in. The drums do the opposite — they loosen, hold their juice, add depth and flavor, and come apart under a fork without being asked. Low and slow is the whole method. A crockpot on low for five to six hours, or a covered Dutch oven at 300°F for two, and they shred clean. From there they go anywhere shredded chicken goes — chicken chili, chicken and dumplings, a curry, adobo, or a pot that carries tacos, enchiladas, and sandwiches through a week of lunches. Volume discounts available — the more you buy, the more you save. Our chicken bone broth belongs in that pot. And if low and slow is already the routine in your kitchen, our stew hen, beef for stew, and pork for stew cover the same Sunday from three other directions.