Organic Chicken Tips

Chicken is a staple in cuisines from around the world, and it's no wonder why. Chicken is a delicious comfort food, and a lean, tasty alternative to red meat. If you feel like chicken tonight, check out these organic chicken tips and recipes to help you prepare the chicken safely, and for great recipe ideas from soups to chicken cacciatore.

When you buy organic, you don't have to worry about extra chemicals in your food. The Mayo Clinic says that to encourage unnaturally fast growth, conventional farmers feed their chickens antibiotics and preventive medicine to keep them from getting infections from living in cramped cages. For the healthiest and most flavorful dishes, go for organic chicken raised cage-free on organic feed that hasn't been treated with pesticides and herbicides. You'll never go back!

Make sure you look for the USDA Organic or 100% Organic labels on all your food, including chicken. These products are certified by the United State Department of Agriculture, and found to be free of pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics, and growth hormones. Labels that say "100% Natural" or "All Natural" are not certified by the USDA, and food companies use these terms to cash in on the green living movement without actually having to do anything different, so watch out!

Some other things to think about: organic food is made without preservatives, so make sure you cook your chicken while it's still fresh. Prepare your chicken safely and minimize your risk of foodborne illness by washing your hands and utensils often. And when you cook chicken, make sure you're getting the most out of your bird. You can make great gravy with a pan reduction, and you can use a carcass for homemade chicken stock for soups. The possibilities are endless!