The Whole Life Force

Pen & Ink Fine Art By Doug Ashby

In my many years of cooking I have become a big fan of purchasing a whole chicken as opposed to it's cut up individual pieces. It is safe to say that it is more economical as the processing adds to the cost. However it may not seem that way to you at the time of purchase due to spending a larger amount in one shot, but when you achieve three meals out of that one chicken, well that adds up.

My preferred way to utilize the chicken is to simply cut it in half, removing the backbone and boiling for stock. Make sure you use a sturdy and sharp knife for this as it makes the work easier. Then I typically roast one half that night and brine the other half for two days before cooking. The last time I did this I smoked the second half, took the meat off the bone and made chicken salad with it. That made a delicious dinner and lunch the next day. Oh and the leftover smoky skin and bones makes an impressive smoky stock.

The drawing here is my homage to the whole chicken. It is drawn cut up into it's constituent pieces, which I sometimes do. And those breasts are further cut in half cause they are big. A while back I started purchasing all my meat from a few local farms that raise them. Personally I think they taste better, as they are raised better, and taste tends to drive my choices. The electron in the drawing is there to symbolize the life force behind the chicken. Sorry if that bothers you but one must consume life to live. Another reason I prefer local chickens, they tend to be closer to their nutritious life force. That's probably what makes them taste better.

I do hope you like my drawing. If you wish to download a PDF print file for your own use please do so by visiting my downloads page.

Thanks,

Doug