The Lie of “Organic” We All Believe

Remember when “Organic” wasn’t the monumental deal it is today? We didn’t have to label carrots “Organic” because, well, because they’re carrots! Now, as we walk down the aisles at the store, we are hit with “All-Natural”, “No Preservatives”, and “Organic” labels on everything from food to toilet paper. Okay, maybe not toilet paper, but we are left to try and decide what “Organic” means in these ever-increasing food cases.

 

To most of us, “Organic” is a trait we all will buy, and even pay more for in the end. Why? We care about what we eat and what we give our families. None of us want the “commodity chicken” that has only lived 60 days and been pumped full of antibiotics to combat the horrible living conditions. There are a ton of bad practices that have stemmed out of mass production, and you don’t have to look far to find a story to scare you about what they are growing in a lab next, but has the label of “Organic” become too trusted and the price too inflated through all of this? The short answer is: YES!

 

We can’t speak to every industry, and there are certainly times and places where Organic brings value, but in one area specifically we have all believed the lie of “Organic”: Meat. More specifically, Chicken. Organic chicken makes us think of animals who only eat the best feed, run in the biggest pasture, and never get anything bad injected into them. Organic is a promise to us that this product is levels above the rest, and we all pay a considerable premium for it at the store. That is Organic chicken as a label, but let’s take a look at Organic as a reality. 

 

The Reality of Organic

When you see Organic on a package of chicken, this is what it means: 

1. They were fed organic food (grown with no pesticides and include no animal-by-products)
2. Given no antibiotics
3. And they were given access to the outdoors. 

The key word hidden in there is “access”. This could be as little as a cracked door at the edge of the giant pen all the chickens are kept in. Access does not mean the outdoors are actually accessed. It’s kind of like when you were grounded as a kid. You were waiting out punishment in your room with a door that could access the rest of the house, but did you really have access? Only if you had a death wish! 

 

Unfortunately, even the organic standards can be done to the lowest level of commitment. Chickens can still be crowded in pens or cages their whole lives with “access” to the outside that they never actually get to experience. This can lead to a higher level of stress in the chicken's life and body. We all know how stress affects us. We sweat, we get grey hair, and we can form one of many physical health issues brought on by stress. The same goes for any creature. Stress ruins our days and it ruins our chicken too. And now some of you are stressed about all this stress you are eating in your food!

 

The Solution to Organic

Remain calm! That is why here at Good Ranchers we carry, better than “organic”, chicken. We don’t follow a set of rules to earn a label. We operate from a set of values to earn your trust. 

Our local farms, that we vet personally, go beyond the organic standard and adhere to our Standards of Excellence. The chickens aren’t cooped up all day - pun intended. They really do access the outdoors through doors that aren’t hidden in a corner. They live on a farm like you would imagine. Never injected and never trapped, and fed only the best feed. Our chickens are treated in a way you can trust, and it's proven in the way they taste. 

You can try it for yourself by getting our, better than “organic”, chicken in one of our many meat subscription boxes on a one-time order or a recurring basis. You can find the perfect subscription box of beef, chicken, and even seafood for you and your family and order now. Don’t be chicken, try our chicken! Don’t worry, our chicken is much better than our jokes. Order today and taste it for yourself. Once you do, you will never settle for just “Organic” ever again! 

The Recipe: Oven Baked Chicken

Once you have your chicken and are ready to cook up some perfection in the kitchen, try this recipe to complement the star of the show - that would be the, better than “organic”, chicken; In case you didn’t catch that from the blog already. 

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken breasts , 150 - 180g / 5 - 6 oz each (Note 1)
• 2 tsp olive oil

Seasoning:

• 1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp dried oregano or thyme , or other herb of choice
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper

Garnish, Optional:

• Finely chopped parsley

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F/220°C (200°C fan).
2. Pound chicken to 1.5cm / 0.6" at the thickest part - using a rolling pin, meat mallet or even your fist (key tip for even cooking + tender chicken).
3. Mix Seasoning.
4. Line the tray with foil and baking / parchment paper. Place chicken upside down on the tray. Drizzle chicken with about 1 tsp oil. Rub over with fingers. Sprinkle with Seasoning.
5. Flip chicken. Drizzle with 1 tsp oil, rub with fingers, sprinkle with Seasoning, covering as much of the surface area as you can.
6. Bake for 18 minutes, or until the surface is golden per photos and video, or internal temperature is 165°F/75°C using a meat thermometer.
7. Remove from the oven and immediately transfer chicken to serving plates.
8. Wait 3 - 5 minutes before serving, garnished with freshly chopped parsley if desired. 

Follow this recipe to a delicious dinner of perfectly cooked, better than “organic” chicken! If you want to watch a video of the above recipe steps, or see images of the tasty meal that is ahead of you, check out the recipe post here. 

Make sure to check back in or follow us on social @GoodRanchers for more tips and info on all your Beef, Chicken, Pork, and Seafood needs!