While meal kit delivery services can be a fun, affordable way to spice up dinners at home, sometimes all you need are the raw ingredients to get creative in the kitchen. If you’re looking for fresh chicken delivered to your door, we’ve found the best online spots, whether you need drumsticks for wing night or a whole bird for holiday roasting.
Organic chicken has become increasingly popular in recent years, and for good reason Studies show that organic chicken is better for the environment, more humane for the chickens, and potentially healthier for consumers But where can you buy high-quality organic chicken? This complete guide will walk you through the best places to find organic chicken and what to look for when shopping.
What is Organic Chicken?
Organic chicken must meet strict USDA standards to receive the official organic label These standards include
- Fed 100% organic feed with no animal byproducts
- Not given antibiotics or artificial hormones
- Access to the outdoors and space to roam
- Humane treatment from birth to processing
Organic feed is grown without pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. The lack of antibiotics is better for reducing antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Being able to go outside gives chickens a more natural place to do things like scratching, pecking, and dustbathing.
Why Buy Organic Chicken?
Here are some of the main benefits of choosing organic chicken:
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Healthier for you: Organic chicken may contain more omega-3 fatty acids and other nutrients. Avoiding antibiotics reduces your risk of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
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Better for the animals: Organic standards provide more humane living conditions for chickens. Organic producers must meet animal welfare standards.
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Environmentally friendly: Organic agriculture promotes biodiversity and soil health without synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. It prohibits GMOs.
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Hormone-free: Giving chickens added hormones is prohibited in organic systems. All chicken in the U.S. is hormone-free by law.
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Peace of mind: Third-party certifiers audit organic producers annually to verify compliance with USDA organic regulations.
Where to Buy Organic Chicken
Now that you know why it’s good for you, here are some of the best places to get good organic chicken:
1. Natural Grocery Stores
There is a lot of organic chicken from top brands at health food stores like Whole Foods Market and Sprouts Farmers Market. Chicken breasts, thighs, drumsticks, wings, ground chicken, and more can be found. Prices are moderate.
2. Local Farms and Farmers Markets
Buying directly from local organic farms is a great option to get super fresh chicken. Check out farmers markets, farm stands, or look up CSAs (community supported agriculture programs) in your area. You can also visit the farm to see how the chickens are raised.
3. Online Retailers
Several companies sell certified organic, pasture-raised chicken online and ship it frozen to your door. This includes Direct from the Farm brands like D’Artagnan, Joyce Farms, and Oregon’s Wild Harvest. Prices are premium but quality is exceptional.
4. Costco
It’s a surprise that Costco’s Kirkland Signature brand sells good USDA organic chicken at a fair price. Looking in the frozen food section for whole chickens and breasts without bones or skin? Supply varies by location.
5. Traditional Grocery Stores
Larger supermarkets are expanding their organic chicken selections, especially for chicken breasts and tenders. While prices are higher than conventional chicken, you’ll often find sales and deals. Look for popular brands like Perdue Organic, Applegate Organics, and Simple Truth Organic in the poultry case.
6. Butcher Shops and Co-ops
Local butchers and food co-ops are excellent sources for pasture-raised organic chicken from small regional farms. Chicken is often air-chilled rather than water chilled for better taste. Expect to pay premium prices for top quality.
7. Online Meat Delivery
New online stores are offering organic, pasture-raised poultry delivered fresh. This includes ButcherBox, Crowd Cow, Porter Road and many others. Order an organic chicken box or bundle for convenience.
What to Look for When Buying Organic Chicken
Follow these tips when evaluating and comparing organic chicken options:
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Verified labels: Look for the USDA Organic seal or OTA Certified Organic labels. Read package claims closely.
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Pasture access: Free-range or pasture-raised indicate chickens had outdoor access. The more time outdoors on grass the better.
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Feed: Chicken fed an all-vegetarian diet is ideal. Non-GMO, soy-free, or omega-3 enriched feeds are bonus.
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Air-chilled: This method retains flavor and texture better than water chilling.
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Certifiers: Reputable third party certifiers like Certified Humane provide extra assurance.
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Onsite visits: Visiting a farm gives the best verification of humane practices and living conditions.
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Price: While higher prices often signal better quality, some major brands offer organic chicken at very reasonable prices.
By buying the best organic chicken you can find and afford, you’ll gain the benefits of organic practices while supporting more sustainable and ethical farming methods. Voting with your dollars makes a real difference!
Frequently Asked Questions
Is organic chicken really better for you?
Research shows organic chicken often has higher omega-3 levels and a better fatty acid profile. Avoiding antibiotic use is clearly better to reduce superbugs. However, nutritionally organic and conventional chicken are comparable for most vitamins and minerals.
Is organic chicken more expensive?
Organic chicken costs 20-100% more than conventional chicken. However, prices have come down over time as organic poultry gets more mainstream. Look for sales and bulk options to reduce the price premium.
Does organic mean no pesticides?
Yes, certified organic farming prohibits the use of synthetic pesticides or fertilizers in feed or during the chickens’ lifetime. Organic regulations also ban GMOs.
Can organic chickens be given antibiotics?
Organic chickens cannot receive any antibiotics, though they can be treated if medically necessary. Treated chickens must then be removed from organic production.
Does organic mean the chickens roam freely?
While organic standards require outdoor access, the specifics like acreage, portable housing, and total outdoor time are not defined. Terms like free-range and pasture-raised indicate more spacious, ample outdoor roaming.
Buying organic chicken requires diligent label reading, but rewards shoppers with better tasting, humanely raised poultry produced in an eco-friendly manner without antibiotics, chemicals, or hormones. Follow this guide to locate high-integrity organic chicken from a source you trust. Then cook up some delicious organic chicken recipes your whole family can feel good about eating.
Best places to buy chicken online
At this online market, you can buy pieces of or whole organic and pasture-raised chicken. You can also build a custom butcher box of meat and seafood to stock the fridge and freezer.
Despite the name, this newer online meat purveyor carries a lot more than beef. Crowd Cow has one of the best selections of free-range and organic chicken you can order online. Purchase organic and pasture-raised whole chickens, boneless chicken breast and more.
FreshDirect grocery delivery but its only available in the Northeast for now. Those in the service area can enjoy a wide range of poultry options including Certified Organic Smart chickens which are fed an organic grain diet, and are certified humane by the Humane Farm Animal Care.
Specialty food store DArtagnan has a great selection of certified-humane, air-chilled, antibiotic-free and pasture-raised chicken, making it one of the best places to buy chicken online. DArtagnan carries whole chickens, chicken pieces and specialty items including truffle chicken sausage.
Chicken thighs are incredibly flavorful and a perfect candidate for dishes like chicken cacciatore or lemon pan chicken. Rastellis will allow you to add six 5-ounce boneless skinless thighs to a box or 2 pounds of organic chicken wings. You can either purchase a curated box or build your own for $186 for 15 pounds of meat or $289 for 30 pounds. Save 5% if you make it a recurring delivery and snag any number of Rastellis other great meats direct from the New Jersey-based specialty shop while youre filling up your cart.
Youve probably seen these chicken products and others from this line in your local market. You can be sure that Applegate cares about the quality of its products; many of them contain organic and certified humane chicken. That includes Applegates homestyle chicken tenders or breaded chicken patties, which are both made using humanely raised birds.
All of this online butchers chicken is GAP animal welfare-certified. While you cant place single orders for breasts or single whole chickens, you can build your own monthly boxes that include chicken or choose ones that are curated by ButcherBox.
Animal welfare certified chicken
This six-level rating program for animals raised for meat and eggs is slightly more complex. According to the ASPCA, each successive level represents progressively higher welfare and includes all requirements of those below it. Hormones, subtherapeutic antibiotics, and keeping animals in cages are all illegal at all levels. There are standards for transport and slaughter as well, and auditors check that every farm is following them.
It’s good to look for the “organic” label, but remember that it only means the chickens were fed a certified organic diet. It doesn’t always mean that the farming methods used to feed the birds were better. The chicken label doesnt signal anything about a chickens quality of life or humane practices during their life or death and, in many cases, organic chickens still experience a lot of factory farmings most notorious practices.