Waste Not, Want Not — Eating the Whole Chicken

Growing up, a chicken was not a sad Styrofoam package. My mother would bring home birds that had been plucked but not yet gutted, and my brother and I watched with fascination as she worked. We were not horrified — we were riveted. What had the chicken eaten? What were those tiny pearls clustered inside the hen? How did the feet move when you pulled the tendons just so?

That curiosity is what this class is about.

A whole chicken is one of the most generous things you can bring into a kitchen. Every part has a purpose, even after the bird has been roasted whole. The carcass and feet become stock, the liver a silky mousse, the braised gizzards and hearts tender morsels that will surprise you, and the picked meat the soul of a soup your family will ask for again and again.

We’ll begin by butchering the whole bird together — nothing wasted, every cut intentional. Then we’ll set the carcass to simmer into a golden stock, and while it bubbles we’ll make a chicken liver mousse to serve on toast at lunch. The gizzards and hearts go into a slow braise with onion and garlic — humble ingredients transformed into something deeply satisfying to top a green dandelion salad.

For our main event: a chicken soup with bread dumplings, built on the stock we just made, finished with a swirl of persillade — the herb sauce from Class 2 making a very welcome return. If you’ve taken the full series, you’ll feel the whole thing come together in this bowl.

You’ll take home a jar of stock and leave with the confidence to make the most of every bird you ever buy.

No special ingredients. No waste. Just technique, intention, and a way to cook that honors the whole animal.

We’ll close with a leisurely lunch together — because the best part of cooking is always shared at the table.

What’s included:

• All ingredients and materials
• Lunch (chicken liver mousse on toast, soup with bread dumplings, dandelion salad with braised gizzards and hearts)
• Chicken stock to take home (please bring a quart-size jar)
• Recipe cards for everything we make
• Techniques you’ll use for the rest of your life

Details:

• Date: Thursday, September 24, 2026
• Time: 10:00am – 1:00pm
• Capacity: 6–8 participants
• Location: Santa Barbara

This is Class 3 of the Waste Not, Want Not series. Take all three and save $50 — or join us for any single class.
Class 1 — It Begins with Bread · Class 2 — Eating the Whole Vegetable · Book the complete series