What is the difference between a chicken and a hen?

While the words chicken and hen are largely interchangeable, in the food industry they are used to refer to different animals. A chicken (also known as a broiler) is raised for meat, while hen refers to egg-laying hens.

What makes RSPCA Assured chickens different?

Every year, approximately 950 million chickens are farmed for consumption. In order to meet consumer needs, the majority of these 

birds are bred to grow fast which sadly leads to them being too heavy for their age, struggling to walk properly and suffering from heart defects. You can find out more about the effects of fast-growing chickens here.

All chickens on RSPCA Assured farms are slower-growing breeds. This means they are bred and raised to grow more naturally, making them less likely to suffer from leg, heart and other health problems.

Is it healthy to eat chicken?

While all meat is rich in protein, some meats 

contain more fat than others. And foods which are particularly high in saturated fats can raise cholesterol levels in the blood. In general, chicken contains less saturated fats than red meats and can lead to a healthier lifestyle when eaten as part of a balanced diet. But do consult your doctor or visit the NHS website for health advice.

Is chicken red meat?

Chicken is white meat and although the meat on chicken thighs may appear darker, it is still considered white meat. While both red and white meat have environmental impacts, choosing white meat can be a good way to reduce your carbon footprint.

How to keep chicken moist while cooking

If you are roasting a chicken this weekend, we hope you choose to buy higher welfare. We’ve also put together a few tips to ensure your

chicken stays moist and tender while cooking. 

• Add a little extra moisture to the chicken by rubbing the breast with olive oil or butter before cooking.
• Cook your chicken breasts at a higher temperature around 220 – 230 C so the meat cooks quickly and retains its moisture. 
• Let your chicken rest before eating. Cooking causes the juices to move to the centre of the meat, so before serving, let your meal sit while the juices redistribute. 

• Carving your meat against the grain. This will make more tender and easier to chew.

How long does a chicken take to cook per kg?

Cooking times will vary based on your oven but a rough guideline for cooking your chicken is 20 minutes per 450g plus an extra 10 to 20 minutes. So a bird weighing 2.25 kg would take 1 hour and 50 minutes.

Higher welfare chicken recipes

We have a large selection of recipes for higher welfare chicken. To make it easy to find, we’ve divided them into roast chicken, chicken curry, chicken pies, chicken pasta, chicken salad and barbecue chicken. ​

Roast chicken recipes

Roast chicken is a classic Sunday lunch, and we’ve got a few recipe options to make sure 

your weekend feast stays tasty and exciting. When coating your chicken, be sure to get all those hidden spots, like underneath the wings, between the thighs, and along the back. Check out our simple roast chicken recipe or if you’re looking for something a little more zingy there’s also our lemon roast chicken. No time for cooking and want to get everything done at once? No problem. Try our simple one-tray roast chicken and vegetables recipe.

Chicken curry recipes

Chicken is such a versatile food, it lends

itself perfectly to a whole range of cuisines, in particular curry and spicy dishes. As part of national curry week, we put together our own simple chicken curry recipe, but we’ve also got recipe ideas for yoghurt spiced chicken and butter chicken curry. 

For something a little different, you could always give our oven-baked chicken jambalaya a try. Or if you’re cooking to impress why to treat your guests to a fricassee of chicken with chocolate?

Chicken pots and pies

Nice wholesome comfort food, like our chicken, artichoke and chestnut stew is just perfect for those cold winter evenings. Our honey and mustard chicken recipe is nice and simple while our whole chicken soup and chicken pot pies are great recipes for using up any leftovers you might have in the fridge.

Chicken pasta dishes

Chicken also goes great in pasta sauces like our delicious chicken, bacon and leek pasta or if you feel like swapping out the bacon for leek there’s our char-char chicken and leek pasta.

Light chicken recipes

On a warm summer evening, there’s nothing like enjoying a light and delicious meal, maybe with a glass of chilled white wine. Luckily for you, we’ve got a couple of tasty chicken recipes for you to try, like our chicken and guacamole salad and our chicken pasties.

Barbecue chicken

If you’re having a barbecue, switching to higher welfare is a great way to help show support for farmers on the RSPCA Assured scheme and also to help the environment. But before you fire up the coals, be sure to check out our recipe for delicious barbecue chicken wings. 

Buying RSPCA Assured chicken

If you’re interested in switching to higher welfare chicken, be sure to look for the RSPCA Assured logo when you shop at Sainsbury’s, Aldi, Co-op and Lidl. 

Eat less, eat better

Millions of people across the UK and around the world are now trying to reduce their meat and dairy intake. Our Eat less, eat better campaign is an easy way to cut down on the meat, fish, eggs and milk you eat daily and make choices which are better for you, for the

animals and for the environment. 

RSPCA Assured products

You can also find other RSPCA Assured products including bacon, sausages, eggs, salmon, trout and milk.