So a few weeks ago I decided that I want to cut out the grocery store for both produce and meats. Coincidentally, an ad came across the radio for a company that dealt with meat and their name is Good Ranchers. That day, they were having a 20 filet meal for $35. I hopped in my car and drove to the location. Once I got there, the line was long and it was about to rain. Not wanting to stand in the rain and getting to the counter for them not to have what I was expecting, I got back in the car and drove back home. I decided that I would check out their website to see what they have. They had a handful of different boxes to choose from. I picked up the bundle of Good Ranchers chicken.
What They Have
Once you get to the website, you will find a few different boxes to choose from. These boxes contain chicken, chicken and beef, just beef, or ham. They also have a seafood box, but at the time of ordering and writing this. That box was not available. The boxes come in different sizes ranging anywhere between 5 and 25 pounds inclusively. Meat last up to a year if sealed properly so I ordered the 22-25 pound box of both chicken and beef. The 5 pound box is about $99 and the 22-25 pound box cost $229 with a subscription or at a one time purchase of $275. A little steep? Possibly, but I do think it is cheaper than trying to buy 20 pounds of meat from the grocery store. Also, that box can last for well over a month unless you have more than 3 people.
What’s inside the box
Once you get receive the box, you will be greeted with a Styrofoam box. Remove the top to reveal 2 boxes that separate the chicken and beef. These also come sitting on dry ice. I’ll go over the beef in another article so keep an eye out for that. Opening the Good Ranchers chicken box reveals 5 more boxes. When ordering the chicken, they come seasoned already so each box is a different flavor. Each box contains about 8 4oz chicken breast. The 5 flavors I ended up getting were plain, garlic and pepper, Chile lime, fajita, and herb and thyme. Wow, these things are marinating or I should say bathing in their marinade. The flavor I ended up trying first was the fajita marinade.
Fajita Marinade
Wow, there was so much marinade that the chicken had to be cooked in tinfoil so that it all didn’t spill into the grill. The tinfoil was also good because the chicken is so tender that some of the breast were broken into smaller pieces. Concerned about losing pieces in the grill, I cautiously approached this new experience. This was my inaugural attempt at ordering meat in such a manner, leaving me without a previous standard for comparison. Nevertheless, I found the quality surpassing that of typical grocery store chicken. Looking ahead, I intend to explore ordering meat directly from a farmer and butcher to further enhance my culinary adventures. Once the chicken came off the grill, it was time to take the first bite. Not overpowering in flavor, but you can definitely taste it. Extremely tender, easy to cut, and it was moist. I usually use hot sauce all the time with chicken, but this was the first time of not using it. That might say a lot about the flavor. One downside is that it does get cold quick. Another downside is that you can burn them if you aren’t paying attention. They don’t take long especially when it is wrapped in tinfoil. If this is what free range chicken taste like, I’m excited to see what the other flavors taste like.
Chile Lime Marinade
Another absolutely fantastic flavor. You can really taste the lime. As for the Chile flavor, not so much. Still a great taste nonetheless. The lime gives the chicken a “zingy” flavor and sends your taste buds for a wild ride. Maybe a slight over exaggeration since my baseline only covers grocery store meat. Also, there are no amazing 5 star restaurants in my experience or buying directly from a farm. The chicken was still extremely tender, you could practically cut it with the side of the fork. However, that is all relative to how you end up cooking the chicken. The chicken came in plenty of juice made up of the marinade and flavoring so the chicken has plenty of time to marinate in it and you can taste it. Still haven’t had to use hot sauce and that is a rarity. I’ve never thought of adding a lime flavor to my chicken but I am surely glad I tried it. If you are in the same situation, this might be a great place to give it a try. So far, the Chile lime flavor is at the top of the list currently.
Garlic and Pepper Marinade
You can not go wrong with garlic. Garlic, alone, can make a difference in the food it is on. Mix it with pepper and you have yourself a quality marinade. It is amazing what a little pepper can do. Since the chicken is marinating in both the garlic and pepper, you will get a nice, rich flavor. This is another piece of chicken that I do not use hot sauce on. What makes this garlic and pepper marinade great is that, you can also make the marinade yourself at home. It is only few ingredients. Regardless, I definitely recommend the garlic and pepper chicken.
Lemon Herb and Thyme Marinade
Lemon Herb and Thyme is similar to the garlic and pepper marinade. Not in taste, obviously, but similar in a taste that will send your taste buds in a whirl. The lemon herb flavor was vibrant in popping and the little hint of thyme really set it off. Just enough of both seasonings to give this piece of chicken a wonderful flavor. Perfect for any dish, you can not go wrong with some lemon herb chicken.
Plain
No seasoning on these. A box of just plain chicken to do what your heart desires. Create your own marinade or seasonings, fry them in a pan, or throw them on a grill. Make some chicken salad or chicken fajitas. The possibilities are endless. These are quality tender pieces of chicken and you will definitely notice the difference. It will almost make you want to go to your local farm and get some fresh chicken.
If you are interested, give the Good Ranchers chicken box a try, you will not regret it.
