Creedy Carver Free-Range Whole Chicken

Our Creedy Carver free range chickens are a poultry product that not only satisfies your taste buds but also promotes ethical farming practices! These chickens are the result of years of dedication to maintaining the highest welfare standards.

At Creedy Carver, animal welfare is at the forefront of everything. The chickens are reared in spacious open-air environments, allowing them to roam freely and express their natural behaviours. They have acres of lush pasture to explore, providing plenty of room for exercise, fresh air, and natural foraging.

Available sizes-

• 1.3 -1.5 kg feeds 2-3 people
• 1.6 -1.8 kg feeds 3-4 people
• 1.9 - 2.1 kg feeds 5-6 people
• 2.2 kg plus feeds 6-8 people

Founded in 1985, Creedy Carver has specialised in producing the finest Free Range Duck and Chicken for over 30 years with a reputation for great flavour and a high meat yield. The concept is the same now as it has always been, to produce great tasting poultry with a huge emphasis on bird welfare and sustainable farming.

Weight: Varied pack weights

Packaging: Vacuum-sealed, chilled

Origin: Cornwall, UK (Primrose Herd)

Storage: Keep refrigerated below 4°C.

Delivery: Please note: Creedy Carver poultry is butchered to order in batches and despatched from Primrose Herd weekly on Fridays, for Saturday next-day delivery. Orders placed after Wednesday will not be dispatched until the next Friday, so depending on when you order, please allow for a slightly longer wait time for delivery.

Delivery to Mainland UK only (excluding NI). Shipped via express delivery in high-quality packaging and insulation.

👨🍳 Chef’s Tip: Master Perfectly Roasting a Whole Free-Range Chicken

A free-range bird has walked further, built better muscle structure, and boasts far superior flavour compared to standard factory-farmed poultry. However, because free-range chickens are leaner with less subcutaneous fat, they dry out easily if blasted carelessly. The secrets to success are drying the skin uncovered in the fridge overnight, smearing softened herb butter under the breast skin, roasting over a bed of aromatics at high heat, and pulling at 74°C before resting thoroughly.

1. Dry-Chill for Shatteringly Crisp Skin

The enemy of crisp roast chicken skin is surface moisture, which causes the skin to steam rather than crisp in the oven.

• Remove your free-range chicken from its packaging 24 hours before cooking, pat it dry with paper towels inside and out, and season generously with sea salt.

• Place it uncovered on a wire rack over a tray in the bottom of your fridge overnight. The circulating cold air dries out the skin until it resembles translucent parchment paper—guaranteeing incredible crunch.

2. Butter Under the Skin, Oil on Top

Free-range breast meat is very lean and needs protection during cooking.

• Mix softened unsalted butter with minced garlic, chopped fresh thyme, rosemary, lemon zest, and sea salt.

• Gently slide your fingers between the breast meat and the skin to loosen the membrane, taking care not to tear the skin. Smear the flavoured butter directly onto the breast meat underneath.

• Rub a small drizzle of olive oil or melted butter over the outside skin to ensure even browning.

3. Season the Cavity, Don't Stuff It

Never pack the cavity tightly with bread stuffing—it slows down heat circulation, forcing you to overcook the breast meat while waiting for the centre to reach temperature.

• Instead, stuff the cavity loosely with half a lemon, a halved bulb of garlic, and a bunch of fresh herbs (thyme, tarragon, or rosemary).

• As the chicken roasts, these aromatics steam from the inside out, infusing the meat with delicate flavour without obstructing heat flow.

4. Roast over Aromatics at High Heat (200°C / Fan 180°C)

Avoid roasting at low temperatures, which can turn free-range skin rubbery.

• Preheat your oven to 200°C (Fan 180°C / Gas Mark 6).

• Scatter thickly sliced onions, carrots, and celery across the bottom of your roasting tin to form a natural trivet for the bird.

• Sit the chicken on top of the vegetables. As it roasts for roughly 45 to 50 minutes per kg, the melting butter and chicken juices will drip onto the vegetables, creating a rich base for your pan gravy.

5. Target 74°C at the Thigh and Rest for 20 Minutes

Checking the internal core temperature prevents serving dry or undercooked chicken.

• Insert a digital probe thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh (without touching the bone). Remove the bird from the oven as soon as it reads 74°C (the breast will sit around 68°C–70°C).

• Transfer the chicken to a warm serving platter and let it rest uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes. Do not tent tightly with foil, or the trapped steam will soften the crisp skin. Resting allows the muscle fibres to relax and the juices to redistribute, ensuring every slice is succulent.