Starting a farm was the last thing on the mind of Tisha Ang Dominguez when she treated her daughter’s rashes.
When she was breastfeeding young Sofia, red patches appeared on her baby’s body.
Upon the doctor’s advice, Tisha was told to stop eating commercially-grown chicken as the growth hormones and antibiotics they were injected with caused the skin irritation.
She did more research on the subject, learned more distressing news and eventually started raising chickens in her own backyard, a farm in Sarangani.
Quality produce
Backyard Farms was started by a mom who wanted to ensure the quality of the produce used in her family’s meals. Convinced that healthy eating starts at the source, Dominguez decided to go into natural food production—starting with poultry farming—by raising chickens using methods she could trust.
All Backyard Farms chickens are pasture-raised unlike commercial chickens housed in cramped warehouses making them susceptible to diseases. They are grown on farms where they roam freely in open areas. Because of this, the chickens are supposedly healthier and happier.
These chickens are not given hormones and antibiotics. Instead, they enjoy healthy servings of grass, bugs, worms and greens from the gardens, supplemented by fresh feeds made with only natural ingredients like corn and soy.
The same care and attention is applied to the packaging of the dressed chicken. They are vacuum-sealed and use a fresh freezing method that kills 99.47 percent of the anaerobic bacteria.
Today, Sofia, 4, gets to eat chicken without having to worry about any health side effects. This is one of the many ways she enjoys them.
Nagoya-style chicken wings
Serves 4
Ingredients:
12 pieces Backyard Farms’ chicken wings
Salt and pepper, to season
Cornstarch
Frying oil
Sweet and spicy sauce
White sesame seed
For the sweet and spicy sauce:
1 tsp grated garlic
2 ½ tbsp soy sauce
2 ½ tbsp sake
2 tbsp mirin
2 tbsp honey
Make a slit on both sides of the chicken wings. Season with salt and pepper. Dredge in cornstarch. Shake off excess starch.
In a frying pan, pour oil and wait until temperature is ready for frying (185-190°C). Place the wings skin side down, turning over once in a while for six minutes. Turn the heat up and fry another two minutes. Set aside and drain oil on a wire rack. Continue frying the next batch.
In a small pan or sauce pot, combine all sauce ingredients. Stir. When bubbles appear, immerse half batch of the chicken wings in the sauce. Make sure the wings have absorbed the sauce. Set aside on a vat and continue with the last batch of wings.
Sprinkle chicken with sesame seeds. Serve while hot. —CONTRIBUTED
Backyard Farms chickens are available in all Rustan’s groceries nationwide. Choice cut pieces are available for delivery in Bonifacio Global City, Makati, Ayala Alabang and will be in select Rustan’s groceries next month.
