What’s actually in The Farmer’s Dog Chicken?
We analyzed the Chicken Recipe — the legume-free option in The Farmer’s Dog lineup. The ingredient panel reads: chicken, chicken liver, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, chia seeds, salmon oil, then the supplement tail (dicalcium phosphate, fish oil, salt, calcium carbonate, taurine, zinc amino acid chelate, choline bitartrate, iron amino acid chelate, copper amino acid chelate, vitamin E supplement, manganese amino acid chelate, thiamine mononitrate, cholecalciferol, riboflavin supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin B12 supplement, folic acid, potassium iodide).
The Farmer’s Dog gently cooks each recipe at low temperatures in a USDA-registered human-grade facility, then flash-freezes and ships pre-portioned. Recipes are developed by board-certified veterinary nutritionists and meet the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for all life stages (formulation-based substantiation). Shop on Amazon →
The good stuff
Chicken at position one and chicken liver at position two is the tightest muscle-plus-organ stack in the Farmer’s Dog lineup. Liver delivers vitamin A, B12, iron, and copper in highly bioavailable animal forms; muscle chicken contributes complete protein and moderate fat. This is the configuration raw-feeding advocates favor, translated into a cooked-fresh format.
The cruciferous vegetable trio — broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts — is the distinctive feature of the Chicken recipe. Cruciferous vegetables contribute glucosinolates (sulfur compounds with documented antioxidant and detoxification-support roles), vitamin K, folate, and fiber. No other Farmer’s Dog variant leads with three cruciferous in the top five; the Turkey recipe is closest but splits between broccoli and spinach.
Chia seeds at position six deserve a note: they contribute plant-source omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid, complete plant protein, and soluble fiber. Dogs convert ALA to EPA/DHA less efficiently than humans, which is why the recipe still adds salmon oil and fish oil — but chia is a useful supplementary source. The chelated-mineral tail, taurine supplementation, and comprehensive vitamin tail match the rest of the Farmer’s Dog lineup.
The structural distinction from the Beef, Turkey, and Pork variants is legume-free formulation. No chickpeas, no lentils, no peas. For owners of DCM-predisposed breeds (Golden Retrievers, Doberman Pinschers, Boxers, Great Danes, Cocker Spaniels), this is the Farmer’s Dog variant that sidesteps the entire pulse-based DCM concern category — even beyond the taurine supplementation that all four variants share.
The not-so-good stuff
The primary concession is carbohydrate variety. Broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and chia provide vegetable matter and some soluble fiber, but the recipe skips starch-forward carbohydrates (no sweet potato, no potato, no rice). For very high-activity dogs, sled dogs, or working breeds with elevated calorie needs, the calorie density per gram runs lower than the Beef recipe’s sweet-potato-and-lentils pairing. For the typical pet dog, the lower carb load is actually a benefit; for endurance-performing dogs, it may warrant switching to the denser Beef variant.
AAFCO substantiation is formulation-only, not feeding-trial-validated. This is industry baseline for fresh-food subscriptions; JustFoodForDogs is the one A-tier peer with explicit feeding-trial substantiation on specific recipes.
Cost is typical for premium cooked-fresh subscriptions: roughly $3–6 per day for a medium dog. Freezer space for a week of pre-portioned meals is a practical requirement.
How it compares
At A/90, Farmer’s Dog Chicken matches Farmer’s Dog Beef (A/90), Farmer’s Dog Turkey (A/90), Farmer’s Dog Pork (A/90), Ollie (A/90), JustFoodForDogs (A/90), and Open Farm (A/90). Within the Farmer’s Dog line, Chicken is the cleanest legume-free option — the variant to pick if the chickpeas in Turkey or the lentils in Beef are a concern. Against Ollie Chicken (which includes peas and chickpeas), Farmer’s Dog Chicken is the structurally simpler choice.
See the head-to-head: Farmer’s Dog Chicken vs Ollie.
Buying guides featuring The Farmer’s Dog: Best Fresh Dog Food and Best Cooked-Fresh Dog Food Subscriptions.
The bottom line
The Farmer’s Dog Chicken Recipe earns an A grade (90/100) under the Fresh Food Rubric v1.0. USDA human-grade chicken plus chicken liver, cruciferous vegetable density, and legume-free formulation make this the cleanest Farmer’s Dog variant — particularly well-suited for DCM-predisposed breeds where any legume stacking is worth avoiding. If your dog needs denser calorie-per-gram nutrition, step laterally to Farmer’s Dog Beef (A/90). If chicken sensitivity is a concern, rotate to Farmer’s Dog Turkey (A/90) or Farmer’s Dog Pork (A/90). Shop on Amazon →