Purchase a young chicken with firm flesh,, yellow skin and legs, and with a soft point to the breastbone. It should not weigh over one and a half pounds.

A Squab Chicken is simply a young chicken not weighing over one pound.

How To Select Chickens For Boiling, Baking, Stewing And Soup Making

Purchase a chicken at least one year old. The breastbone will be a little hard at the end, but easily broken; if it is pointed and resists pressure, it is a fowl, not a chicken.