Chickens are not inherently political, but they can be dragged into politics clucking and crowing.

French King Henry IV is believed to be the first to wish “a chicken in every pot” for his people in the 1500s. It was picked up again in the 1920s when Republicans promised the same — along with a car in every garage — for Americans.

Now U.S. Sen. John Fetterman is bringing a juicy bird into the conversation again.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides food benefits to Americans in need. The program can be used for most cold, raw or pantry foods. If you want to buy a whole raw chicken, that’s on the table.

A hot rotisserie chicken? That’s not. It’s considered prepared food, and much like a Domino’s pizza or a McDonald’s Big Mac, it isn’t an option for SNAP funds.

There is logic to that. For most SNAP recipients, prepared foods are off limits. The point is groceries, not takeout or restaurant meals. There are some people in some states who do have access to prepared foods because of disability or homelessness, but those are an exception.

So that’s it, right? No hot chickens? Well, just a minute.

The thing about prepared food is that, generally, it’s more expensive. A single plate of spaghetti in a restaurant can cost exponentially more than a pound of uncooked noodles and a jar of sauce from a store.

But rotisserie chickens defy that logic. A deli rotisserie chicken can often cost less than a raw chicken — and that’s not even considering the rock-bottom prices at places like Sam’s Club or Costco.

That can be played up by frugal content creators who will give advice for low-cost recipes and meal plans centered around a single chicken. But that can be out of reach for those who need it most. Rotisserie chickens aren’t always available because of how popular they are.

So where does Fetterman come in? He and fellow legislators on both sides of the aisle are proposing making hot chickens a SNAP option.

There is almost no downside. It helps people struggling to feed their families. It is accessible for people with disabilities. It is convenient and healthy for seniors, and familiar and tasty for kids.

And it’s cheaper for taxpayers.

How often can government make a change that is not only functional and humane but also fiscally responsible?

Fights about what you can and can’t buy with SNAP benefits usually focus on things seen as unnecessary like soda or luxurious like shellfish. Those arguments don’t exist for a chicken, the most basic protein in the American diet. More than 9 billion are eaten in the U.S. annually.

A rotisserie chicken is not left or right. It’s not Democratic or Republican. It can be rich versus poor.

It doesn’t have to be.