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Free range chicken is generally a lot more expensive than battery farm chicken, but it's often claimed it is better tasting. I'm curious if restaurants stick to this mantra and use free-range chicken, or if it's just psychological, and if there any benefits besides ethical ones. |
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Flavor in most meats is generally determined by a few things. How the animal was raised and if it is of a particular heritage breed, how it was treated over it's lifetime (i.e. diet and environment), when and how it is slaughtered, how it is handled from the slaughterhouse to the butcher, was it properly stored, etc. Also, how fatty the bird is and light to dark meat ratio will also determine flavor of the bird. I definitely have tried a lot of different types of "free range", "organic", and/or "local" chickens out there and you basically get what you pay for in terms of meat quality and flavor. At my restaurant we try to source best quality chickens, local, organic and free range if possible because it just tastes better and it coincides with our philosophy. Properly cooking and seasoning the chicken will also help. |
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"Free-Range" chicken or any animal in an ideal world is raised with access to the outdoors as well as a balanced diet. Same as when you go hunting, wild animal has a "gamey" taste the older it is simply from what it eats. What a chicken eats during it's lifetime and the exercise it is able to have will affect taste as well as fat content. If you want tasty, ethical, and better for you chicken; I would ask around your local farmer's market and get a healthy farm raised chicken that is grain fed with access to the outdoors. This way you can also help out the local economy and the earth by buying local. On another note, how you cook your chicken and keep the meat moist is just as important as the original quality. |
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The definition of "Free-range" is quite loose in the US. If the chickens are "free" enough to go outside and eat bugs as part of a more natural diet, it can improve the flavor (like grass-fed beef). This is not required to call chickens "free range" here, and merely getting a bit of fresh air and sunshine will not really improve the flavor. "Free range" is more about treating the animals well than getting the best flavor. |
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I've had a few Label Rouge chickens and definitely found them more tasty and richer flavored. You will notice that the bones are harder and in my opinion make a better stock. The meat looks less slimey than some of the typical US supermarket salt water injected fodder. Saying that, if you're just interested in breast meat I think it's a little harder to tell the difference. |
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Also, breeding will affect the taste of the chicken. Factory farm chickens are designed to have more breast meat and to be ready for slaughter sooner. |
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