Their schtick is that feeding them on vegetable peelings rather than exclusively grain gives them much better flavor - more similar to the chickens my parents ate back in the day. It’s certainly not impossible or even unlikely (there are lots of examples where meat tastes differently depending on what the animal ate) but I was curious if anyone had experience that proved or disproved the claim.
Both have influence. The original birds in the feeding experiment were a heritage cross breed but they don’t make that claim on the website so I don’t know if it’s still the case.
had at sauvage in brooklyn recently. fantastic; very meaty with a deep flavor. i would salt a few days in advance and just hang in the fridge, then roast at very high heat. please post back after you’ve had, i’d be interested in getting a few. violet hill has been my reference domestic chicken, but they’re often too big for me.
Since the minimum order is 6 chickens and I’m getting 3 my intention is to do the Zuni prep on one for a whole roast chicken (basically what you suggest), pan roast half of another the first night, and freeze the other 1.5 chickens. I’ve been emptying out my freezer in preparation.
$5/lb at Fairway - no minimum. Had them for a while then stopped and now back. Been doing simple spatchcock roast. Tender, moist and tasty.
I read that these birds are a cooperative deal between D’Artagnan and top NYC restaurants. They are feed the leftover veggies and scraps from the restaurant kitchens.
That was the original trial run. Now that the chickens are available at retail they no longer make claims for the source of the vegetable peelings, etc. My guess is that they are sourced more locally.
Jay,
The Green Circle Heritage Birds are the Brune Landaise. Previously only available wholesale.They are 180 days old and taste great the breast is a normal size and in proportion to the rest of the bird unlike supermarket birds. I bought them wholesale previously though a connection.