Winner, Winner Chicken Dinner!

I was recently invited to a five-course feast featuring chicken, chicken and more chicken. And the goal of this gathering of the flock? To talk turkey! OK, just joking. It was to talk about chicken and the way chicken is raised and marketed, specifically Foster Farms chicken.

This invite was impossible to resist because it involved being wined and dined by Susan Neel, one of the gregarious owners of McCrea Cellars, a favorite winery of mine. Plus, it promised to be a thought-provoking and filling evening among fellow food bloggers who care about where food comes from.

Ever since watching Food, Inc., I've had deeply conflicted feelings about chicken. I love it, but I hate how it's raised in factory farm settings. Even so-called free range chicken isn't scratching around in the outside world. There's a door, sure, but the chickens rarely, if ever go out that door.

The host of this event wanted to hear our opinions about how to get the word out that Foster Farms is a family-owned company that contracts with family-owned farms. And, what were we looking for in a chicken as a consumer? The consensus around the table seemed to be a wish for a smaller bird with a bigger flavor. Is that possible?

We live in a world where factory farms, even family-owned factory farms, are a reality, but it's encouraging that some of those factory farms are putting out feelers. Can consumers influence the way animals are raised and brought to market? You bet, but you've got to squawk to be heard. Here's a link to their consumer feedback page.

Dinner was fantastic: chicken liver crostini, chicken posole, followed by smoked chicken mac-and-cheese and an over-the-top rich chicken confit made from a recipe from Donald Link's Real Cajun. For dessert, Susan made a whimsical treat, meringue topped with lemon curd. Her clever nod to that age-old question: Which came first? The chicken or the egg?

In between serious discussion about raising awareness about chicken farming practices, we went around the table and talked about some of our favorite chicken dinners. While I love roast chicken and coq au vin, chicken curry and chicken wrapped in prosciutto and seared in a cast iron skillet, my favorite dish is always fried chicken. How about you?

-- Leslie Kelly

Comments

[Earth Girl on February 22, 2011 at 05:02 PM]

If you want tasty chicken, raise the right breed. Some breeds are best for laying eggs. Some breeds are best for eating. Some are entertaining pets. And the chickens you buy in the store have been developed to raise enmasse for their tasteless outsized breasts. I would ask Foster Farms about the breeds they raise, which can tell much of the story of how the chickens have to be raised and how tasty the meat (and broth) will be.