i’ve become obsessed with the idea of slow food and so i will put it to the test: i just bought my first heritage chicken at WF, aka “whole paycheque.” let’s see if i can make it taste good using a simple butter, lemon, herb, garlic saveur recipe…first, when i opened the bag, it smelled so *good*. seriously. it had a smell. and it was good. sweet. i’ve never opened up any other chicken and had it smell that good. (chicken is now done…) i measured the leg temp at 175, but after i cut the thigh off, it wasn’t quite cooked through…grrrrr. the breast was amazing, though, and i really can’t stand breast meat. it absorbed all the lemon and tarragon flavors, while the thigh had a bit more of the garlic. the leg meat was different (tougher, stringier, more flavorful but almost gamey) – is this what happens when you eat chickens that actually use their legs? the wings were very tasty, too. i ate both of them.

so, now, the next step is to do this w/ a standard fryer and see how it compares. so far, the free range is finger-lickin’ good, especially at $3.50/lb. free-range is supposed to be better for the body, better for the bird, and better for the land. but in my little pocket of society, it sure isn’t better for the pocketbook. now, having said that, i can’t eat it everyday, but i can certainly spend a little extra from time to time. it’s no different from searching out that unique flavor or ethnic dish.