In the March issue of Country Roads, I offered some thoughts about sustainable agriculture and eating local that had come to mind after meeting Adam Aucoin and Cassy Kelly, a young couple who have moved to St. Francisville to offer locally-raised, pastured chicken to folks keen to try an alternative to eating industrially-raised poultry. Last week, having learned that the couple's first batch of several hundred chickens was now ready for the table, I got hold of a plump, whole hen, and brought it home keen to test it out for Sunday dinner.
My plan, which was to stuff this bird with rosemary, lemon halves and garlic before roasting it with vegetables in a hot oven, has proven to be a fairly reliable way to turn the supermarket chickens we're used to buying, into supper for five or six people. But long before we got anywhere near the kitchen, it was clear that this chicken was going to be different. The first and most obvious difference, it has to be said, was the price. My whole five-pound chicken, priced at $3.50 per pound, came in at about $17.50. Which, when one is used to picking up a fryer in the frozen meat section for about six bucks, was a bit startling. Then there was Adam's suggestion that I brine this chicken prior to roasting it. Why? Because the process of soaking the bird in a blend of salt and sugar water (herbs and spices are optional extras) serves to drive liquid into the meat, thereby keeping it moist throughout the roasting process. A good idea for any chicken or pork roast, brining is especially effective when cooking a pastured chicken, since these birds tend to have less interstitial fat than their factory-farmed brethren-a result of their hunt-and-peck diet, and actually getting to walk around while being raised. I took Adam's advice and soaked my chicken for six hours in a gallon of water, in which was dissolved a cup of kosher salt and 3/4 cup sugar, with garlic cloves, lemon wedges, and a handful of peppercorns.
Another thing that elevated my Coq Aucoin hen became clear when I removed it from the bag. Its freshness was immediately obvious. The clear white of the visible fat and the firm tension of the breast had little in common with the lank flaccidity of the store-bought birds we were more familiar with. After brining, I stuffed and trussed my chicken, rubbed it all over with lemon juice then olive oil, and stuck it in the oven at 370 degrees for a little over an hour.
Suppertime: the moment of truth. Perhaps it was the lower fat content of the meat, or just my impatience, but I'm sure this chicken took longer to cook than I'm used to. In any case, it emerged golden-skinned and smelling irresistible. After resting it for ten minutes I carved, and served five with pan gravy, roast vegetables and a green salad. Here's what we found out. Our pastured chicken was tender, moist, and particularly where the dark meat was concerned, decidedly more flavorsome than the competition. Another interesting thing: There just seemed to be more meat on this bird. Without actually being any heavier than the chickens we're used to roasting, the meat of this bird just seemed somehow denser; and once the table was cleared, there was lots left over for cold chicken sandwiches or salad-far more than we would normally have.
So let's see. Demonstrably fresh. Raised without antibiotics or growth hormones. Grazed across pasture, ensuring a diet supplemented with grass, bugs, seeds and other naturally chicken-ish fodder. More flavorsome. Supplying meat which just somehow goes further. And supporting the enterprise of young, local farmers. In the final analysis there can only be one really compelling reason not to choose these pasture-raised birds over their factory-farmed counterparts. That's the price. Admittedly, when one is used to being able to buy a chicken at the grocery store for six or seven bucks, paying nearly three times the amount might be difficult to swallow.
But now, having followed the development of Coq Aucoin's operation, having seen those chickens grazing their way across spring pasture, and having tasted the results, I find myself wondering about a food delivery system that enabled me to buy a chicken that someone has had to hatch, house, raise, feed, slaughter, process, package and ship, for six bucks in the first place. Who could live on it? The price of a store-bought, industrially raised chicken might be its most unnatural feature. And on that note, the price for a Coq AuCoin chicken didn't seem that bad after all. Perhaps we'll just adjust, eat chicken less but savor it more, and console ourselves with the fact that we'll be supporting something wholesome, and realistic, in the process.
James Fox-Smith is executive editor of Country Roads magazine. Each month Country Roads explores the region's art, music, cuisine, history, people, architecture, outdoor adventures, hidden treasures, myths and legends and fact and fiction. It's his job to make sure it all makes sense. Born in England and raised in Australia, James has lived in Louisiana for fifteen years.
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