Battle Chicken!

It's been a while since a blog post I know. I've been working, working, working and soon the wedding season will be over only to begin doll making season! We picked up our last of the chicken CSA from The Wooly Pig and put the 11 chickens in the deep freezer for the winter. We don't intend to buy any meat this winter. We were telling our good friend Eric Leon, owner of Forbidden City Asian Bistro in MIddletown, CT about the chickens. Because they cost more than conventional chickens, he wanted to see if there was a difference in flavor and texture. He prepared two equally sized chickens ( one of them was our chicken ) and cooked them in a way that was traditional Malaysian and would not disguise the flavor. They were boiled, rapidly chilled and then air cooled. They were then chopped up and served with cucumber, rice and traditional sauces for dipping.

THE BATTLE:

 Here are both chickens. The one without the head is ours. Our chicken is a pasture raised, organic, non-GMO fed chicken. The opponent chicken is a cage free chicken.

 Chef is cutting up the chicken.

 

Eric invited two of his friends to join us. They did not know about the chicken battle. Here is what the dishes looked like prior to eating.

 They were identical in appearance. We ate our chicken first. The meat was sweet, tender, fresh tasting and juicy.  Everyone was enjoying it. The second chicken came out and everyone dug in but immediately noticed a difference in the flavor of the chicken. It was still tender and juicy but there was no sweetness.  There was a " chicken" flavor that was less appealing and I noticed that right away.  Everyone wanted more of chicken number 1. By the end of the dinner, restaurant employees were trying to rationalize the higher cost and figuring out how to get some for themselves.  

THE VERDICT: 

The organic, non-GMO, pasture raised chicken which was $3 more per lb. was victorious. Delicious. No comparison. Thank you Wooly Pig for your awesome chickens! They are worth every penny. 

There was indeed more to our wonderful meal.  Eric made us KangKong with Sambal and a curry dish. Many wines and Saki were had and we ended our meal with delicious sesame balls. 

 KangKong is a type of Asian water spinach.

 Delicious curry dish

Sesame balls 

A happy Eric enjoying our appreciation for his food.