La Belle Rouge Chickens

I've always been under the impression that the main thing that differentiates the flavor of chickens are their diets (other factors include age, koshering/brining, freshness, etc.). But I've only recently learned that there are breeding stocks of chickens that really do have different and distinctly superior flavors and textures.

Our local Slow Food chapter raised funds to send several local food producers to the 2004 Slow Food Terra Madre conference. The owners of one of our fine poultry producers, Pollo Real, made contact there with other producers that were growing chickens from a French breeding stock, La Belle Rouge. Yesterday for the first time, Pollo Real CSA members were able to purchase them.

I picked up a 4.8 pound one, butterflied it, drizzled it with lemon juice, sprinkled on some salt and pepper, and rubbed it under and over the skin with a compound butter containing a little fresh rosemary.

The ankles were cut off (so the legs would contract up and not over cook. The slow-cooking joints where the wing meets the shoulder and where the thigh meets the leg were severed with sharp knife. The wishbone was removed to facilitate carving. The boid was then placed skin-side down high over a relatively small fire. The fire was small so that the bird cooks evenly while the skin gets perfectly crisp. The skin below helps retain the juices. After the skin is crisp and brown, the bird is flipped to cook skin-side up until the thigh registers 170. Here is a photo of the boid on the grill:



Here is a photo of the cooked bird:



Here are the sides: grilled asparagus with truffle butter, grilled corn, fresh-baked rolls:



This chicken couldn't have been more perfect. The texture was denser and the flavor more intense that an ordinary chicken. I look forward to a summer of grilling, smoking, roasting, frying, braising, etc.

A quick Google search shows that this breed is available in other parts of the country. If you can find it in your area, you really should give it a try.

Bill/SFNM

Bill,

I've called Crayola and asked them to introduce a new crayon under the color: "Bill's La Belle Rouge Chicken Skin".

I can think of no other word than: gorgeous.

Best,
Michael

Thank you, Michael - it was as good as it looks!

The trick to that is the butter rubbed under the skin and to keep flames away by having a small fire far below the bird. This also produces a very crispy skin.

Bill/SFNM

Kudos for your resourcefulness, Bill/SFNM! (My CSA has chickens, but they are laying hens.) Your post reminded me of a gift my friends Linda and Leah gave me for my birthday this year: 2 Blue Foot Chickens which are faux Poulets de Bresse (no AOC designation) from D'Artagnan.



You know a good friend when he or she not only tolerates your eccentricities, but celebrates them. Lucky for me, my friends are highly attuned to the vagaries of my culinary imagination. They must have been particularly amused by the fact that I have a hypothetical "last meal" planned out in detail. (In case you are wondering, I have no current plans to commit a capital offense, but, in life and death, one must be prepared.)


The centerpiece of my last meal would be a roast Poulet de Bresse, accompanied by insalata caprese, an ear of butter and sugar corn, the sauteed spinach from Wishbone, ciabatta, and 2 slices of pie made by me: strawberry-rhubarb and blueberry. (A recent addendum: whipped cream made by Cathy2). So my friends were joking when they gave me this gift, and made me promise not to replicate the menu in its entirety. They didn't care to partake, though, because they said that they would not appreciate the meal. So I invited my friends Mia and Demetri, who agreed to bring dessert.

The Blue Foot [Cue "Theme from Jurassic Park"]


The feet provided an effective anchor for my non-existent trussing technique, and the roast bird cut a festive profile, I think.



We really couldn't make a dent in this, as delicious as it was. The feet turned out to be so crispy you could eat them bones and all.



The kicker was that Demetri made a strawberry-rhubarb pie. But I was feeling lucky, so I ate it anyway.

Bill/SFNM wrote: I look forward to a summer of grilling, smoking, roasting, frying, braising, etc.

Bill,

Chicken, as does every thing you cook, looks terrific! By the way, are there any houses for sale in your neighborhood?

Enjoy,
Gary

This looks great! It stayed flat, then? I love the "chicken under a brick" done at some Italian places, but wonder if it's necessary, or if it pushes out the juices, or exactly why you need a brick...

Leek,

Yes, the chicken remained flat.

I think the main objective of any way of cooking whole birds is to ensure even cooking, specifically that the breast doesn't get overcooked and dried out before the legs are done. I've never done the brick thing, but I would guess that it somehow aids in even cooking.

A perfectly done whole chicken with crispy skin is very challenging. I've long thought that a test of the skill of a home cook would involve a meal of Caesar salad, roast chicken, and apple pie - all dishes that IMO are much harder to execute perfectly than they seem.

Bill/SFNM