Let's Talk Chicken

11/19/2014

I know you have heard the statement "Let's Talk Turkey", but today we're going to talk about chickens.  I saw a segment on television about a woman who has restaurants in New York but buys her chickens from organic farmers in Pennsylvania.  Seeing that show made me wonder what was the difference between your old regular chicken in the grocery store and primo organic birds.

My grandmother raised turkeys and they were kept in an area where they could eat grass as well as the food that my grandmother gave them.  The "Toms" grew into big boys and Grandma always said that after a certain weight, turkeys just didn't taste as good as a leaner bird did.

Apparently one of the big differences between the two types of chickens is:  non-organic, unprocessed or minimally processed produce is treated with a variety of growth-enhancing substances and is also commonly subjected to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) grading and quality standards (voluntarily), while organic produce is not.  

That's the main reason that chickens in the grocery stores all look alike and likely all taste the same.  And I think most processed chickens come from one or two major chicken producing companies.

So how much does an organic chicken cost:

A whole, generic store-brand chicken typically costs about $1.50 per pound, the price for organic chicken is $2.69 a pound at Trader Joe's, the U.S. grocery chain, and $4.99 per pound from online grocer Fresh Direct. Whole Foods sells boneless, skinless organic chicken breasts for $8.99 per pound.  That's a whole lot of money for a chicken.

Since I've never eaten an organic chicken I can't comment on the taste.  But I am speculating that there would be a tremendous taste difference between a regular chicken and an organic one.  Trouble is I can't see myself spending nearly $9.00 a pound for chicken!  At that price the chicken cost nearly rivals the cost of a steak, and if I had my druthers, I'd rather have steak!

P