Whole Roast Chicken in NYC

[mark e]

originally posted by kirk wallace:
Daily ProvisionsThey swear the chickens are Green Circle D'Artagnan.

Kirk, those are about $5.70 per pound on their website (retail, of course). I don't really believe the free range thing and "access to pasture," as it is usually anything but. And these birds are fed conventional feed.

Call me a skeptic, but there is no free lunch.

 

[kirk wallace]

the only additional info (or propaganda) that i can pass on is that USHG is now consolidated its chicken buying; so all (almost all?) the resto's use Green Circle and they get a good price.

That said, D'artagnan's website is pretty vague: Green Circle chicken is the latest introduction, exclusively from D’Artagnan. Every chicken that bears the name is raised free-range on a diet of actual vegetables, is certified-humane and air-chilled." Seems not any special (heritage or otherwise) breed. and as you say, they are not claiming organic feed.

 

[Sharon Bowman]

I see chickens eating a carrot.

 

[Jay Miller]

originally posted by kirk wallace:
the only additional info (or propaganda) that i can pass on is that USHG is now consolidated its chicken buying; so all (almost all?) the resto's use Green Circle and they get a good price.

That said, D'artagnan's website is pretty vague: Green Circle chicken is the latest introduction, exclusively from D’Artagnan. Every chicken that bears the name is raised free-range on a diet of actual vegetables, is certified-humane and air-chilled." Seems not any special (heritage or otherwise) breed. and as you say, they are not claiming organic feed.

The link to the original NY Times article says they are a heritage cross breed but they do not make that claim on the Green Circle description.

More information:

Under details it says
"In that tradition, we raise our chickens on a diet of surplus vegetables and trimmings we are talking about actual vegetables here - collected from commercial kitchens and farmer’s markets. By saving these vegetables from their fate in a landfill and turning them into nutritious chicken feed, we raise healthier birds and contribute to a better world."

However under Just The Facts they say
Surplus vegetable and wholesome grain feed, including corn and soy

Anyway, I just split an order with a co-worker so I'll have 3 to play around with. I'll report back.

 

[Bill Lundstrom]

i have roasted whole Green Circle bird several times and i think they are very good.

 

[mark e]

originally posted by Jay Miller:

originally posted by kirk wallace:
the only additional info (or propaganda) that i can pass on is that USHG is now consolidated its chicken buying; so all (almost all?) the resto's use Green Circle and they get a good price.

That said, D'artagnan's website is pretty vague: Green Circle chicken is the latest introduction, exclusively from D’Artagnan. Every chicken that bears the name is raised free-range on a diet of actual vegetables, is certified-humane and air-chilled." Seems not any special (heritage or otherwise) breed. and as you say, they are not claiming organic feed.

The link to the original NY Times article says they are a heritage cross breed but they do not make that claim on the Green Circle description.

More information:

Under details it says
"In that tradition, we raise our chickens on a diet of surplus vegetables and trimmings we are talking about actual vegetables here - collected from commercial kitchens and farmer’s markets. By saving these vegetables from their fate in a landfill and turning them into nutritious chicken feed, we raise healthier birds and contribute to a better world."

However under Just The Facts they say
Surplus vegetable and wholesome grain feed, including corn and soy

Anyway, I just split an order with a co-worker so I'll have 3 to play around with. I'll report back.

Here is a picture of where the chickens are raised from that 2013 New York Times article. Meat chickens eat mostly grain so the vegetable thing is a bit of a red herring.