Free Range chicken (ethics aside)

Keane2baMused

I try to eat organic and free range as much as I can. It is expensive though and can significantly bump up the weekly shop cost, so meat is often not free range.

However, I got a free range chicken out of aldi recently. It was an extra euro so I thought it was would be worth it, and wouldn't break the bank.

We all know free range is ethically better so for the purpose of the thread it's not something I want to debate. Purely going on taste and quality of the meat here.

Do you think there's much of a difference? In the chicken I bought I could not tell any difference taste or quality wise!

livedadream

there was a thing on RTE a few weeks ago, what are you eating i think it was called, and they did a taste test on organic free range chicken v factory farmed.

the kids preferred the factory but the adults said they did notice a more chickeny taste from the free range one.

personally ive never done a taste test but mentally would prefer the free range one.

Tree

There's a huge difference in the eggs, freerange all the way.

Fillets wise, I only buy free range these days, and what's not freerange (probably) is bought breaded and seasoned (and frozen), so it's not particuarly chicken flavoured anyway.

yellowlabrador

I buy a free range chicken in Aldi every week. There's a noticeable difference. The meat is firmer, the bones are harder and when you boil it, it actually smells like chicken of old. If you cook both free range and factory farmed, the factory bird will cook quicker and be more flabby and come off the bone sooner.
for me, the solution is to eat less meat, but better quality.

beer enigma

I'm mixed on the taste issue.

I always try to buy free range when possible and agree with yellowlabrador, I'd rather have one forkful of great tasting meat than two of bland meat.

That said, taste is also down to the birds diet and whilst one would hope free range would get the best of pickings, I've had some really good non-free range birds too along with some disappointing free range.

I always try to find out origin - most of the supermarket birds are either from Limerick or Monaghan, and there are a couple of suppliers I always look out for and if their non free range birds are on the shelves, I'll choose those over free.

armaghlad

Can either factory farmed or free range be pumped full of water? I know some of the supermarket chicken breasts reduce massively in volume when you cook them. Does this happen with free range?

Water John

The free range diff is due also to the age of the bird. The free range is older and more mature.

beer enigma

Water John wrote: »

The free range diff is due also to the age of the bird. The free range is older and more mature.

Minimum is 56 days for Indoor/Barn reared and 81 days for Free range

Curry Addict

i pay the extra for free range chicken, it is worth it most of the time.
factory chicken can be as good but not consistently.

I like corn fed chicken the most though. I think it is the tastiest and you can usually pick up two for €10. the are usually labeled 1.2 -1.4kg but in reality they are usually bigger and great value.

beer enigma

Curry Addict wrote: »

i pay the extra for free range chicken, it is worth it most of the time.
factory chicken can be as good but not consistently.

I like corn fed chicken the most though. I think it is the tastiest and you can usually pick up two for €10. the are usually labeled 1.2 -1.4kg but in reality they are usually bigger and great value.

And through the colouration you can see they have been fed on a corn diet, agree with you there...and no curry needed on the Sunday roast

caviardreams

I always pay extra for free range (always look out for the ones from newcastlewest in particular!) and/or corn fed (though corn fed is not necessarily free range I think?). The price difference can be significant when it comes to chicken fillets at any rate - I find barn fillets are around €10 per kg or even less if you buy in bulk, and it's usually €4-5 for 200-250g free range - I definitely notice a taste difference, but it's also an ethical thing tbh.

The eggs are definitely noticeable imo.

Keane2baMused

caviardreams wrote: »

I always pay extra for free range (always look out for the ones from newcastlewest in particular!) and/or corn fed (though corn fed is not necessarily free range I think?). The price difference can be significant when it comes to chicken fillets at any rate - I find barn fillets are around €10 per kg or even less if you buy in bulk, and it's usually €4-5 for 200-250g free range - I definitely notice a taste difference, but it's also an ethical thing tbh.

The eggs are definitely noticeable imo.

That's absolutely right. Corn fed by no means suggests it's free range, which I imagine is a common misconception. Having said that I do feel the corn fed has a better flavour.

Free range eggs all the way, I wouldn't buy any other.


It could have possibly been down to the particular bird or supplier, but I just felt the fact of it being free range there should have been a noticeable difference. With organic vegetables I can always taste a difference.

pwurple

I'm so wary of chicken, free range or otherwise. I have a penicillin allergy, and thought for years I had a chicken allergy (no such thing!), as I got a rash, hives etc sometimes after eating chicken. Turns out a lot of chickens have antibiotics (penicillin) mixed into their feed. So I am very careful about where I source them now. I use a specific butcher for chicken's now, and his chicken source seems to be pretty good, for me anyway. It's a bit more expensive, but I'd say if we eat chicken twice a month it's a lot.

beer enigma

pwurple wrote: »

I'm so wary of chicken, free range or otherwise. I have a penicillin allergy, and thought for years I had a chicken allergy (no such thing!), as I got a rash, hives etc sometimes after eating chicken. Turns out a lot of chickens have antibiotics (penicillin) mixed into their feed. So I am very careful about where I source them now. I use a specific butcher for chicken's now, and his chicken source seems to be pretty good, for me anyway. It's a bit more expensive, but I'd say if we eat chicken twice a month it's a lot.

Do you mind me asking which butcher ? you're very local to me & one of my kids also has a reaction to penicillin, so would be worth trying

Keane2baMused

pwurple wrote: »

I'm so wary of chicken, free range or otherwise. I have a penicillin allergy, and thought for years I had a chicken allergy (no such thing!), as I got a rash, hives etc sometimes after eating chicken. Turns out a lot of chickens have antibiotics (penicillin) mixed into their feed. So I am very careful about where I source them now. I use a specific butcher for chicken's now, and his chicken source seems to be pretty good, for me anyway. It's a bit more expensive, but I'd say if we eat chicken twice a month it's a lot.

Wow that's crazy I wasn't aware of that. Can you just straight up ask the butcher about the penicillin? Is it something they should know off hand?

freshpopcorn

If I roast a free range chicken and an ordinary chicken I can easily tell the difference in taste and the meat generally feels more firm.

L1011

Keane2baMused wrote: »

Wow that's crazy I wasn't aware of that. Can you just straight up ask the butcher about the penicillin? Is it something they should know off hand?

Most wouldn't know. Specialists or those who single source would know or could check

maringo

I buy the Aldi free range. Doesn't seem to be pumped with water. Doesn't shrink in the cooking. Well worth the money and the chicken has a better life not so cruelly treated. After seeing factory farmed chickens living conditions I went free range chickens and eggs too.

meeeeh

I buy free range chicken, usually 1.5 kg ones but if I can get the really big ones I buy those. I never add fat to chicken when roasting (I mostly roast simple lemon chicken or beer can chicken on BBQ) so I want fatty substantial birds that hold moisture well. I roasted small battery chickens before and even though I adjusted cooking time they came out all shrunk up and dry.

I also don't buy supermarket chickens anymore. I got free range chicken couple of times in Tesco that looked like it was all bruised. I prefer to buy meat in butchers, I also get less popular cuts so it's just handier to buy everything in one place.

pwurple

Keane2baMused wrote: »

Wow that's crazy I wasn't aware of that. Can you just straight up ask the butcher about the penicillin? Is it something they should know off hand?

Don't think they know, butcher's don't farm the chickens.

Andip, pm sent.

Keane2baMused

pwurple wrote: »

Don't think they know, butcher's don't farm the chickens.

Andip, pm sent.

True but a good one should have a good relationship with their suppliers and know what their customers are getting