One of the things I love about doing Food Tours in Rome are the different people I have a chance to meet. While you’d think the conversation is mostly going one way (me telling visitors all about Roman food) I’m actually much more interested in creating a conversation. I LOVE hearing not only about personal details (I’m a nosey person at heart) but I’m always intrigued by how people shop, eat and cook at home.
I would say about 90% of my clients are American, and while I’ve had a wide range of interests, jobs, ages, hobbies, shapes and sizes over the years, there is one thing that about 75% percent of them all have in common which never, ever fails to surprise (or even shock) me.
Chicken.
You all eat a LOT of chicken. Like WAY more chicken than I ever thought possible. I’m talking like chicken 5 to 8 times a week!
Don’t get me wrong, I love chicken, but the chicken many are eating is a far cry from the chicken I eat here in Italy, which is still considered a special occasion kind of dish.
“We grill a big batch of chicken breasts on Sunday, that way we have them all week for lunch, “ is a common theme. “We have chicken, some way or another, at least three nights a week,” is another. And 9 times out of 10, it’s boneless, skinless breast. Boneless, skinless chicken breast has, it seems, become the fall back lean protein that a lot of Americans think is the healthy choice.
I can’t think of anything I’d less want to put in my mouth.
There are a lot of reasons I won’t buy chicken in a supermarket these days, even if it is purportedly organic. While some of the reasons have to do with health (mine , the chicken’s and the environment’s), the most important one is taste. The swollen chicken breasts you get in the supermarket in no way taste anything like a real chicken that has been raised by a farmer.
Which is why, I guess, I’m eating a LOT less chicken than most people I know. The chickens I buy are, admittedly, expensive. As they should be if they are not industrially raised. And when I do get my hands on a good chicken? I treat it as special thing it is: with respect (I eat every bit, including the delicious skin) and with simple ingredients that bring out the most and provide a celebratory, delicious, filling and absolutely not ‘lean protein’ approach to this fowl.
Here is one of my favorite recipes. If, in fact, you can call it a recipe. It’s an old fashioned Roman way with chicken. As with most Italian chicken recipes, it’s done on top of the stove (ovens in every home are a relatively recent thing). And like many Roman dishes it relies on the judicious addition of pork to bring extra depth and flavor.
These days when I do decide to make chicken I usually buy them directly from the vendor at the Farmer’s Market here in Rome. While I sometimes will buy a whole chicken I’m more likely to buy the cut up pieces that cost less. And they cost less because the breasts have been removed, to be sold separately. Because I guess even some Italians these days want boneless, skinless breasts sometimes too.
I hope you don’t take this post the wrong way. I’m not usually so preachy about what you should be eating. But if you do make the effort to get your hands on a real farm raised chicken, (I know it’s not easy) then you might decide that it’s worth the effort (and the cost). And that maybe boneless, skinless chicken breast is not something you want to be eating so often? Just a thought. And PLEASE DO leave your chicken comments below. As I said, I’m nosey.
To show you just how easy this delicious recipe is, I’ve made a video for you.
chicken {roman style}
Yield 3
Ingredients
- 2 chicken thighs
- 2 chicken wings
- 2 chicken legs
- 2 tablespoons lard
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup canned tomatoes
- 6 sprigs fresh rosemary
- salt, pepper
- 1 glass white wine
Instructions
- See video above
I’m going to give it whirl. Fortunately I can get a real chicken!
xox to all of you
Let me know how it turns out!
I don’t like boneless skinless chicken breasts, either…no flavor, no personality, no thank you!
This looks so tasty!! I’m going to have to travel around and will stop at the first place I hear a “cluck cluck”!!
ps. whenever I get ready to start one of your videos, I anticipate the music and start humming to myself…..they are so much fun!
Thank you! Glad to know you like the music.
well, I like the music, but I love watching you cook!
Looks great. Can you please put ingredients and methods in print as well, to follow in the kitchen. Thanks
The ingredients are below, in print. For the rest…..sorry, but you’ll have to watch the video. 🙂
Cannot get”real chicken” in the Florida Keys?
So sad. 🙁
Hi! I agree with you 200%! There is something very special about buying our meats, eggs and especially chicken, at the farmers market. We know all the farmers and know where our meats are coming from and exactly what they are eating. Bluebird Farm, Way of Life Farm (in Sunshine, NC), Laughing Owl Farm, Grateful Growers and more. these are young people who have decided that farming will be their way of life and they all are champions in my book. Now I will step off my soap box and eat my kale and spinach from the market.
You are very lucky to have such a great farmer’s market near you. Sadly, I realize that not everyone has access to such good ingredients.
Once again I completely agree with you Elizabeth, I grew up eating chicken prepared many different, delicious ways, but my husband will only eat boneless, skinless chicken and I can’t stand it. I do believe it’s an American thing. I’ve tried explaining that the bones and skin give the chicken much more flavor, but he can’t seem to get around it. I’ve even prepared chicken thighs, hoping he wouldn’t notice the difference but he did. So, I prepare chicken Milanese once a week, and in the summer we grill white meat for him and all the other parts for me (including the skin – yum!). Your recipe looks delicious and it reminds me of my mom’s chicken dinner. Ah well, its back to chicken Milanese for us. Thanks so much for your post!
Oh husbands!! Try out this recipe, but give him the breasts. I bet he’ll like it!
I love this post! Everyone in my family complains about too much chicken. I have cut down on the amount of chicken I make at home and try to make it only once or twice a week. I will cook a whole (organic) chicken once a week or every other week or will make it scallopine style if we are having it a second time during the week, and again will buy the organic breasts. Unfortunately, chicken is the easiest protein to purchase in the US and usually least expensive. (It is hard to find fresh farm raised chickens since most of our groceries are bought in a grocery store rather than a fresh market.) We are trying to eat much more fish. – Of course, finding sustainable seafood has its issues as well.
I realize that it’s a challenge. But I guess one of my suggestions is a very Italian one: eat less meat. But many Americans don’t consider it a meal without some kid of meat protein. Glad you are trying to eat more fish!!
I cannot stand that tasteless chicken breasts are the favorite food of the latest generation of kids in the US. My fix is to season the bland chicken breasts with flavors you will never find those packaged chicken tenders and then in another meal, use that same seasoning in pork, or beef. So you give them a bit of the familiar with a different kind of protein! who knows, maybe they will give up the nasty bird!
Are you saying kids like chicken, but not beef or pork? I just don’t understand this. I applaud you trying to get them to branch out, but using the solution of making it all taste the same by covering it up with a lot of seasonings is just a short term fix I think. And is why a lot of Americans these days need everything to be super seasoned. Look forward to chatting about it when I see you soon in Rome!!
Looks delicious, I’m going to have to try this recipe myself! And, although I’m American, I don’t like eating chicken 3, 4 times a week. 🙂
Fantastic! Simple, easy, and Roman! I’m going to try this very, very, soon.
Because you’re nosey, my wife and I are American, but we moved to Florence two years ago. We have a lovely apartment here and do all of our shopping locally. We shop at Mercato Sant’Ambrogio and Mercato Centrale. We do buy most of our meat and veg at a macelleria in Piazza San Pier Maggiore and a family-owned fruit and veg stand right in front of it. We eat a lot of chicken and I can usually find good farm raised pollo at one of the markets. I’m still have much to learn about the different kinds of chicken that is offered in Tuscany.
Thanks for all your wonderful posts!
Bob
That is one of the first butchers I ever bought meat at! I lived right down the street on Via della Vigna Vecchia. And also shopped at that stand. So glad they are both still there.
Yes…but you can get very good chicken there! I can still taste the ones we cooked over a wood burning fire when we were staying just outside of Greve!
You are a girl after my own heart – lard, prosciutto and skin! Since you’re nosey, if possible I buy from a local farmer and it is expensive but there’s no comparison to taste. Otherwise it’s organic from the grocery store. Dark meat is my fav so breasts go to the rest of the family – and I detest boneless and doubly especially skinless chicken breasts. Definitely will be trying Chicken Roman Style…
ok, you get the prize for being the only person to bring up lard in the comments!! Glad you noticed, and appreciated, the pork fat!!! 🙂
Looks delicious ?
Chicken a favorite meal of mine.!! To my knowledge there’s one gentleman who’s a raises heartiage poultry in the states..$90 for two chickens. I look forward to trying them one day!! In the meantime I’ll make your delicious recipe with chicken from a local farm. Meliss
I think your little survey is right: Americans eat a lot of chicken and (prompted by health/weight admonitions) usually those naked breasts that seem to be the least “suspect” in the meat world. Of course, those of us who also take to heart the awful, industrialized way poultry is raised and processed (also well publicized) feel lousy whenever we shrug and buy the industrial birds that are ubiquitous and cheap in our local supermarkets. To add insult to injury, the taste of the meat is not flavorful–so we often slather it with sauces making it just a vehicle for cheese, tomatoes, bread crumbs, etc. Of course, many home cooks reject the enhancements and opt for lightly sauting or poaching the breasts in an attempt to make their meal “healthful” and calorically meager. Yes, that’s how it goes. I make chicken stock often, and often am unenthusiastic about the taste, even after hours of simmering and layering with herbs and veg. Elizabeth, I think you’ve just got me to finally kick the normal supermarket habit and search out those farm to table birds. And as a Grazie, I’m including a link to one of my favorite comic skits of the last five years (about chickens). https://youtu.be/WAlWrT5P2VI
I love that skit, one of my favorites too! And the rest of your comments are spot on. Thank you so much for taking the time to spell it all out. All so true!
Totally agree, definitely gone to fewer, better chickens. I’ve also gone to mostly whole chickens, often cooked in the wood fired pizza oven.
Oh boy, chicken seems to be almost as controversial as Donal Trump. (let’s not make any comments which body part of the chicken he might be) I echo many of the posts above but also want to remind us all of that delicious broth that is made from any roasted chicken bones, it’s so far ahead of the raw version of chicken broth that many of us are used to making. Roasting gives us that incredibly delicious flavor of a chicken well lived, having given its life for a purpose and we in turn appreciate it in return. I am a chicken broth lover and would encourage everyone to pile up their chicken bones, add a few stalks of celery, carrot, onion/leek, parsley and let it simmer (and if you happen to have a few juniper berries and peppercorns, so much the better)
Thank you Elizabeth for this post, it’s a great reminder of what we’re missing and how to fix it.
So, are we now officially calling him Chicken Dong Trump? 🙂
Hi, totally agree. What is your favourite breed of chicken to buy in Roma? Will be there next week and would love to try it.
Thanks.
One of my favorite breeders of Chickens is San Bartolomeo. They breed Marans hens. You can read all about them here; http://www.pollosanbartolomeo.it/
But I also buy similiar hens at the Farmer’s Market on Via San Teodoro, on Saturday and Sunday.
Fabulous. Thank you!
The turkeys in the States are bred to have have such huge breasts that while they’re living they can’t stand up. The chicken breasts are so white because God only know how they’ve been raised and they have absolutely no taste and there’s no color to the flesh. When I visited the U.S. last year, I bought cornish hens and the legs were so tiny, they were hardly edible and they too had these huge breasts. Yet at home in France we have cornish hen (coquelet) at least once a week and it’s delicious. We buy nearly all of our meat (except pork of course) from our local Halal butcher and everything is so wonderful and reasonably priced. Plus we know that all the animals have been raised with care and kindness. When we lived in Italy, one of the best things to order in a restaurant was chicken – beautiful, tender and so full of flavor.
Agree wholeheartedly with all your comments re chicken and those horrible, tasteless boneless-skinless things. The only time they are any good is when breaded and fried or something like that! We use farm raised and one of the things we notice is that the flesh seems to be more dense and hence we eat less of it. As soon as I saw the recipe title, I thought “Armando al Pantheon”…theirs is fantastic! I make a version of it at home and roast and skin the peppers for even more deliciousness! A roast chicken used to be a Sunday dinner for the family when I was growing up not an everyday event…sort of like the salmon thing here…everyone want’s it all the time not just at certain times during the year and for a special treat….BTW what is the chicken we buy in Tuscany and Rome with the yellow skin called, do you know?
Exactly! A farm raised chicken feeds the entire family AND you have leftovers. While the same amount of industrially raised chicken breasts (while appearing to cost less) actually feeds less people. But it’s hard to convince people of this economic equation.
Forget the chicken – I wish we could get prosciutto like that around here!
(Great new spring nail color too, btw. 🙂 )
Well, you should be able to get your hands on imported Prosciutto di Parma, no? And thanks for the mani love.
No, you usually aren’t so preachy and your columns are the better for it. Your advocacy is admirable and no doubt well intentioned. There are many reasons people purchase and eat the chicken you disparage. You are fortunate to have the time and choices you have.
In my email the ingredients did not come up in print.
I do know that there are many reasons that people can’t afford to buy a real chicken. BUT the predominance of cheap chicken, much like cheap soda and other processed foods in the USA, is a false reality. The real cost of these food items is much higher (to health, to the environment) and meat is so cheap in the States because much of the feed is subsidized.
Oh! You’re right! For some reason the ingredients are not showing up. So sorry, will fix that this morning. Thanks for pointing it out.
Like so many of your recipes, this looks terrific. I’m Canadian, and there are a lot of tasteless breasts being purchased here, too. I even have a friend who stops and buys one of those pre-roasted chickens from the supermarket on her way home from work… it’s sad when you can’t even cook your own darn chicken. I cook chicken once every couple of weeks, and always thighs. Yummy, tasty thighs!
I wish you would write about why food is so much better in Italy than the US. Our climates are not too different. And except for a few ingredients like porcini mushrooms we have pretty much the same ingredients.
When in Rome I am always astounded by the display of antipasti including vegetables fixed in various ways. There might be two or three different types of eggplant or zucchini, vegetables easily available in the states.
I have always said that when you see someone taking photos of the vegetables in the Kroger we will have arrived at a higher level of eating.
Actually, I am going to start writing more about specific ingredients, since a lot of people ask me. But here too, there is a wide range between good and bad. But I just think that is is easier to still get good produce here, since the public won’t buy the truly bad stuff. And as you point out, a good portion of the Italian diet still depends on produce, so there are many recipes for ways to fix them. Sorry about Kroger. 🙁
Obviously, from all the positive comments, you are preaching to the choir here. I agree whole heartedly with your thoughts on Americans and chicken. Why is there this perception that it is healthy? Today, chicken has significantly more cholesterol than in the past. Some cuts of red meat actually have less cholesterol. I only make chicken once a week and rarely ever order it in a restaurant because if I am going to eat it I want to know where it is from and how it was raised. OK, now we can all go back to reading about and cooking vegetables, fish, and pasta. 😉
Me too, I never ever order it in a restaurant anymore. And yes, on to veggies and pasta!!!
Follow you on Snapchat and you asked for people to head to your blog and post an opinion about chicken…well, we eat chicken about once a week. I do keep chicken strips in the fridge to throw on salads sometimes too. Honestly, I’m tired of chicken and meat in general, but I have a husband who likes meat and startch, I buy my chicken at Costco, organic (but I do wonder how organic it is) or from a local butcher shop I frequent.
After cooking for over 45 years, I have finally, I hope, figured out how not to overcook chicken breasts. I am not a fan of thighs or wings or legs…sort of grosses me out. I find it’s easier to cook thin pieces of chicken as I do not usually overcook them.
There you have it…my opinion on chicken.
Thanks so much for coming over from Snapchat and for leaving a comment. Once a week isn’t so bad! 😉 But I’m curious, since so many other people mentioned it, what is it that grosses you out about the dark meat? Because I’m assuming that you eat beef and pork, which are dark. Just curious.
First, I will unabashedly admit that I LIVE for your snapchat. How embarrassing! I enjoy it every morning over my horrid American coffee and long for a true espresso. Second, I am guilty of this American boneless chicken breast over-consumption. Deep down I know it’s so boring and not even like real chicken but I buy it anyway! Why? I’m not sure. Maybe because my mother used it all the time? And every American Food Network recipie calls for it? Anyway, you’re inspiring me to break out my Dutch oven and get myself a real chicken from a farm and do it up right. Ciao and thank you for all your honest snapchats. #minchillifan
OMG, thank you!!! I wonder who is actually watching Snapchat, and glad to know you like it. Snap me back there, with suggestions of what you’d like to see. And yes, go buy a real chicken. And? LOVE the hashtag!!! 🙂
Thanks so much for this post! I am American but I don’t eat chicken anymore. Ugh, to think I ate boneless, skinless chicken breast for years. I don’t trust any conventional meat, those poor chickens in the battery farms and who knows what they are feeding them! I think most Americans don’t want to think about how their food gets to the store. Thanks for bringing up this topic. And, yes, the chicken I’ve had in Italy is delicious.
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment.What are you eating these days? Less chicken it sounds like. More of something else?
OK I’ll jump in. Americans eat a lot of chicken because of the perception that it is “non-fattening”. So many overweight people want a quick fix so they eat chicken breasts, “fat-free” this and that, low-fat whatever and of course never lose weight. It would be really interesting to compare 24 hrs. of tv advertising in the US to 24 hrs. of tv advertising in Italy and see the difference in the food commercials. With all of the processed food that has abounded in the US in the past 20-30 years I think many people have altered palates. They need to use tons of pre-made mixes, sauces, etc. to make food tasteful. Offer someone a salad dressed only with good olive oil, salt and pepper (and with good, quality ingredients that have taste!) and they will probably say they prefer their Ranch, Honey/Mustard, Raspberry/Champagne whatever commercial salad dressing). No one eats “just” chicken. It is cooked with all sorts of mixes, and “stuff” to give it some taste. With all the information available on the internet you would think Americans would be aware of the quality of the food that is for sale here. GMO’s are all the fashion now to rail against, but what about meat, processed food and don’t even get me started on farmed fish from Asia. Eeeeeek!!!!
Thanks so much Bonnie for bringing up all the very interesting and true points that I really couldn’t get into in my short blog post. I agree, it is misguided to think about these industrially produced breasts as some sort of solution to a weight problem. Especially, as you point out, no one east ‘just’ chicken.
First of all, I agree 100% with you Elizabeth. But I don’t think this is just an “American problem”. I live in the south of Germany and even here the chicken consume is very, very high. Mostly of the chicken you get here taste like nothing and if you put the meat into the pan there’s often so much water in it. Awful.
My girlfriend is from Sicily and we were there over the easter holidays. The uncle of her father has his own chicken farm and the taste of the chicken is just something different. As I tasted the meat I thought to myself “Damn, you don’t know a s*** (sorry) about how a REAL chicken can taste”. In the end you always get what you pay for.
Cheers
Marc
Interesting to hear about Germany, and I’m not surprised. Same is true in England I know. And I’m glad to hear you got a ‘real’ chicken during your trip to Sicily!!! And YES, you get what you pay for. Always.
Many people cook large amount of food on weekends because they have jobs, kids, etc. and thus, not much time during the week. I’ll agree about the taste of boneless, skinless, etc. but please don’t fall into “Americans do everything all wrong!” schitck. Too much like some blogger who complained about “easy” summer vegetables,
I cook on Sundays too, for the entire week! I wasn’t at all criticizing the act of cooking up a batch of something on Sunday. It was the fact that they were cooking up something (boneless, skinless chicken breasts) that they probably shouldn’t be eating every day. That is the part I found surprising, shocking and just kind of sad.
Here in the US (Colo.) I buy Red Bird brand chicken ‘cuz it’s natural and therefore tender with good texture. Are you aware that some fast-growth big chicken producers can and do sometimes turn out meat that’s “wood” like, mush textured? Just in the WSJ a few weeks ago. Sad. So you have to be particular what brand you’re buying, if it’s not direct farm fresh.
I enjoy your recipes and pics as it takes me back to Italy every day. Wish I were there now!
Ciao!
I hear that a lot of people buy Red Bird brand. I don’t know anything about it, but if it just says ‘natural’ and not ‘organic’ then that actually doesn’t mean anything (since all chickens are natural, no matter how they are raised). But it sounds like Red Bird are better than the rest? Yes, I do know about the mushy chicken breasts. Yuck. And thank you for your kind words about my blog!! And thanks for leaving a comment.
For my guys, I make Richard Bertinent’s chicken and tarragon (pot) pie – and I do it with chicken legs. I only wish I could raid my neighbors chicken coops and get the leg with the foot still attached – because the good bones and bits get frozen until it is time to make chicken broth. I’ve made his pot pie with chicken breast, but even my finicky eaters, who would never touch a chicken thigh, like it better with thighs or legs. Indeed, I make all of the parts and freeze them, so that it is just roll out the crust, pop together the cooked meat and the egg-yolky, Parmesan, Emmenthal, white sauce and into the oven.
Ok, now I want to make chicken pot pie tonight!!!!
Your Snapchat story encouraged me to swing by the blog! I have to say, I love boneless, skinless chicken breasts, and that is the only kind of chicken I really eat, whoopsies. My mom always used to take meat off the bone for me, and I think that I just got used to it! I know that thighs are yummy, but I just can’t bring myself to cook them (though I will eat them if someone else makes them). I usually only eat chicken once a week though, at least there is that! We buy our chicken from the supermarket, but I insist on buying the Amish organic chicken. We are by no means perfect, but at least we aren’t eating Taco Bell every night!
Thank you for coming here from snapchat!!!I agree, the important thing is that you are cooking! That’s a very very good thing. But I”m curious as to why you won’t cook chicken thighs? I’ve never really understood why people will cook breasts, but not thighs? Is it that somehow the thighs remind you more that it’s an animal you are eating? And that breasts seem more neutral somehow? Just curious and wanting to learn more about how and why people eat.
Yes, I would definitely say my decisions about what meats to cook are based on their neutrality. For example, I have no issue cooking sausage because it is completely separate from the animal it came from. The chicken breasts I buy come butchered very nicely, with no veins or tendons visible. I know that I am missing out on different meats and dishes by needing “clean” looking meat, but I can’t seem to get over it in my own kitchen.
I think that a lot of people think like you think, so you’re definitely not alone. It’s too bad though, since as you admit, you’re missing out on a lot of good meat. Also, I think that it’s a good thing to associate the meat with the animal it came from. Separating it devalues it – both literally and figuratively – and leads to both over consumption and waste (on a larger scale, not necessarily in your kitchen!) Thank you for leaving your comments, I really appreciate it!
Elizabeth, your recipe sounds delicious. We will try soon, with local chicken. We live in northern Umbria, as does your friend in Reschio. Your restaurants/shopping/your garden, all in the Todi area, sound wonderful. We also have our own garden in the hills above the Niccone valley. We would love to have you visit our area. Thanks for your wonderful blogs, and your recommendations on our recent 10 day visit to Firenze. Robin in Umbria
Thanks for commenting Robin, and happy to know my recipes are being recreated so close to home in Umbria.
Made it tonight along with patate arrosto al forno. It was delicious!!
Great!!! So happy it was a success!!
I live in the country (in Australia) and fortunately have access to a local farm which produces delicious free range and organic poultry, including quail, guinea fowl and pheasant. Where I think these well-raised chooks differ, besides flavour, is in the texture. Firmer and chewier, not spongy! There is a debate raging here at present re the stocking numbers per acre for chickens to be considered free-range – my egg lady and my chicken farmer, both have low stocking numbers, and happy chooks. We benefit. We have a small hotel (Casa Luna Gourmet Accommodation) and specialise in Italian food, so my chicken dishes are always on the bone. Italians are not afraid of bones! Love your work Elizabeth. Next time in Rome – my 10th – we’ll look you up.
I absolutely agree that if you are going to eat chicken, especially a lot of chicken, it needs to be locally raised. In my area, more and more farms where young men and women are raising lifestock has significantly increased. In addition, you can buy their products at farmer’s markets that have proliferated in recent years. The products are available. The problem is the cost. Not everyone can afford the price of their meat. Factory raised chickens are subsidized by the government and the product is inexpensive. If your income is limited it is difficult to buy a better quality product.
A side note…it is very interesting to me the number of young men and women who have started farming. It is tough and financial difficult. I have talked to a number of them. They are very knowledgeable committed individuals. In the United States we need to find a way to support our local farms and make their products financial available.
I agree with everything you say! And yes, the worse meat is more affordable, but it’s a not a healthy diet to be eating so much meat anyway. We need to find a way to make fresh vegetables more available and more affordable too.
Enjoyed reading all comments about chicken. When I’m out east on Long Island, I buy chickens directly at the farm. They sell one day after the chicken has been done in. Never tasted anything so juicy. On the other hand, in my business, I sell hundreds of pounds of chicken cutlets per week. Customers love them grilled, fried or put on salads. They are not from the farm, but from my supplier. Once you taste fresh(and you need little dressing) you are spoiled. Our meat and chicken is not what it used to be. So sad.
I know that the cutlets are what people expect, but it ends up being all about the stuff that surrounds them, no? It becomes a sad, blank canvas for sauce, dressing, cheese, etc.
Was talking to my wife about chickens tonight (yes, still married) and recalled your post which I read to her. I have nothing further to add but a question. Does this post have the record for reader comments?
Yes, in fact, this is by far the most comments I’ve ever received on any single blog post. CRAZY! Who knew you all felt so strongly about chicken?
I live in the Pacific Northwest in a location very close to the Canadian border. We are fortunate to have a butcher shop in Bellingham that gets real chickens – they are not cheap but they are available 5-6 months out of the year. http://brittlebarnfarms.com/happy-chickens/
Been guilty of the chicken breast syndrome just as a quick addition to a salad dinner after work.
My Mom emigrated from Italy as a seven year old girl. For years I never saw her eat a piece of chicken, she finally explained to me that she felt the chicken in the States were bloated, tasteless and unappealing. It wasn’t until the advent of high quality chicken became available from local farmers that she began to enjoy chicken again.