First and foremost, they are an all-around superior bird to what is currently commercially available on all counts; flavor, texture and possibly the one thing that has been missing from the American market place for far too long, tradition. The way that these birds are raised and the commitment put into them continues to keep them the same as they would have been 100 years ago.
In my experience, the difference between the French strain and the Canadian strain is subtle but it is subtlety that separates goodness from greatness. The flavor of the birds is almost identical but the texture and ratio of meat per pound on the Canadian strain is better.
- Chef Chris Weber, Executive Chef - The Herbfarm
The QUEST for the BLUE-FOOTED CHICKEN continues. Today we very simply roasted two of the latest batch of our own North American "Poulet de Bresse" for a taste test. The result is a darn fabulous chicken that will be on this week's Menu for Red Heads later this week. … Friends Bernie Nash and Riley Starks are heading up this project. It has been a long haul, for sure, and Bernie is just back from a week in France working with the famous Bresse Chicken growers there. These birds are not your run-of-the-mill caged Cornish crosses, but rather have special old-time genetics. … The Blue-Foot Chicken takes upwards of 3 times as long to reach market size as the supermarket hen. But what we tasted today says that it is worth the time and trouble.
- Ron Zimmerman, The Herbfarm
I think I just may have found my favorite new chicken. … This reminds me of the great chickens of France. … Bravo my friends, bravo.
- Chef Andrew Zimmern
Poulet Bleu is the most interesting poultry product I've worked with in a long time. The deal maker for me was the thickness of the skin and how it responds to moist heat cooking. I've been searching high and low for a chicken comparable to the legendary birds of Europe and have finally found it. Nothing that I've seen has come close until now.
It's not for everyone. I would serve this at special dinners and on tasting menus with 100% confidence. The problem lies with the guests. People who traditionally eat chicken at restaurants in America choose that because it's simple and tender and not at all challenging. It's simple. Vanilla. Restaurants put chicken entrees on their menus to appeal to the simpletons out there. These are people who won't have sex with the lights on. IRS agents, meter maids, insurance adjusters, Nickelback fans.
- Chef David Varley
I cooked a @pouletlbleupoultry bird done the way I had the similar blue-footed chicken in Bresse. Dry-brined, pan-roasted, served with glazed vegetables and pommes puree with a jus made from reduced stock from the roasted carcass and vin jaune.
Like the Bresse chickens, you need to go into this without really thinking of your normal supermarket chicken. It's denser and more intensely flavored and needs very careful temperature control. The breast meat should not be cooked past 140-145 or it gets tough. Really special.
- Chef Kenji Lopez Alt
The chicken was cooked on a baguette and covered with onions and potatoes then sealed with dough. The breast was so delicious, much stiffer and tons more flavorful than any chicken I’ve ever had in the US. The thighs were a bit tough - I think next time I will braise them and see how that turns out, or perhaps sous vide. The amount of delicious chicken fat that soaked into that bread and onions was unlike anything you get from the chickens farmed around here.
- Chef Bjorn Jacobse
This chicken is special. You have to be very gentle. The intensity of flavor and texture it so unique.
- Chef Ilan Hall
Beautiful birds! Breast meat is amazing, texture on point, flavor is great. Next time if I applied the same technique to cook it (en vessie) I would probably remove the legs, cure them, and confit … almost like a duck. This time I didn’t give the legs enough time in the bouillon so so they were a bit more textured than I probably would have preferred. Beautiful Bresse style bird. Chefs looking for Bresse style birds stateside should check them out.
- Chef Ryan Epp
What an amazing product. We smoked and cured the crown and cooked the legs in chicken fat then grilled them. The flavor and texture was very unique, we all enjoyed it very much. I would definitely change how I cooked the crown but even after smoking, curing and grilling on the crown it still came out juicy.
- Chef Will Schlaeger
Beautiful birds!! The taste is really great, we found that it is very deep and rich.
- Chef Ismael Parra
The flavor is great! We loved the hen’s really clean flavor. At the moment we are using squabs, but hopefully in the future we can do something with the hens. You guys are going to do great with such a beautiful product!
- Chef Jonathan Brambila
The feedback from guests has been wonderful! The flavour was great. We roasted them and finished in a pan to avoid overcooking.
- Chef Jason Custer
Such delicious chicken!
- Chef Robert Sulatycky
The stock is fantastic. Rich and earthy. The breast is very interesting, closer to a small game bird than it is to a commodity chicken.
- Chef Jeff Moore
Exceptional birds with beautiful depth of flavor. … Amazing product, you and your team should be extremely proud of the quality."
- Chef Nathan Kim
Using @pouletbleupoultry birds to make an amazing bowl of ramen. Easily the best chicken you can get in America. It’s the first time I’ve had chicken this clear, clean, and taste like Japan.
- Chef Mike Harrison
I personally loved cooking with this fantastic bird, it is really above and beyond any poultry I've had ... Of course you cannot treat it like a regular chicken by any means but isn't that the point!
- Chef Daniel Bruce
I did quite a bit of research on it before cooking, and followed a Bresse recipe, searing it and cooking in sparkling wine (used Cava) and finishing with lots of crème fraîche. It lent itself perfectly to this preparation, taking the breasts out early and cooking the legs further. The flavor of the bird was really incredible. The meat is more dense than I thought, especially the legs/thighs, but if cooked correctly they are excellent.
- Chef Ian Bens
Unique almost pheasant like rich chicken flavor. The skin was similar to Peking Duck, minus the fattiness. Juicy, firm but tender meat. As a chef it’s exquisite. The flavors are unique. It does not cook like a regular bird. May be a hard sell for your average American diner because the flavor is not what we are used to and the skin texture is not what we are used to. … The jus I made from the parts I removed was mind blowing. I want to add truffles and do a very special dish with this bird. … It was a pleasure experiencing your bird and figuring out a unique way to cook it. Also a challenge.
- Chef Stephen Johnson