“It’s the cream of the crop”: opt for this exceptional chicken at Christmas according to the advice of a Meilleur Ouvrier de France

If turkey is generally the star product of the end-of-year celebrations, it is entirely possible to replace this poultry. You can, for example, simply opt for chicken. But who says holidays, says exceptional products. It is best to choose good quality chicken. For this, we went to meet Romain Leboeuf, artisan butcher and Meilleur Ouvrier de France. This expert gave us his advice on choosing the best chicken for Christmas dinner. Here are its secrets.

“We have very good chickens” says Romain Leboeuf. It is therefore totally possible to turn to this option for the end-of-year holiday meal. For this, the expert advises favoring Bresse chickens. For what ? Bresse poultry, in general, is considered the crème de la crème of poultry. Thus, Bresse chicken has particularly tender and melting flesh. A quality resulting from breeding with beneficial conditions for poultry.

In addition to Bresse poultry, it is also important to bet on a swaddled chicken, another guarantee of quality. “After slaughter, we swaddle the chickens while they are still warm in a cloth, a kind of burlap, when they are neither gutted nor tied up, and we give them the shape of shells. The goal is for the fat to become uniform everywhere”. By swaddling the chicken hot, “the fat will spread everywhere.” This treatment is generally reserved for Bresse poultry. It is a process carried out by hand which allows the poultry to be fed all over during cooking.

For a beautiful free-range chicken for 8 people, you need to count on around 40 euros, or around 5 euros per person.

Besides turkey or chicken, there are certain poultry “which have fallen into oblivion”. This is the case of the quail or the pigeon for example. The pigeon, however, remains more expensive since it costs around 15 to 18 euros. It also remains small with a lot of body. But if you celebrate the holidays in a small group, this can be a good alternative.

Quail are cheaper, around 5 to 6 euros but are smaller and complicated to eat and debone. It is rather reserved for amateurs.

Otherwise, bet on the can that you can make whole in a casserole dish: “it’s simple to prepare and people don’t always think about it.” It is possible to cook it with a few slices of orange and a little orange juice in a casserole dish or roasted in the oven. The advantage? Budget-wise, we’re on the price of a chicken. It is therefore one of the best options to get off the beaten track when there are around 4 people. It will cost around 18 euros per kilo.

You now have all the cards in hand to prepare your end-of-year holiday meals and surprise your guests with poultry that is a change from turkey.