Freedom Ranger (app. $17ea)

$4.00

$4.00/lb: Whole Pastured Freedom Ranger 3-5 lbs each.

Order by the number of pkgs desired. Actual weight and price will be calculated at the time of delivery and will be different than what you see here.

An American Hatchery has finally crossed the hurdles to import breeding stock from France that forms the foundation for their Label Rouge (pronounced La-belle Rooj) meat chicken. These are called Freedom Rangers in the US and we are raising a couple hundred.
About 10 years ago, we tried non-hybrid White Rock cockerels as a heritage breed alternative to the Cornish Cross meat bird. After three years, we abandoned that effort because nobody wanted to buy them. The fat was far more orange, indicating better vitamin and mineral content. They ate far more grass. Bur they were primarily dark meat and did not have a plump double breast. We learned that no business can run faster than its constituency, no matter how noble the purpose. We're ready to try again, but with a different genetic base.
In France, these birds do not receive pasture. They have dirt yards they can exercise in, but otherwise they are raised very much like the American confinement broilers. They do grow a bit slower and are more agile, exercising their muscles more. We are not only excited to see what they do on pasture, but also how you receive them.

What customers are saying:

We had your freedom ranger last week, broiled. It was smaller than your other chickens, but as tasty and wholesome as we expected. It was also slightly more tender than your other very muscular chickens (not a bad thing, I should add.) All in all a good meal, perfect for us four, a little short for six, which we happened to be the evening we tried. Love your meats! Keep up the good work! ~Anne C., Alexandria
I just wanted to give you feedback on how much we liked the Freedom Ranger chicken. I purchased one at the last Reston drop to try and cooked it yesterday. It was intensely flavorful and chickeny, with a very nice unique texture. My husband usually likes to eat his chicken with a big side of mayo, and with the Freedom Ranger, the flavor was so good, he skipped the mayo and just used the drippings. I just ordered another 18 for the Centreville drop coming up in case you don't have anymore.

My husband, Todd, was so exuberant about the bird and he wanted to so impress upon you how much he loved them that he wrote a couple of Haiku:

Freedom ranger bird
A wonderful sight to see
and so good to eat

Freedom ranger soars
High, high up into the sky
Get in my belly

Here's one from me:

Oh Freedom Ranger!
Lush, succulent, scrumptious
flavor so divine
~Sara, North Reston

Tried one prepared as chicken and dumplings. I butchered it. Wife cooked it. We all ate it. Seemed a bit more muscular in the legs and thighs. Very tender, but maybe had more to do with the preparation than anything else. Wouldn’t hesitate to order another and try simple roasting to get the “full chicken effect”. ~Jeff R.
(I) wanted you to know that I LOVED the Freedom Rangers! I brined my first one, then roasted in the oven. The only negative was because of the smaller breast meat, I just slightly undercooked the bottom part (no one other than me thought it was, but) what I will do with the next one is to roast normally and then perhaps 2/3 of the way through, turn it upside down in the rack. I may also salt the skin a little on the bottom too, to try to get that to crisp up a bit...MORE!!! :) ~Rich
You asked for feedback on the Freedom Ranger chicken. We liked it very much! I braised it whole, with white wine, chicken stock, and crushed tomatoes and vegetables. It was tender and flavorful, and the dark meat was fall-off-the-bone tender without the breast meat getting overdone or dry. The dark meat was a little darker than other chickens, but not too much, and that isn’t a problem in my house anyway. The breast was maybe smaller than some other chickens, but no less than the other chickens we have gotten from you, I think. The hefty leg and thigh meat made up for it! The flavor was good a chickeny, without being too strong or gamey. Overall, it made for a lovely meal! Thank you! ~Lisa
We wanted to let you know we roasted our Freedom Ranger for dinner tonight and it was delicious. The breast meat was quite tender and our family enjoyed it. Hope you continue to give these birds a try next year. ~Amy B