Is there anything grosser than rotten chicken? I doubt it. So imagine my disgust when I opened a grocery store bird — long before its sell-by date — only to find putrid poultry. Once is bad enough, but four weeks in a row? Poultrygeist.This happened a few years back, and it was enough to make me swear off chicken entirely.
Then I discovered Maine-ly Poultry.
Any product that incorporates Maine as an adverb is usually suspect. And the idea of paying $8 for a small broiler-fryer was not exactly appealing. Don't get me wrong: I've long been a farmers market devotee, and I am a complete food snob, but I couldn't wrap my head around the idea of boutique chicken. Lamb? Yes. Grass-fed beef? Totally. but I kept asking myself, How good could chicken be? Then I roasted one.
It was, in a word, heavenly. And I haven't looked back since. Today, I don't even think about the price when I load up on boneless breasts for sAlads, drums and thighs for grilling or my weekly winter staple: a whole bird. Sure, it costs a bit more, but I'm supporting a local farmer.
Besides, my days of driving to the grocer with a rotten bird in the passenger seat in the hope of getting my money back are over. And that is so worth it.
Maine-ly Poultry is located on Route 1 in Warren. For information, call 207.273.2809. Check your local co-op or natural food store for availability, or stock up at the Orono Farmers Market winter market, from 9 to noon on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month. Vendors set up in the parking lot behind Pat's Pizza.
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