Silken Chicken



B

Boron Elgar

Guest
I was shopping in an Asian market yesterday and in with the fresh poultry were packages labeled
"silken chicken." They looked exactly like split broilers except for one very distinguishing
difference: they were black. The skin color looked as if it had been dyed with the squid ink, though
it did not actually appear dyed, but that gives you an idea of the color. I could not see the flesh
itself, only the skin of the bird.

If there some sort of chicken that has a black skin, or is some coloring agent used?

Boron
 
On Mon, 23 Feb 2004 13:19:00 -0500, Boron Elgar
<[email protected]> wrote:
> I was shopping in an Asian market yesterday and in with the fresh poultry were packages labeled
> "silken chicken." They looked exactly like split broilers except for one very distinguishing
> difference: they were black. The skin color looked as if it had been dyed with the squid ink,
> though it did not actually appear dyed, but that gives you an idea of the color. I could not see
> the flesh itself, only the skin of the bird.
>
> If there some sort of chicken that has a black skin, or is some coloring agent used?

I saw that a few months back at an Asian market in Cincinnati and wondered what it was,
too. Some searching turned up this website on "Silkie Chickens", which have a naturally
occurring black skin.

http://www.garden-city.org/zoo/animalinfo/silkie_chicken.htm

More Googling turned up more pages, but there seemed to be very little information on what
they taste like, recipes, etc. All the pages I saw referred to their suitability as docile,
sweet-tempered pets. Perhaps the ones we saw were the troublemakers. ;)

Ariane
 
On Mon, 23 Feb 2004 19:08:04 GMT, Ariane Jenkins
<[email protected]> wrote:

>On Mon, 23 Feb 2004 13:19:00 -0500, Boron Elgar <[email protected]> wrote:
>> I was shopping in an Asian market yesterday and in with the fresh poultry were packages labeled
>> "silken chicken." They looked exactly like split broilers except for one very distinguishing
>> difference: they were black. The skin color looked as if it had been dyed with the squid ink,
>> though it did not actually appear dyed, but that gives you an idea of the color. I could not see
>> the flesh itself, only the skin of the bird.
>>
>> If there some sort of chicken that has a black skin, or is some coloring agent used?
>
> I saw that a few months back at an Asian market in Cincinnati and wondered what it was,
> too. Some searching turned up this website on "Silkie Chickens", which have a naturally
> occurring black skin.
>
>http://www.garden-city.org/zoo/animalinfo/silkie_chicken.htm
>
> More Googling turned up more pages, but there seemed to be very little information on what
> they taste like, recipes, etc. All the pages I saw referred to their suitability as docile,
> sweet-tempered pets. Perhaps the ones we saw were the troublemakers. ;)
>
>Ariane
>
BINGO! I never made the connection at all between the name and a breed of chicken.

Thanks.

Boron
 
On Mon, 23 Feb 2004 19:08:04 GMT, Ariane Jenkins
<[email protected]> wrote:

> I saw that a few months back at an Asian market in Cincinnati and wondered what it was, too.
> Some searching turned up this website on "Silkie Chickens", which have a naturally occurring
> black skin.
>
>http://www.garden-city.org/zoo/animalinfo/silkie_chicken.htm
>
> More Googling turned up more pages, but there seemed to be very little information on what
> they taste like, recipes, etc. All the pages I saw referred to their suitability as docile,
> sweet-tempered pets. Perhaps the ones we saw were the troublemakers. ;)

I trained some once for a zoo bird show. The hens were actually very sweet and incredibly cute,
but the rooster was another story. Nasty, stupid, aggressive bird - but then most roosters are. I
have no idea how they'd be as food (they are a smallish breed for one thing, not much meat on
them and the eggs were tiny); but I admit I and my co-workers considered cooking that rooster
more than once...

Tracy R.
 
Boron Elgar wrote:

> I was shopping in an Asian market yesterday and in with the fresh poultry were packages labeled
> "silken chicken." They looked exactly like split broilers except for one very distinguishing
> difference: they were black. The skin color looked as if it had been dyed with the squid ink,
> though it did not actually appear dyed, but that gives you an idea of the color. I could not see
> the flesh itself, only the skin of the bird.
>
> If there some sort of chicken that has a black skin, or is some coloring agent used?

It's properly "Silkie Chicken" and is a rather pretty bird. The feathers are very soft and, I guess,
silky. Very airy, fluffy feathers. Another strange characteristic is that they have feathers on
their legs.

We had some with white feathers and one black one, and they all have naturally black skin.

Pastorio
 
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