D’Artagnan Whole Certified-Organic Free-Range Chicken Highly Recommended by Whom You Know! We are THRILLED to Kick Off Coverage of D’Artagnan!
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I just made (and devoured!) the BEST roasted chicken I have ever had in my life! Great ingredients, especially great meats, mean everything in cooking. Starting with D’Artagnan’s Whole Certified-Organic Free-Range Chicken, I knew it would be amazing, but it surpassed even my high expectations. I prepared this as a simple roasted chicken with my favorite poultry prep – a rub of butter, sea salt and herbs de provence. The chicken was so easy to prepare, just put it in a roasting pan, rub on some herbs and put it in the oven… it seemed as if I couldn’t go wrong. The meat was moist and tender, and the taste flavorful and fresh. I’m disappointed that I didn’t start with enough lead time to make gravy and put the giblets to good use, but now I know for next time! Overall, it was just delicious!
Julia Child so rightly observed that the way to judge a restaurant is by its simple roast chicken. Likewise, the way to judge a meat purveyor is through the common fowl. Happily, D’Artagnan’s Whole Certified-Organic Free-Range Chicken is one of the best we’ve ever tasted, in keeping with the company’s superlative reputation. Because the best ingredients require the least distractions (like a beautiful woman and accessories) we made our D’Artagnan chicken using a modified Thomas Keller cast iron chicken recipe which calls for butter, salt, a HOT oven, and not much else. The meat, both white and dark, was flavorful, tender and juicy. The skin was thin and crisp; succulent without the yellowed fat of lesser birds. Just the right size for four people, or make it for two and enjoy the highest quality chicken salad this side of the Atlantic.
Before words such as "organic," "free-range," and "natural" became trendy, Ariane Daguin, the founder and owner of D'Artagnan, was dedicated to such concepts, becoming a leader in the organic movement in America. In fact, D'Artagnan was providing organic, free-range chicken to Americans before the USDA even allowed the word "organic" on the label! According to the D'Artagnan website, Daguin's motto is "A happy chicken is a tasty chicken." I recently had the opportunity to try one of D'Artagnan's Whole Certified-Organic Free-Range Chickens, and I could not believe the difference in flavor and texture! Run-of-the-mill, supermarket-brand chicken has long been my go-to when preparing food at home, and I'm quite certain that the grilled chicken that tops the salads I purchase at the delis and bodegas around Manhattan is of a similar, possibly even lesser, quality. But tasting the D'Artagnan chicken made me realize what chicken is SUPPOSED to taste like! Immensely flavorful and tender, it also is 25% leaner than standard, commercially produced chicken. I didn't do anything fancy with it; I simply coated it with olive oil, pepper, and black truffle salt, and the result was utterly delectable. From now on, it's D'Artagnan chicken or no chicken in my kitchen!
Whom You Know has kicked off our D'Artagnan coverage and after trying their products, we might start to think about the hundreds of restaurants we've reviewed differently: the D'Artagnan-ordering restaurants, and those who settle for less than the best. If you think chicken is chicken, you're wrong. This whole certified-organic free-range winner of a bird is what you want to fly into your kitchen, your oven, and your stomach. The pure quality is in a league of its own, and if you haven't started using D'Artagnan products, you are in for a treat. If you think your favorite chef is supremely talented, you might just want to know that their secret is this supplier! And you can be just as talented in your own home with the right source. Don't be chicken-try this today!
Organic, Air Chilled Chicken
Our Artisanal Organic, Free-Range, Antibiotic Free, Air Chilled Chicken is healthier and has a richer, deeper flavor than mass-produced organic chicken. The air-chilling process results in even more concentrated flavor, along with better sanitary conditions without any water weight gain
· No antibiotics or growth hormones
· No animal by products
· Air chilled for maximum chicken flavor and no added water weight
· Free-range with more than twice the square foot living space than
most competitors
· Fed only organic grain feed (non GMO) that comes fresh from the local feed mill
· Certified Organic by Oregon Tilth
Farm Features
· Raised by small Amish Family farm located in the heart of Lancaster County, PA
· Hand processed in a low volume environment, which enhances the quality and taste
· Farm to table audit trail
· Supports sustainable agriculture
Our Commitment
At D’Artagnan we are committed to the highest quality and standards of animal husbandry and sustainable, humane farming practices. That’s why we partner with small farmers to bring you fresh, consistent, all-natural products. The results are superior quality meat that is tender and flavorful, containing no growth hormones or antibiotics. D’Artagnan also delivers premium charcuteries, mushrooms, truffles, and other prepared goods of the same high caliber.
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Co-founded by Ariane Daguin in 1985, D’Artagnan is the premier manufacturer of handmade, fresh and naturally-prepared pâtés, sausages and smoked delicacies, and is the nation’s leading purveyor of all-natural and organic poultry and game, free-range meat, foie gras, smoked & cured charcuterie, wild mushrooms and truffles.
From the beginning, D’Artagnan has been committed to procuring and providing the freshest, and most consistent all-natural and organic poultry, meat and game available. D’Artagnan actively partners with farmers dedicated to excellent animal husbandry, sustainable and humane farming practices, and is a leader in the free-range, preservative-free, no growth hormone movement.
D’Artagnan’s inception greatly influenced the culinary landscape in America, since it coincided with America’s growing interest in gourmet food. Before D’Artagnan, four-star chefs had absolutely no resource for beautiful, fresh ingredients such as foie gras, duck, squab, and quail. But once D’Artagnan made these and other previously difficult-to-find products readily available, a whole new era in American cooking was born.
As the restaurant revolution took off, home cooks demanded access to the delicious food they had tasted and experienced while eating out. D’Artagnan answered the public’s demand by creating an ever-expanding line of retail products. Pâtés, terrines, sausages, bacons and other delicious prepared and fresh products are now available for every home gourmand to enjoy, in retail stores and also at www.dartagnan.com.
D’Artagnan continues to be a leading proponent of the sustainable movement in agriculture, educating consumers about the importance of understanding and appreciating how food is raised and harvested. At the same time, the company continually challenges itself and its suppliers to seek and develop new products for both its restaurant and retail customers. As Ariane Daguin, co-founder and now sole owner of D’Artagnan says, “Our success has always been due to our passion for quality and our commitment to procuring both the best and most unique products we can find.”
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KEY MILESTONES
3000 BC Egyptians feed figs and grains to their geese to create foie gras
476 AD Beginning of the Dark Ages
1985 D’Artagnan is born in Jersey City, NJ with two employees: Ariane and George. They lease a second hand orange juice truck
1989 Tired of clogging the kitchen sink with duck fat, D’Artagnan opens a USDA inspected commercial kitchen. D’Artagnan now has 31 employees and its own truck. The famous Mousse of 100% Foie Gras is born
April 1993 The first organic chicken in the USA is bred by Mennonite farmers in Pennsylvania, organized by D’Artagnan. The USDA refuses to allow the word “organic” on the label
June 1996 D’Artagnan opens first major supermarket chain account
Sept. 1997 D’Artagnan moves from Jersey City to the Ironbound in Newark, NJ with 57 employees & 4 trucks
Dec. 1998 D’Artagnan is the first to import fresh foie gras from France into the US. They are still the only ones importing it
Sept. 1999 D’Artagnan creates mushroom and truffle division, and gains vegetarian friends
June 2000 1st Prize NASFT – Mousse of Foie Gras. D’Artagnan has 75 employees and 11 trucks
Oct. 2000 D’Artagnan launches website and starts selling direct to consumers
Feb. 2002 Opening of D’Artagnan, The Rotisserie, which receives two stars from the New York Times. William Grimes writes: “D’Artagnan has the real thing. In fact it has so much personality, it can sell it by the pound. The food is authentic, robust, earthy and powerfully flavored.”
Oct. 2002 The USDA finally allows D’Artagnan to label its chickens “Certified Organic”
June 2003 D’Artagnan introduces duck bacon
Feb. 2004 D’Artagnan introduces humanely raised veal, and redefines politically correct meat
June 2004 1st Prize NASFT - Medallion of Foie Gras with Truffles
Dec. 2004 D’Artagnan has 115 employees and 23 trucks
Feb. 2005 D’Artagnan celebrates its 20th birthday
Aug. 2005 Ariane becomes sole owner and CEO of D’Artagnan
Dec. 2005 First $5 million sales month
Jan. 2006 D’Artagnan introduces certified humanely raised Berkshire pork – another symbol of D’Artagnan’s commitment to superior animal husbandry practices and sustainable farming
April 2006 City of Chicago bans the sale of foie gras. Predictions of a return to the Dark Ages
July 2006 NASFT Best Hors d’Oeuvres Award – French Kisses
Dec. 2006 D’Artagnan hits biggest sales month ever
Jan. 2007 D’Artagnan has 133 employees and 23 trucks
May 2008 Chicago repeals foie gras ban!
July 2008 D’Artagnan hits $50 million in sales
Aug. 2009 Bring on the [good] beef never ever program (no hormones, no antibiotics from birth)
Feb.2010 Celebrating a quarter century birthday. Big party, T Colicchio and M Tivy lead the rock band
June 2011 The first Rohan duck is born.
June 2012 Opening of the warehouse and operations in Chicago, the Mid West open up.
Sept 2013 Green Circle chicken makes the first page of the New York Times
