Air-chilled chickens are pricier, but tastier

Pity the lowly chicken, so often taken for granted. The average American eats more than 90 pounds a year, according to the National Chicken Council. But unlike naturally-raised beef and pork, which has attracted interest, the less expensive chicken is tossed into the grocery cart with little attention.

Now American consumers have a chance to buy what may be the birds of the future: air-chilled chickens, popular for decades in Europe and Canada, with a better taste, a creamy color, and a crisper skin after roasting.

The term ''air-chilled" refers to the technology for rapidly cooling eviscerated birds in cold rooms to keep bacteria at a minimum. (Most big processors use chlorinated water to dunk the chickens.) Three US companies have changed to the air-chilling process -- Bell & Evans of Fredericksburg, Pa.; MBA Poultry, which produces Smart Chicken in Tecumseh, Neb.; and Denver-based Maverick Ranch Natural Meats, which buys its air-chilled chickens from a Canadian producer. All three offer antibiotic-free birds that range freely and are fed a vegetarian diet.

Frank Vitale knows chicken. As director of meat operations for the 17 Roche Bros. supermarkets in Massachusetts, he thinks the Bell & Evans product ''tastes better" and has a longer shelf life. The Pennsylvania company is the source of the only air-chilled chickens sold in the Boston area.

The trend toward naturally grown products has made the new chickens a ''must" item, says Vitale -- even though birds can cost up to $1.50 a pound more. A quick check late last week found Allendale brand whole chickens at $1.39 a pound at Crosby's Market in Marblehead; Perdue in a North Beverly Stop & Shop was $1.59. Bell & Evans whole chicken was $2.49 at Crosby's, and at Whole Foods, which sells Bell & Evans under its house label but does not mark it as air-chilled, whole chickens were $2.39 a pound.

To Bell & Evans, which was started in the early 1980s, air-chilling is the latest step in raising the best possible birds. A year ago, president and owner Scott Sechler put the $6 million system into place. Chickens spend 2 hours and 45 minutes at a precise cold temperature with regulated humidity.

''I looked at air-chill for 20 years," says Sechler, who began raising chickens as a boy for a 4H project. He thinks the process produces a bird that is more tender and retains its juices. The water vat method means chicken juices can be diluted and water -- sometimes containing chlorine -- can seep into the meat.

Sechler says his company will sell about $150 million in chicken this year. ''People are willing to pay more. It looks good, it tastes good, and is better for the animal and for the environment."

About three years ago, Denver-based Charlie Moore, whose family-run Maverick Ranch company has raised natural meats for almost 20 years, contracted with Canadian producer Giannone Poultry to raise air-chilled birds for them. Maverick sells its naturally raised beef and pork to Boston area markets, but not their chickens. Moore thinks consumers are willing to pay more for chickens because of the fear of antibiotics in the birds and the growing concern about animal byproducts in the feed.

Air-chilling is done by smaller operations, which adds to the safety of the birds, he says. ''Many water chilling plants produce 1 million birds a day," Moore says, whereas air-chilling processors will put out only about 500,000 a week.

Smart Chicken, which is sold at the Big Y markets in Southbridge, Worcester, and other Central and Western Massachusetts towns, is produced by MBA Poultry. The company contracts with farmers, all of whom have a vested interest in the business, in southeastern Nebraska. About 55,000 birds a day are processed in one air-chilled plant. Dana Pooch of MBA says demand is outstripping the company's ability to provide the product, which is also available online (www.smartchicken.com). ''We have many testimonials that indicate consumers are willing to pay for higher value," says Mark Haskins, who first saw air-chilling in Prague.

Because of the higher price, says Richard Lobb, spokesman for the National Chicken Council, ''I really don't expect it will catch on in a big way. Generally, the industry feels the water cooling method is an efficient way of getting the carcass temperature down." The industry, he says, which had a good year in 2004 because of the low-carbohydrate craze, is ''not real profitable," with producers lucky to make money two out of three years. ''I don't think people are prepared to pay twice as much" for air-chilled, Lobb says.

Sechler of Bell & Evans also believes the market for the birds is limited. ''Wal-Mart pressure is so difficult," he says. Bigger processors are worried that if anything drives up their costs even a few cents, they won't make it.

But the Pennsylvania producer is sitting pretty. ''I don't really have much competition in my category," Sechler says. ''The money seems to come when you do the right thing."

Air-chilled chickens are available at Roche Bros. Crosby's Markets, Whole Foods, and Big Y.