Selecting the best chicken

Organic, air-chilled, free-range: so many chickens on store shelves. Which to take home?

Overall, the birds we liked best for their meat's flavor and texture were generally organic or fed special diets, and almost all were free-range.

Another factor that seemed to affect flavor was the air-chilled processing method. Both of the chickens we tested that were air-chilled, Mary's and Trader Joe's, received high marks for their skin; the skin was crisp and firm, not flabby or flaccid, and had good flavor.

Fans of air chilling argue that the meat of air-chilled chicken is more flavorful, and less diluted, than water-chilled, and that the skin is tighter and more firm. We couldn't tell a difference in the meat, but there was definitely something special about the skin.