French Food: The Best Chicken in the World, the Story of the Bresse Chicken

Just as there’s sparkling wine and there’s Champagne, and just as there’s a basic car and there’s a Mercedes, there’s a chicken and there’s a Bresse chicken. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, today we’re talking about the best chicken in the world. These chickens are raised on a relatively small number of farms around the town of Bourg-en-Bresse in eastern France, and their reputation has traveled far since the late 16th century.

You can spot these chickens by their blood-red comb, their spotless white feathers and their blue legs, so it’s no surprise they’ve become a national symbol: they share the same colors as the French flag. But these chickens didn’t become famous for winning a beauty contest. They became famous for their meat, which is golden, tender and absolutely delicious, and which today is served in every self-respecting three-Michelin-star restaurant. It’s no wonder the famous gastronome Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1755-1826) called the Bresse chicken “the queen of chickens and the chicken of kings.”

Since I first wrote these lines, I’ve been back to the region, visited Bourg-en-Bresse and eaten this bird the way it’s meant to be eaten. So I expanded the article: what exactly the designation means, where this chicken came from, what the difference is between poulet, poularde and chapon, and what happens here during the third week of December.

How the best chicken in the world is raised

So what makes Bresse chickens so delicious? The way they’re raised, of course. True to its status as the queen of chickens, the Bresse chicken isn’t raised in battery cages but roams freely around the farm. During this period, the chicken eats a mix of grains and milk (every farmer has their own special recipe). That mix deliberately contains no protein, to push the chicken to go looking for worms in the ground and “get in shape” on its own.

After at least four months, the chickens move on to what their farmers call “the chicken spa”: spacious, shaded wooden crates where they rest for about two weeks to refine their meat before slaughter. One farmer described the experience as something like dozing off in front of the TV after an especially satisfying meal.

None of these rules are the invention of any one farm. The only recognized breed is the white Gauloise (Gauloise blanche), the growing region is strictly defined, and every chicken has its own minimum grazing area. The meat comes out firm, marbled with fat and wrapped in thin, glossy skin, which is exactly why cooking it right matters so much: a chicken like this that comes out dry is a complete waste.

The identification method is simple, and you can check it yourself at the stall. Every chicken wears a metal ring on its left leg bearing the farmer’s name and address, so you can trace it straight back to the farm. It also carries a municipal seal and a triangular label. No ring, no Bresse chicken.

The designation of origin: the only chicken in the world that has one

In 1957, the Bresse chicken received a controlled designation of origin (AOC), and it’s the only chicken in France, in Europe and in the world to hold this status. In 1996, Europe added the AOP status on top of it. This isn’t just a matter of prestige: the designation determines who’s allowed to call their product by this name, and who isn’t.

The recognized growing region spans three départements: Ain, Saône-et-Loire and part of the Jura, a strip about 100 kilometers long and 40 wide. The boundaries were drawn with great care to define exactly what falls inside the appellation and what stays out, and a chicken raised one kilometer outside the line might be an excellent chicken, but it isn’t allowed to carry the name.

Oversight rests with the inter-professional organization for Bresse chicken, headed by chef Georges Blanc (born 1943), and this isn’t an honorary title. The organization is responsible for production, traceability and enforcement, and in 1962 a second body was established alongside it: the Confrérie des Poulardiers de Bresse, created to protect the designation.

From 1591 to today: the history of the Bresse chicken

The first documented mention of “fattened capons” in the town records of Bourg-en-Bresse dates to 1591. According to tradition, that year the local residents gave 24 fattened chickens to the marquis de Treffort, a commander serving under Henri IV (r. 1589-1610), as thanks for driving Savoy’s soldiers out of the region. There’s also a version of the story in which the king himself tasted the chicken during a forced stop in Bresse and fell in love with it, a legend that’s a bit too charming to dig into too closely.

From there, the bird climbed the social food chain. By the 19th century, it was already a recognized luxury product in Paris, Brillat-Savarin gave it its title, and in 1862 the chicken competitions that still run today were founded. A century later, the designation of origin arrived, bringing things full circle.

Poulet, poularde and chapon: what’s the difference

On menus around the region, you’ll come across three different names for the same bird, and the difference between them comes down to age, sex and how they’re raised. It’s worth knowing what you’re ordering, since the prices differ and so do the dishes.

• Poulet, the everyday dish. A minimum age of four months, and a weight of a kilo and a quarter or more.
• Poularde, a fattened hen raised for longer. The meat is fattier and more tender, and this is usually the gastronomic dish on the menu.
• Chapon, a castrated male raised the longest, intended mainly for the holiday season. It’s also the most expensive of the three.

Les Glorieuses de Bresse, the December markets

If you’re visiting the region in December, aim for the third week of the month. That’s when “Les Glorieuses de Bresse” takes place: four competitions and markets for prize chickens that have run continuously since 1862, in Bourg-en-Bresse, in Louhans, in Montrevel-en-Bresse and in Pont-de-Vaux.

The sight itself is unlike any other market. The chickens are displayed “rolled,” meaning wrapped in a thin vegetable cloth that’s stitched with a needle like a corset and pulled tight around the body, a technique meant to give the meat its shape and texture. Judges rank them, the prices climb, and restaurants from all over France send representatives. I haven’t been there in December myself, and I admit it’s on my list.

How much it costs and how it’s cooked

Naturally, Bresse chickens cost more than ordinary chickens, but they’re far from out of reach. A Bresse chicken weighing a kilo and a half runs about 25 to 30 euros on a regular day, though prices jump around the holidays and can reach about 50 euros or more. So if you’re a cooking enthusiast living in France, treat yourself to a Bresse chicken next time and savor every bite.

The absolute classic is poulet de Bresse à la crème, the dish every grandmother in the region swears she invented. Alongside it, you’ll find menu versions with yellow wine from the Jura, with morel mushrooms, baked in a salt crust, or prepared “demi-deuil” (half-mourning) style, where slices of black truffle are slipped under the white skin, creating the look that gave the dish its name.

Where to eat Bresse chicken

The obvious place is the town itself. In Bourg-en-Bresse, there are three restaurants that do it properly, one of them right across from the Brou Monastery, and I’ve gathered the hours, prices and links to them in my guide to Bourg-en-Bresse and the Brou Monastery. About 26 kilometers west, in the village of Vonnas, stands the Blanc family’s restaurant, which has held Michelin stars continuously since 1929.