What’s the story with Blue Chickens, you say? I’m glad you asked! No, it’s not a corny take on an Elvis song. Or an old family recipe. These very real birds taught me a good lesson. One that seems to come back at me again and again.I was young, adventurous, and had been living in Asia for about a year and a half. The lack of access to Mac N Cheese and RiceARoni® was proving a crash course in “how to really cook without a box.” About Christmas time, I had the lovely idea to host my first real dinner party. Look out Martha, here I come!
A lovely Roast Lemon Herb Chicken recipe had caught my eye. Now it was down to assembling my ingredients.
Veggies… check.
Lemons… check.
Herbs… check.
The only thing left was the chicken. I hopped on the bus after work for the 40 minute ride to my most trust worth grocery market. It was out of the way. But with a dinner party coming I was sure to find the best chickens here. As I rounded the corner to the small meat section, I was caught… by the sight of this BLUE skinned
THING,
This awful bird looked like something bruised and beaten from a day in the ring with Rocky. The deep blue purple bird should have been headed to the ER, not my dinner table.
There were no normal birds to be found. So the next day I proceeded to take another bus part-way across town to another grocery market. (I still wasn’t brave enough to purchase meat at the open market where birds would be hanging from the stall or still squawking from their pen… I am the city girl of the family, after all.)
Store number three… once again, the same funky fowl...
wrapped in plastic, with CLAWS
about to RIP RIGHT OUT and SCRATCH ME!
Tears started to well up in my eyes. The blue skin was one thing…
But the thought of having to CHOP off the CLAWS myself… I just couldn’t do it!!
All I wanted was to make was a nice, NORMAL, roast chicken dinner!! Is this too much to ask?
I left the store in tears.
Picked up a latte at Starbucks … yes, there are Starbucks in Asia… Thank Goodness!!!
And went on with my dinner.
Lemon Herb Chicken Wings may not be Martha’s dish, but they are now mine!
(and they were from normal chickens)
I still haven’t tried a blue chicken myself. You never know when the day may come… but I can say:
When life gives you Blue Chickens… have a good cry, get a latte, and improvise!
PS - It turns out the offending fowl may have actually been a delicacy known for their healthful properties, particularly for women. Go figure?
