Why Choose Smart Chicken
Smart Chicken® just tastes better than other chicken out there. It cooks up nicely with better flavor and better texture. Never dry, flavorless, or rubbery—Smart Chicken tastes . . . well, like chicken! Such a consistently great end-product is the result of a number of important factors that distinguish Smart Chicken from other producers. Here we’ve outlined some of what makes it so much better.
Veg-Fed
The poultry nutritionists behind the scenes at Smart Chicken work closely with the farmers who raise them to provide a high-quality diet that consistently meets the metabolic requirements for the species. The diet consists primarily of corn and soybean meal (in the case of certified organic Smart Chicken only certified organic, certified non-GMO corn and certified organic, certified non-GMO soybeans). Smart Chickens are never fed animal by-products or other enhancers/fillers, which are sometimes used to cut costs and hasten growth rates.
Humanely Handled
Smart Chicken was the first producer in the country to offer a product both certified organic and certified humane. Our farmers focus on providing a clean, safe, comfortable environment where birds can thrive. For our organic birds, that entails high-quality feed, fresh water, access to the outdoors, and plenty of time to play and rest. It means that our farmers are committed to the wellbeing of our birds, never subjecting them to aggressive lighting programs that prevent them from sleeping and keep them eating. It also means that our chickens are caught by hand by trained personnel and harvested using an innovative processing method known as CAS (Controlled-Atmosphere Stunning). Recognized by HFAC (Humane Farm Animal Care), the process actually puts birds to sleep before sacrifice.
No Antibiotics, Ever
Smart Chicken is committed to producing 100% antibiotic-free chicken. That means raising birds that are never administered antibiotics. (Our birds never receive added hormones either, as hormones have been outlawed in poultry production for decades.) Instead of administering blanket dosages of antibiotics to otherwise healthy birds, Smart Chicken farmers take a preventative approach, focusing on providing a consistently safe and comfortable environment and a high standard of care.
Air Chilled
Once harvested and removed of feathers, chickens must be quickly chilled to a safe internal temperature. The processes used to do so have a profound impact on the quality of the end product. The standard industry practice is to chill chickens by submerging them in treated water; the birds are essentially pushed and pulled through a communal bath. This method can leave the meat waterlogged, diluting its flavor and adversely impacting its texture. That’s why every Smart Chicken product is 100% USDA Process-Verified Pure Air Chilled. Chickens circulate through purified cold air, which chills them quickly without impacting the quality and flavor of the meat.
Hand Trimmed
Every cut of Smart Chicken is butchered and trimmed by hand at the processing level. It’s an extra step we take to ensure that the chicken you receive is a great value, and that it’s ready to cook. Smart Chicken is available in a variety of cuts, including tenders, bone-in and boneless legs, thighs, and breasts, as well as thin-sliced breasts. Whole Smart Chickens are removed of innards, wing tips are removed, and the birds are even trussed for your convenience.
Allergen Free
Smart Chicken products do not contain any of the eight major food allergens, including gluten. Gluten is not typically associated with fresh poultry, but it can be cause for concern when fillers used in processed meats are not gluten-free, or when chicken is processed in facilities where gluten-containing foods are also processed. Neither is an issue for Smart Chicken. It’s always 100% gluten-processed to remain gluten-free.
Convenient
Not only does Smart Chicken deliver the convenience of hand-trimmed chicken that’s ready to cook, the company also produces a number of premium deli products, including chicken sausages in various flavors and several deli meat options. Every product is made from pure air-chilled Smart Chicken and is 100% free of potentially harmful additives like nitrates, nitrites, and MSG (found in many other deli products). In all, Smart Chicken offers taste, convenience, and quality in every product without ever cutting corners.