Ever Heard Of Black Chicken? They’re Silkies And They’re Real!

Black chickens are real. Not black feathered, but black in skin and flesh. Seriously. You may have never come across black chicken meat before and that’s probably because it’s only found in parts of China and Southeast Asia. If you want to encounter this rare sight, that’s where you should be heading for your next holiday. Black chicken meat is a delicacy in Asian countries and is something every food adventurer should experience at least once. So what’s black chicken really? It’s a different variety of chicken, known as the silkie breed, having qualities different from a regular chicken like black skin, flesh and bones, and five toes on each foot (regular chickens have four). 

Interestingly enough, a silkie chicken may seem like a better choice for meat rather than a regular chicken as they are free-range and not raised in poultry factories. Their meat doesn’t taste different from regular chicken meat except for the fact that they have more flavour. Silkie meat is considered to be gourmet food in some Asian countries. They’re prevalent in Chinese, Japanese, Cambodian, Vietnamese and Korean cuisine. Even some parts of Malaysia have silkie chicken as part of their cuisine thanks to the Chinese influenced areas. Known to originate in China, the Chinese believe that silkie soup can cure illnesses. Silkie chicken is normally cooked with soups and broths, curries, or braised.

Would you have silkie chicken if you could? Here’s a recipe if you plan on cooking with black chicken sometime, or if you’re just curious to see how it’s made: