Oranjehoen: soy-free chicken with orange meat

Who's behind it

Johan Leenders runs the business together with his mother Annelien. The family has been farming on the Flevoland polder since 1972, first with arable crops, from 1997 combined with poultry. In 2014 Johan chose his own course: an innovative stable with daylight and covered outdoor run, and his own chicken line which he named Oranjehoen. Arable land and stable strengthen each other, because what's left over in the field goes into the feed trough.

Feed, growth and colour

Almost every broiler eats imported soy. The Oranjehoen eats residual streams from its own and surrounding fields: carrot, beetroot, turmeric and oregano, plus produce rejected for cosmetic reasons (10 to 20% of the ration). That saves an estimated 0.79 kg CO2 per kilo of meat, nearly 40% less than conventional.

A regular broiler is ready in six weeks. The Oranjehoen gets about nine. That sturdier, slower breed builds firmer muscle. You notice it in a firm bite, little moisture loss and little shrinkage when you sear or poach the fillet.

Turmeric and the herbs in the ration colour the meat light orange. As Johan puts it: the pigments colour the chicken and give it its flavour.

In your kitchen

Put it on the menu in full: "Flevoland Oranjehoen, soy-free fed, slowly grown, with Better Life certification". Your guest gets that line right away, and sees the orange colour on the plate.