Maker · Swifterbant, Flevoland · Poultry
Oranjehoen: the chicken that eats no soy yet still has orange meat
Slice a fillet of Oranjehoen open and you see it right away: a light orange glow through the meat. No food colouring, no trick. That's the ration: turmeric, carrot, beetroot and oregano instead of soy. Johan Leenders lets his chickens in Swifterbant grow nearly twice as long as a regular broiler. You taste that and you work that: firmer bite, less shrinkage in the pan, more flavour on the plate.
The story
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.
What really sets it apart
No soy, but closed-loop. Where almost every broiler runs on imported soy, the Oranjehoen eats residual streams from the own and surrounding fields: carrot, beetroot, turmeric and oregano, supplemented with produce that's discarded for cosmetic reasons (10 to 20% of the ration). That saves roughly 0.79 kg CO2 per kilo of meat, nearly 40% less than conventional.
Slow growth gives better structure. A regular broiler is ready in six weeks. The Oranjehoen gets about nine. That sturdier, slower breed builds firmer muscle tissue. You notice it in a firmer bite, less moisture loss and less shrinkage when you sear the fillet or poach it.
The orange glow comes from the feed. Turmeric and the herbs in the ration colour the meat light orange. Visible on the plate, without you having to do anything. Johan says it himself briefly: the pigments colour the chicken and give it its flavour.
How to set yourself apart with this
"Chicken" on a menu says nothing. "Flevoland Oranjehoen, soy-free fed, slowly grown, with Better Life certification" says everything, in one line your guest grasps right away. You serve a product with a face, a certification, and visible difference on the plate. Exactly the kind of origin story that sets you apart from the place down the road buying anonymous fillet, without you having to invent a word yourself.
“Attention gives flavour.”
Chef’s tip
Let the orange colour work. Cook gently at lower temperature and carve on the plate. The colour and firmer structure sell the dish before the guest takes a bite.
How to use it
Ideas for your menu
Fillet and supreme
Gently cooked or slowly seared, carved on the plate to show the orange glow. Holds moisture better than ordinary fillet.
Chicken thigh with skin
Confit or hard grilled for crispy skin. Most flavour and the best price-to-quality ratio. Ideal for a fixed menu or lunch.
Carcasses for golden stock
Available to order separately. Draw a deep, naturally gold chicken stock or jus. The ration even colours the broth.
Chicken smash burger
Ready to use, also in a spicy variant. A quick, recognisable addition to your menu with a story you explain in one sentence.
For your menu
“Flevoland Oranjehoen, soy-free fed, slowly grown, with Better Life certification.”
Taste it in your own kitchen
Book a no-obligation tasting with Niels. No contract, just tasting.