345354 Thu Nov 23 21:36:26 -0800 2006 1 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 2044139 A Chinese supermarket near me sells packaged, relatively small frozen birds called "Silken Chicken." Anyone know what these are? Are they good? How does one prepare them? Thu Nov 23 21:36:26 -0800 2006 19442 jake 1 2044192 They are a special breed of chicken. See Silkie - Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silkie_(chicken) They have silky feathers and are often kept as pets in the west. They are raised in Taihe province in China and are sometimes called Taihe chickens. There is a bit of info on CHOW: http://www.chow.com/ingredients/127 . As for how they taste, I'd say not that much different than a regular chicken. Maybe a bit richer. I have only had them in soup and that seems to be about the only traditional preparation. The soup is considered medicinal and is made with bitter gourd/melon as well. The Asian grocer near me sells the chickens whole and split in half and wrapped up in bundles with the rest of ingredients for the traditional soup. I would be interested in roasting a whole bird just to find out what it would be like and I might just do that sometime. The flesh is almost purplish and the bones and skin dark charcoal to black. Thu Nov 23 22:51:42 -0800 2006 2044139 24055 Atahualpa