Sainsbury’s is looking to capitalise on the demand for its Norfolk Black Turkey Christmas line with the launch of a year-round Norfolk Black chicken under its Taste the Difference range.

The Norfolk Black Chicken has black legs and feathers with specks of bronze shading around the neck. Birds will be bred to Sainsbury’s Woodland outdoor rearing standards.

Sainsbury’s introduced Taste The Difference Norfolk Black Turkey in the run-up to Christmas 2010, and sold 117,000 of the birds last Christmas.

Many customers had come to appreciate the Woodland Norfolk Black Turkey, said Sainsbury’s chicken buyer Siobhan Geary. “Working with the same farmers, we anticipate the chicken will be a welcome addition to enjoy all year round.”

Norfolk Black Chicken will offer a point of difference to consumers from other chicken on the market, as the lower legs of the birds are black after plucking and remain so when cooked. “The black hocks on the bird are sure to be a distinctive mark for taste and quality,” added Geary.

The birds are fed on a corn-based diet and have access to woodland with perches and hay bales, resulting in a tender meat with a full flavour, according to Sainsbury’s.

Norfolk Black Chicken will go into 250 Sainsbury’s stores from 26 September and will be available as a whole bird, a leg & thigh pack, and a breast pack. The chicken would be priced “in the same price range” as other Taste the Difference chicken products,” a spokeswoman confirmed.

The standard prices of Woodland Taste the Difference chicken are £4.99/kg for a whole bird, and £14.99/kg, and £4.70/kg, respectively, for packs of skin-on breast fillets and thighs.

Norfolk Black Chicken was developed by Traditional Norfolk Poultry, which supplies Norfolk Black Turkey.

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