It’s the breed of chicken that matters. Poultry farms settled on the Cornish Cross because it grows big and does so fast. It is also one of the blandest, if not THE blandest variety. Just as breed matters in pork, beef, lamb, etc., it matters in poultry as well.
Market economics mean the Cornish Cross blankets the U.S., with very few heritage alternatives (by percentage). Almost without exception they are smaller, take longer to raise, and are not quite as tender (noticeable on the dark meat, not so much the white).
High Point Farms - which I am not endorsing, btw - wrote a very funny history on their chicken raising. Their comment about the Cornish Cross will make you smile: http://www.highpointfarms.net/meat-chickens.html.
We ate at Backyard in Forestville a few years back, with some friends. A decent dinner, lousy service, but the fried chicken was amazing. I noted they got their chickens (then, anyway) from Green Star Farms in Sebastopol. The chicken pieces were noticeably smaller than usual, but the flavor was rich and wonderful.
