D'Artagnan Adds Chicken Confit To Its Extraordinay Line-Up

Ariane Daguin, founder of D'Artagnan, was up to her ears in Duck Fat. This will come as no surprise to anyone who has ever visited the "Duck Page" on www.dartagnan.com.   There you will find four different breeds of raw duck from Moulard to Pekin, from Muscovy to Rohan.  And from those birds comes duck bacon, duck sausage, smoked duck breasts, duck confit and duck rillettes.  So it only makes sense that Ms. Daguin would find a new way to use all that duck fat in her latest new product offering: Chicken Confit.   And so to her extraordinary collection of over 900 products, she has added this pre-cooked, full-flavored and all-organic delicacy to a list of products that got its start in 1985, almost by birthright.

Ms. Daguin comes from a family that has been completely consumed by the food business for seven generations.   Her entire family has been involved in hotels and restaurants in Gascony, a culinary capital of Charcuterie and Armagnac.  Ms. Daguin thought she was escaping the family business when she left France to come to Barnard College in New York City. The decision not to stay in France was her belief that her brother, a year younger, would naturally ascend to the running the family enterprise.  So off she went to study political science with plans to become a journalist.  

Unfortunately, she ran out of money and so she turned to what she knew best: Food, specifically Charcuterie which she acknowledges a passion for from her earliest memories. She named her company after one of the Three Musketeers, D'Artagnan. He was not just a fictional figure.  His character was based on a man from Gascony renowned for his loyalty and good deeds. Ms. Daguin also appropriated  D'Artagnan's motto for her new company: "All for One and One for All".  She turned it into a  philosophy "To do the right thing. To entice farmer to raise animals the right way. To get better and better every day."

[[{"fid":"4890806","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default","alignment":"center","field_image_alt[und][0][value]":false,"field_image_title[und][0][value]":false,"field_image_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_image_caption[und][0][format]":"filtered_html","field_image_credit[und][0][value]":"","field_image_credit[und][0][format]":"image_credit","field_has_syndication_rights[und]":"1","field_licensor[und]":"","field_license_id[und][0][value]":""},"link_text":null,"type":"media","field_deltas":{"1":{"format":"default","alignment":"center","field_image_alt[und][0][value]":false,"field_image_title[und][0][value]":false,"field_image_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_image_caption[und][0][format]":"filtered_html","field_image_credit[und][0][value]":"","field_image_credit[und][0][format]":"image_credit","field_has_syndication_rights[und]":"1","field_licensor[und]":"","field_license_id[und][0][value]":""}},"attributes":{"class":"media-element file-default media-wysiwyg-align-center","data-delta":"1"}}]]

The basis for her Chicken Confit are chickens that go well beyond "Free range". "Today they are Organic, or Air Chilled or Heritage Breeds. They are finished with Vegetables as they are in Gascony. They are better and better every year," according to Ms. Daguin. The Chicken Confit was added to the D'Artagnan line to entice both home cooks and Chefs, specifically those with small kitchens, a trend that has grown with the arrival of Pop-Up restaurants and food trucks.  The fully cooked product is a breeze to cook. Under the broiler for a few seconds, the chicken crisps up. Then it can be added to soups, salads, or used as a main course. It's unique in the marketplace and with its pedigree and the heritage of D'Artagnan, it has fast become a major success.

Priced at 9.99 for two pieces, or 49.99 for 12, Chicken confit is available for sale at www.dartagnan.com.