Why The Most Expensive Chicken In The World Is Harder To Find Than Wagyu

Americans are frustrated by egg prices (and that there are still so few eggs on grocery store shelves), but, if you thought eggs are currently overpriced, you might flip out when you learn about ayam cemani chickens which are the most expensive chickens in the world. Just six ayam cemani eggs can cost almost $100 dollars and an entire chicken could set you back $300. Even more shockingly, live adult ayam cemani can command up to $3,000 (since they're meant for breeding). 

What exactly makes ayam cemani chickens so special? Individuals of this breed, which are native to the island of Java in Indonesia, are completely black inside and out. Their plumage, feet, head, tongue, and nails are deeply black. The impressive part is that so are their internal organs and even their meat. This chicken species commands such high prices because it is extremely rare. The particular color came about because of a genetic mutation and centuries of careful cross-breeding that the Javanese carried out. Some estimate that the entire ayam cemani population is as small as 3,500.

With such a small population size, ayam cemani are much rarer than Japanese Wagyu beef (which is the name given to meat taken from four breeds of Japanese cattle). According to Statista, in Japan during 2019 alone, 457,000 slaughtered cows were classified as Wagyu. Although this beef remains special and expensive, it's not uncommon to find it on the menu of fine dining restaurants and in some grocery stores in the United States. Ayam cemani chickens, however, are not available in any major grocery store in the U.S. We also couldn't find a single restaurant that regularly offers the meat on its menu.

Is sourcing ayam cemani meat worth the money and trouble? Reports say it tastes similar to the meat of regular chickens but with a slightly more gamey flavor. If the lack of a distinctive taste (and the price tag it comes with) hasn't put you off, your best bet is to buy ayam cemani online via a specialty store like Exotic Meat Markets. (You likely won't even be able to find it in restaurants in Java since locals use the chickens mainly for their blood and rarely eat them.)

There are recipes that are designed specifically for this chicken, including an ayam cemani black soup. Aside from the dark meat itself, this soup contains garlic, ginger, herbs, cabbage, mushrooms, and several other vegetables. You could, of course, use this chicken in any other recipe, but you'd have to be a very confident cook to experiment with an ingredient that costs hundreds of dollars. That said, if you have a passion for rare ingredients, then go for it. Heck, people pay hundreds of dollars for elephant poop coffee, so why not shell out for a chicken?