The fresh chicken section of many grocery stores is starting to get a bit confusing. Are you looking for a whole fryer to make a simple roast chicken dinner? The choices in brands are booming: In addition to the traditional selection of store brands, Perdue and Tysons chickens, there are now a number of organic and kosher choices, and the prices can vary widely. What makes one better than another?

We decided to put these birds to the test. We roasted 11 whole fryers, including three organics and one kosher to see if we could detect differences in taste, texture and appearance.

We bought small chickens, all between three and four pounds each, and roasted them at 425 degrees until the breast meat registered 170 degrees. We let each chicken sit for 10 minutes, removed the skin and then tasted a bit of breast meat from each bird, not knowing the brand or the store from which they came.

The good news? There was not a bona fide loser in the bunch. In addition, one of the organic chickens and the kosher chicken--higher in price than many of the others--were wonderful and well worth it; the other two organics were just average. For a marginal difference in taste, we probably wouldn't pay the extra price.

Some of the less expensive chicken were mediocre, but others were tasty and perfectly presentable. Most chickens tasted moist, but some had little actual chicken flavor, as if the moisture came from an excess of water alone. Some supermarkets carry several brands of these chickens.

We've listed here the store where we purchased the ones we cooked.

One thing's for sure: Check those expiration dates carefully. Every single fryer at one supermarket was past its "sell by" date by a full day. And if you don't like the looks of what's available in the meat case, ask the butcher if there's a fresher shipment in back.

EXCEPTIONAL:

EBERLY FARMS FREE RANGE ORGANIC CHICKEN - This turned out to be the last chicken we tasted, and it was by far the best: moist, full of flavor and just downright good. It also browned the best of all 11 chickens we roasted.($2.59 per pound.) From Fresh Fields. EMPIRE KOSHER CHICKEN - Lookswise, this bird was a bit of an ugly duckling,but, boy, did it taste good. It was chewy but not dry, with a nice fatty flavor that brought each of our tasters back for more. ($1.70 per pound.) From Katz Kosher Supermarket, 4860 Boiling Brook Parkway, Rockville.

ACCEPTABLE:

BELL & EVANS FRESH YOUNG CHICKEN - This handsome bird came with its wing tips already tucked under; it easily looked the best of all 11 going into the oven. An hour later, it was somehow listing heavily to the right, but it tasted just fine. Tough to slice, but tasty nonetheless. ($1.90 per pound.) From Fresh Fields. D'ARTAGNAN WHOLE ORGANIC CHICKEN - A perfectly presentable chicken--almost pretty, in fact--that sliced beautifully and looked creamy and moist inside. But we had trouble detecting any noticeable chicken flavor with this high-priced bird. ($3.50 per pound.) From Sutton Place Gourmet. MAGRUDER'S GOLD LABEL CHICKEN - This one was drier than most, but the husky chicken flavor more than made up for any lack of moisture. All in all, a pleasant little bird. (99 cents per pound.) From Magruder's. PERDUE GRADE A FRYER - It came out of the oven looking like a fine upstanding chicken and it certainly was: moist, juicy and just plain respectable. ($1.30 per pound.) Available at most supermarkets. SAFEWAY SELECT FRESH YOUNG CHICKEN - Our only complaints with this chicken are that it tasted a little bland and that its legs somehow drifted outward during the roasting process. Not the bird to present whole at the table, but fine to serve sliced. ($1.20 per pound.) From Safeway. SPRINGER MOUNTAIN FARMS ORGANIC CHICKEN - We loved the look of this one, which practically stood at attention as it came out of the oven. The breast meat was very white and moist at the first taste, but ended with little flavor. Better than a dry bird with no flavor, perhaps, but ultimately a little disappointing. ($1.99 cents per pound.) From Giant. SUPER G FRESH CHICKEN - You wouldn't rave about this chicken, perhaps, but you wouldn't complain either. A little on the dry side, but with a good chicken taste. (99 cents per pound.) From Giant. TYSON FRESH YOUNG CHICKEN - This was probably our least favorite chicken. It was watery rather than moist and just plain bland, with a somewhat plastic taste that was ultimately pretty disappointing. Not awful, just not great.(69 cents per pound.) From Costco. WAMPLER FRESH YOUNG CHICKEN - Another good-looking bird that turned out to be watery, bland and a little on the tough side. (78 cents per pound.) From Shoppers Food Warehouse.