Grammar Inquiry

AnonymousDoes the presence or omission of an article change the meaning of the sentence?

Yes. Grammatically both are fine. Without the article you are saying that you like chickens in general. With the article you are saying that you like a particular chicken, presumably one that you know personally.

"I like chickens" is fine if that's your thing. It would normally be understood to mean that you're fond of the live birds. If you mean that you like eating chicken meat, say "I like chicken".

"I like a chicken" is possible but unlikely. It means that you like a single unidentified chicken. In casual conversation, it could possibly mean "I like having a chicken to eat" or it could mean t

AnonymousDoes the presence or omission of an article change the meaning of the sentence?

The presence or omission of an article always changes the meaning. Exactly how the meaning changes depends on the specific sentences you wish to compare.

CJ

"I like a chicken" could only refer to the animal. If you meant chicken as food, you would leave out an article altogether and simply say, "I like chicken". And that wouldn't be just casual conversation either, but grammatically standard.

I like dog, means, in effect, I like dog meat.
I like dogs. You like the animal.
I like a dog--sounds like you are about to tell me about