diet culture disfavors dark meat chicken which has more fat and is higher calorie than white meat. I know a lot of people with this preference! It would not cost so much more in the grocery store if that were not the case! Inconceivable to me, I really dislike the stuff unless its cooked really carefully (for example the lightly poached singapore chicken rice.
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really tasty in ragu bolognese variations (often with chicken heart)
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My parents grew up in the old country where chicken was a special food too, but they always wanted the dark meat because holding a drum stick was always granted to the kid or person who was celebrating that special day. I grew up preferring white meat quite simply because it was easier and because I didn’t have to fiddle with a bone (or less bone to fiddle with), but that changed as soon as I started cooking.
The reality of cooking made thighs easier or me, but also learning to debone a thigh! The funny thing is I struggle with how to use chicken breast meat when I have a whole chicken. It often gets sacrificed for soup/broth, unless I happen to need strips, cubes, or something else for a dish.
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I have embraced dark meat chicken–especially thighs–in recent years. After struggling to keep white meat tender in many dishes, I realized that it is nearly impossible to overcook the thighs in a crockpot or braise.
Now, chicken breast is reserved for quick grilling or breaded cutlets, or when I roast a whole chicken. I now have a great recipe for chicken pot pie using cut up thighs that my family really enjoys.
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Most of the world prefers dark meat chicken. But American poultry providers have bred chickens with disproportionate breasts, because the American consumer assumed white meat was healthier and because they could. In any case, maybe it’s the price disparity that’s driving dark meat sales now. I never buy boneless, skinless chicken breast by themselves because of the price (organic up $8/lb) and limited use. Dark meat is less expensive because the way poultry growers have set up the system and created a market. Cut up a chicken and sell some cuts for way more.
In any case, I’m okay with white meat chicken IF it’s not dry but that’s the rub. Of course white meat chicken is often dry, so avoid. You can cook breast meat moist but it’s kind of a hassle compared to dark and it’s more expensive. Chicken thighs are almost fool proof, as in over-cooked Teriyaki chicken thighs can still be tasty and edible. Can’t do the same with a breast.
To keep chicken breasts moist there’s a bunch of methods but basically treat it like fish, as something delicate and mild. That means respect it, treat it gently, DO NOT OVER COOK IT and season properly or do you just douse it in a bunch of cream. This actually might be why thighs are popular….way easier to cook. Ordering white meat at a restaurant is a sure way to get something dry, unless it has a reputation like Zuni Cafe.
So chicken thighs , less expensive, juicer, harder to screw up cooking.
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We’re all dark meat people in my family. My wife loves white meat. I think part of it is that she doesn’t like fiddling with the bones. While she’s not from the US, I think many, many people in this country don’t like bones–probably reminds them too much of “dead animal” aspect of eating meat. American-style Chinese restaurants almost never feature chicken on the bone because of this squeamishness.
Also, she doesn’t like chicken skin much, and I’ll happily eat it (cholesterol be damned).
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Can confirm. Would be interesting to see an accurate poll of how many Americans and Canadians prefer white / dark/ don’t care.
The resto chicken souvlaki and resto chicken roti in Ontario is usually made with boneless white meat to keep the majority of customers happier. Most Indian restos here use white meat when they have a largely non South Asian client base. Some of the cheaper Pakistani restaurants that have a very large South Asian client base serve curries made with bone-in dark meat chicken. That’s the main place I see bone- in chicken curries.
Some roti shops have an option of bone-in or bone-out chicken curry.
I don’t know how that would be quantified, given that most of the world buys whole chickens, not parts.
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Maybe if we had freezer stasi? Can smart freezers tell when the chicken breast being put into the freezer is already 3 days old? LOL
I might keep track on how many whole chickens I buy compared to thighs or legs this year. Probably a third of my chicken is whole chicken.
I don’t buy whole chickens more often because after roasting a 1.5 to 2 lb chicken, I’m usually freezing 250 grams on Day 3, or throwing out 250 g on Day 4 (green bin). But I get a few quarts of broth from the whole chicken carcass, so that’s the win, even if I toss or freeze some white meat.
I most often poach breast meat (cantonese white or soy sauce or hainanese), and use the excess in chicken salad, or quesadillas, or added to things (soup, thai curry, arroz con pollo, etc)
Do you trust Google AI? I guess I’ve been indoctrinated not to. LOL
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You can decided for yourself. Here’s the URL. It provides links to the information.
Yeah, no. How is google AI quantifying dark meat preference in China & India where more than half the world population resides?
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Look at the info links google scraped to get the answer. All Google AI does is consolidate info. Each person needs to verify things on their own and read between the lines. If you take things at face value, that’s up to you. Half the world has little to do with this. The US exports animal protein it believes consumers don’t want, like liver and offal. This is driven by how the US poultry and meat industries have marketed and targeted consumers - mostly animal muscle protein, nothing ICKY because it’s ICKY and gross.
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Here is a paper with some background information around around the poultry industry
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US does not mean global.
AI can’t even find me a specific recipe by a specific author that I know exists without making stuff up.
Perhaps, the people who use the Shop App, have a Pixel phone, and a Gmail address are buying more dark meat? lol
I am guilty of all of that, and I get points at my butcher with which I buy more dark meat.
I buy my take-out Hainanese white chicken with cash so Google is missing that in their count. The Canada Revenue Agency is also likely missing out on that sale.
Does anyone know the approximate weight ratio of deboned white to brown meat on a chicken?
The US poultry industry and its exports.
Not global chicken consumption – which in Asia includes plenty of free range / non-broiler chicken, and related data that isn’t tracked.
