Boneless Chicken, Breasts and Thighs

[Pontormo]

Elsewhere, eGulleters have expressed preferences for the humbler darker, juicier dark meat when it comes to eating birds.

Megan Blocker & I have been commenting back and forth on this topic, if indirectly, in the thread on McDonald's in the forum devoted to Food Media & News.

Thanksgiving is upon us, so the topic is relevant in this respect, too, I suppose.

However, what inspired me to post this topic was an accidental purchase of boneless, skinless chicken thighs that were on sale. I thought I was gettting the bone.

When I realized what I had done and started to look through my Chinese cookbooks for inspiration, of course, all the recipes for boneless chicken listed breast meat.

The only thing I could think of as I was prepping to stir-fry is that it is easier to prepare the breast meat, especially when it came to removing the fat. The shapes are going to be more regular for the most part. Breast meat sort of cooks faster and is therefore a bit safer, maybe, to velvet (Tropp) before adding it to the wok during the final steps of a recipe.

Nonetheless, the boneless thighs, of course, were just fine and probably asserted themselves more than white meat might when competing with the flavors of roasted peanuts, chilies, ginger and so forth.

However, perhaps others might have a different perspective to offer:

Why are chicken breasts called for more frequently in recipes?

I am thinking about Chinese or pseudo-Chinese cooking, especially, but not exclusively.

Edited November 10, 2005 by Pontormo (log)

[Megan Blocker]

Why are chicken breasts called for more frequently in recipes?

I am thinking about Chinese or pseudo-Chinese cooking, especially, but not exclusively.

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Hmmmm...I think it's for many of the reasons you've already mentioned: it's easier to cut breasts into regular shapes, there's less (really, no) trimming required, and so on.

I also think that many recipes and cookbooks, of Chinese cuisine or no, are influenced by trends in eating - in this case, of eating leaner, lower calories meats. Chicken breasts take the cake here (if we don't think about fish, anyway), though chicken thighs and legs are still significantly lower in fat and calories than most cuts of beef or lamb.

You definitely hit my nail on the head, Pontormo - I do prefer the darker meat of the chicken, though I've been known to enjoy the breasts as well (especially in quick salads at dinner or as an ingredient in one of my favorites, chicken milanese). However, when making a braised dish, I always go strictly for dark meat, and I make a beeline for it when a whole bird is involved (turkey or chicken).

This is one of the reasons I love Mario Batali so much - every chance he gets, he tries to convert white meaters over to my side. I also appreciate Mark Bittman's efforts in this area - his Minimalist column frequently touts the use of the darker chicken meat. One of my favorite Bittman recipes (stir-fried chicken with ketchup - sounds weird, but is actually quite yummy) made a point of asking for skinless, boneless thighs. One small step for man...one giant leap for cooking kind (I hope).

ETA: I had lunch at a rather nice French bistro here in the city the other day, and they serve a coq au vin (I've never sampled, though, as I can never resist the steak tartare). The menu actually states (discreetly): "Dark meat chicken only." I guess this is for the regular flow of society ladies who lunch who might be horrified to receive something other than their lean, mean boneless breasts! (No pun intended.)

Edited November 10, 2005 by Megan Blocker (log)

[I_call_the_duck]

My theory is much more simple, and does have to do with Megan's idea about trends in cooking. I think that boneless chicken thighs didn't make an appearance until I'd say, about 10-15 years ago, whereas boneless breasts have been around much longer.

And I'm also a big dark meat fan. I make chicken marsala using boneless thighs. Yes more time is spent trimming the thighs, but I can get a decent shape albiet smaller pieces when I flatten them. And those little pieces which are left from trimming are usually saved for stir fries.

[Megan Blocker]

I make chicken marsala using boneless thighs.  Yes more time is spent trimming the thighs, but I can get a decent shape albiet smaller pieces when I flatten them.  And those little pieces which are left from trimming are usually saved for stir fries.

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That's a good idea, Karen...maybe I'll try this the next time I do chicken milanese.

[Chris Amirault]

I think Karen C. is right: it's mainly about availability, not about any lack of use of thighs in cooking. I've noticed that Thai and Chinese cookbooks originating outside of the US often refer to using thighs in curries, stir fries, etc.

[Megan Blocker]

I think Karen C. is right: it's mainly about availability, not about any lack of use of thighs in cooking. I've noticed that Thai and Chinese cookbooks originating outside of the US often refer to using thighs in curries, stir fries, etc.

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I agree that availability is certainly part of it (especially as to why recipes call more frequently for boneless breasts).

My follow-up question would be this: If boneless chicken thighs were more widely available in the States, would people really start eating as much dark meat as light? My gut says no (since, even when bones are involved, people typically aim for the white meat), but I'd love to hear what others think!

Edited November 10, 2005 by Megan Blocker (log)

[Chris Amirault]

Nope. I think that most Americans have been conditioned to prefer breast meat. There's also the impression of going low-rent: at gatherings with my extended family, for example, if we were to serve BBQ chicken thighs instead of breasts, we'd be considered rude!

[fifi]

In various chicken dishes like Lily Mae's Chicken and the Paprika Chicken I use chicken thighs just about exclusively. (Please check out the link to the paprika topic linked at the bottom of the recipe.)

In just about any braised dish, thighs are my preference for flavor and a bit of chicken fat only helps that along. For braises, I do skin the thighs if I haven't bought the skinless/boneless because I don't like the way chicken skin gets in a braised dish.

I do use the oh-so-not-like-a-real-piece-of-animal breasts for those dishes that need neat chunks of meat like slices for a salad or a stir fry. They are handy for the lazy and I have been known to keep a bag of the flash frozen ones (like you get at Sam's or Costco) in the freezer for last minute meals. Amazingly, the flash frozen is better in final texture and taste than "fresh" ones.

[Megan Blocker]

Here's a link to an interesting article on marketing opportunities around the US's tendency to treat dark meat as a by-product of light meat...and kind of a gross idea of how to turn dark meat into light. Ew.

[Megan Blocker]

Nope. I think that most Americans have been conditioned to prefer breast meat. There's also the impression of going low-rent: at gatherings with my extended family, for example, if we were to serve BBQ chicken thighs instead of breasts, we'd be considered rude!

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And yet, it's such an advantage - it tastes better, and it's cheaper! It's one of the last great bargains in food.

[mizducky]

I must confess that part of me is glad chicken thighs are still considered "low-rent" -- gotta leave at least a few bargain cuts at the meat counter! Every time one of those varieties of animal protein once considered poor people's food gets "discovered" by the gourmet-food world, its price jumps so that it's no longer a bargain. Much as I love to defend dark-meat chicken as the taste-leader on the bird, I don't exactly welcome seeing it get so popular that its price inflates too.

[Chris Amirault]

In just about any braised dish, thighs are my preference for flavor and a bit of chicken fat only helps that along.

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I agree with Linda, and I think that this also applies to curries, ground dishes (like larb), grilled dishes, and so on. Let's also remember that some classic Chinese-American dishes use only thigh meat, like General Cho/Tso's Chicken. Those little nuggets have a very different texture than do breast meat chunks, which would ruin dishes like that.

There's also the haphazardness of thigh meat. It's pretty impossible to cut into 1/2" dice with any precision. I like that, most of the time.

If someone has Harold McGee at hand, you could look up white and dark meat and find out how they are different.

[I_call_the_duck]

My follow-up question would be this: If boneless chicken thighs were more widely available in the States, would people really start eating as much dark meat as light?  My gut says no (since, even when bones are involved, people typically aim for the white meat), but I'd love to hear what others think!

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I’d say no. I agree with Chris—not only are Americans conditioned to like breast meat, but I also think the AMA or whatever diet-du jour dictates that breast meat is healthier for you. OK, this may be true, but it isn’t as tasty. The thing about breast meat that people like is that IT HAS NO FLAVOR. If I were to do a side-by-side comparison of the same dish using breast meat and thigh meat, the latter would win hands down. My brother used to go out with this woman who was a really picky eater (my goodness, there is a huge laundry list here of things she wouldn’t eat). The only type of chicken she would eat was boneless chicken breasts because IT HAS NO FLAVOR.

So now I’m curious…If Mario Batali likes it, and most of you here like it…do your picky friends like breast meat, while your foodie friends like dark meat?

[Pontormo]

Chris:

You've answered one of my questions toward the beginning of this thread when referring to cookbooks that were not published in U.S. Both of mine were produced for cooks in the U.S.

And as for Duck Caller's question, I have a foodie friend who is a fabulous cook. She prefers breast meat and eats a turkey breast sandwich just about every time that she brings her lunch to work (two young kids, quick and easy) and always eats that part of the bird on Thanksgiving.

[eJulia]

I was a white meat snob until joining eGullet.... after seeing posts raving about dark meat, I tried it and am now a die hard convert. I do prefer white still in salads.