While I was in the car this afternoon, I remembered eating lunch out with friends. I think it was a salad, but maybe a sandwich, with a totally inedible chicken breast fillet. Not exactly rubbery or woody, but I can see how it might be what those are meant to convey. It was like a totally different, non-food substance. Not big, either. Tough because it's big organic chicken is perfectly normal, edible chicken, but old, like it would be happy in a stew or braise. Bumblebeez is right. They can't give them those growth stimulators if they're organic. They have to choose bigger breeds and let them eat for another few weeks. :)

Just to clarify some terms and beliefs about chicken. All meat chicken are Cornish Rock crosses. They are bred to put on weight fast. No growth hormones are permitted in any chicken raised in the US, so when Perdue claims "No growth hormones," it's just a marketing ploy. Cornish/Rock cross is used for fully industrial birds, organic birds and non organic raised to give them slightly more room per bird in the chicken house.

Also, NO meat birds (organic or otherwise) are or can be "free range." They put on weight so fast that they can hardly walk and never leave the hen house-- and they are processed when about 6 weeks old. (This is not true of layers--they can and should be free range.) The only birds I am aware of that are actually outside, have access to insects and live on clean grass, are those raised in the system called Pastured poultry, a technique developed by brilliant farming maverick Joel Salatin, in which the birds live in low, floorless cages which the farmer moves daily, with the birds waddling along inside, to a clean patch of pasture. (I was involved with growing, processing and selling these birds in the late 90s and early 2000 when it was a relatively new farming technique. I still buy my chicken from a young couple who grow Pastured Poultry--about an hour drive from my home.)

I avoid commercially raised chicken completely.

Annie, you are right about the calories but crispy pork fat is my kryptonite so a roasted pork loin has too much temptation! Same with a rotisserie chicken, I'll eat the wings and skin like a starving person.

I flash pan seared organic breasts last night, and they were tiny! Tasty and tender too.

Rubbery and sometimes enormous! I switched long ago and generally use chicken tenders when all I want is the breast/white meat. Much easier to pound too. :)

I haven’t had this problem. Lately I have been buying bone-in, skin on whole chicken breasts deboning them myself. I use a flexible boning knife and it’s very easy and fast. I give the (chopped) skin and bones to my opossums.

I hydrate the now skinless, fatless and boneless chicken breast cutlets and/or 1.5” to 2” pieces in fresh cool water for about 25 minutes, drain, pat dry and cook them. Very tender. I use no batter. Sometimes I pan cook the cutlets. The large dice pieces I use in wok “fry” (only a little oil) such as kung pao or curry.

While the thighs have more of a certain flavor profile, it require more time to painstakingly remove all the fat and sinew. The meat itself is higher in fat (which don’t want).

with the hydrating technique, I’ve enjoyed a lot of melt-in-your-mouth flavorful chicken.

I LOVE Pork and it is versatile. I love the fat, but choose to avoid it. I also love spring lamb. Seldom eat it as it is pricey and fatty. I used to make my recipe for ~ Middle Eastern shawarma grilled outdoors. I make a marinade/dressing with yogurt, oil, spices and herbs. It makes a delicious pita sandwich when combined with a salad. I haven’t made it for a while ;-(

A suggestion and a question.

Suggestion: print a copy of the wood breast article and bring it, along with the inedible breast, to return said meat to the grocer. If they won't refund your money, send article plus complaint to the company. You'll probably get a refund, eventually.

Question: can anyone suggest a recipe that really shows off the difference in flavor between an expensive organic/free/etc bird and a cheap monster-size/factory bird? I'd like to make the same dish with one bird of each type and serve both to the family and see if they notice the difference.

Interesting article on "woody breast" -- it lead me to this one HERE. And interesting background on pastured chicken, as well. It seems with the suspected cause being related to genetics, that it really comes down to how well the resulting tough breast meat is screened (which could be correlated to price).

Maybe try roasting the 2 types of chicken seasoned only with salt and pepper?

I was going to say what Carol said. Roasted is a good leveller.

Another vote for roasted.

Yes, Islay Corbel, but we don't have volaille de Bresse here.

For best fresh (live) seafood, go to France or go to a Chinese restaurant.

For best chicken, also France or go to a Chinese restaurant.

dcarch

Thanks for all the responses, this is so interesting that it’s such an acknowledged issue in the industry. I might try organic brands, etc. to look for more consistency. Higher price is cheaper than giving to the dog. I’m reminded of one brand that I can occasionally buy in bulk on sale; that I’ve always found good. Maybe I can get it there at regular price, too, worth a shot. (It’s a butcher that sells both retail and wholesale.)

I'll roast then cut up. I want this to be a blind test and it is too obvious which bird is which if they are whole. Like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny Devito. But if you diced them into cubes, the taste testers could do a single blind cannibal comparo.

I would just like to add again, that it is not the organicness of the ration that makes the difference in the quality/taste of the bird, it is the production method. You are not likely to find much difference in taste between organic and full industrial, but you most certainly will between pastured birds (which are usually NOT technically organic) and conventional organic and/or industrial.

IMPE, there is often a taste difference in the meat. Organic tends to have better flavor - again, IMPE.

I don't agree, Laceyvail. Regular free range organic and pasture bred from the same grower do tast different, but not hugely so, whereas both are seriously different from the big industrial stuff. There aren't many foods I find a big difference in organic, other than if they're not cheating the fact that it supports sustainable practices, but chicken and strawberries, both of which we've been discussing, are two where it makes a big difference in taste and texture. I'm sure you're right that it's the way they're bred and grown that makes the difference rather than the kind of pesticides used, but the differences do go along with the label.

"You are not likely to find much difference in taste between organic and full industrial, ..."

I also cannot wrap my head around that one. The whole point of this thread is inedible chicken. The woody stuff.

If industrial/caged/stuffed in cages is ONE and pasture raised is TEN, then the 2-9 in-between has a bit of play. Organic on the higher scale 8-9 will be far superior than the 2-3 closer to industrial. So many variables in an educated choice.

Really no way to fairly test side-by-side. Different fat content and thickness. Water content will affect the cooking time. SousVide maybe.

We used to, a few years ago, get chickens which weren't "organic" because their feed wasn't so tightly controlled. They were free range, as in could walk in and out and peck if they wanted to (I have no illusions about picturebook farmyards--I've seen the real pictures--they live in sheds with enclosed yards they can go in and out of). They ate some bugs. Mostly they ate corn, IIRC, grain anyway, but they tasted better than the officially organic ones. I always figured it was the bugs. :)

Maybe I should dice Arnold and Danny before the slow braise.

I think you should roast them whole. Braising means liquid which will alter the taste.

It is a defense mechanism. The gallus gallus domesticus is evolving to become a less desirable foodstuff for humanity. Preservation of the species ...

Dave, maybe you're right, but truthfully, if they were bigger, the chickens would eat US, they'll eat nearly anything, they are omnivores. That's why I smile when someone asks me if I feed my chickens vegetarian feed. They go outside, it's not like they aren't going to eat bugs, LOL.

Mine do have an outside fenced enclosure, with a netted top, but they do get moved from spot to spot to have fresh grass and I let them out only when I can "babysit". I had too many chickens become dinner for the neighbor's dogs, for the owl that lives in the barn, for marauding raccoons. For their own defense, they had to become "pastured" rather than "free range". They do love being allowed into the garden, though....

I think chicken is a little bland, truthfully, and by the time it's sauced up with lemon or a bunch of garlic, who can tell? But I like to think that my chickens who get to wander about and eat bugs, weeds, grass and garden produce taste better than the "organic" chickens who still just sit inside a barn and get fed organic food, but never actually go outside and eat a tomato worm. Of course, I think the eggs from the pastured hens taste better than those pale yellow grocery store eggs too, and others disagree with me. Heck, my own brother won't eat a brown egg because it tastes different than a white egg. Yeah, I keep telling him it's not brown vs white it's commercial vs home raised but he doesn't believe me.

Annie

For me the difference between a chicken that has been running about and one that has been stuck inside is this. The running hird will have a thicker skin which will crisp up beautifully when roasted and the meat will be firm and tasty as opposed to the meat that is insipid and falls off as there's no real substance or muscle.

Anyone else having chicken breast issues?

My nice laying hens have small breasts, which they do not find uncomfortable, nor need bras to contain.

The rooster seems not to mind.

;)

LOL at the brown vs. white flavor!

Yeah, I have some blue and green egg layers too, he won't even try those. (grin) And, of course, he won't eat any colored tomato except red. He's not very interesting (or adventurous!).

Annie

(Edited to add DD's comment and SWMBO's revised comment)

I went to Fred Meyers, a moderately upscale grocery store, because I wanted to buy the two birds in the same store, and Whole Foods doesn't have factory birds while the cheaper stores don't have organic birds).

There I bought two chickens. One was the standard Foster Farms chicken, $1.70/lb. The other was an "organic, free range" chicken, but not any particular brand that I've heard of, $2.70/lb. Both weighed about 5.5 lb. I spatchcocked them, sprinkled lightly with salt, and roasted at 400F until the breast was about 165F. Very plain, boring preparation; I'm not bragging about the culinary aspect of this!

Then I cut slices of breast and fed them to DS and SWMBO.

DS thought one tasted a little "eggy", he couldn't explain what he meant, that was the organic free-range chicken. SWMBO thought the organic chicken was moister.

I tasted the breasts and didn't notice any meaningful difference; the organic free-range piece was a tiny bit moister but no actual flavor difference.

DD came home and I fed her the two brests, diced. She said the chicken in the blue bowl tasted more "chickeny", that was the organic bird, and the chicken in the red bowl tasted more "diluted", that was the Foster Farms bird.

Note that I don't know if comparing two Foster Farms birds or two organic birds would have resulted in greater or lesser difference.

We weren't doing an elaborate tasting ceremony, but this probably represents about as much palate and attention as we normally bring to an average dinner.

I will repeat this test with a more expensive, fancier organic bird, if I can find a Mary's or a pasture raised heritage or similar, and a crappier factory bird, if I can find something more pedestrian quality than Foster Farms.

Here are the birds before roasting. Organic has twine tied around the left leg (the chicken's left), factory has twine tied around the right leg.

Here are the birds after roasting. I confess I basted with melted butter and hit the torch just a bit, because I couldn't help myself, the roasted birds looked just too boring.

Oh, as you can see from the photos, there wasn't any real difference in body shape. They were both equally rotund and the breasts were about equal sized. The organic free range bird was a little yellower and had slightly more subcutaneous fat.

A friend sent me this https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4838835/

I have not read it thoroughly - there are many terms I don't recognize - but it seems to be saying there are indeed some nutritional differences between organic and conventional meat.

Nice test. FWIW, I would agree with your daughter that in my non-blind taste the "better" flavor of the organic free range is "chickenyness". It's not a huge deal, but makes all the difference. I see nothing wrong with making the chickens look appetizing! That shouldn't affect the breast meat. :)

I seldom buy breast, but yesterday I did and cooked them. OMG, I just made a sandwich from one that I sliced in half and it's like eating a boot! I have never in my life had tough breast meat....dry...YES, but this is the texture of eating a chuck steak cooked on the grill. I mean it is so tough, you can hardly chew it. GAH! So disappointing! I will probably just dice it up really small and throw it in the freezer to add to soup or something like that.

Of the commercially available organic chickens, the only one where I see a really different flavor is Trader Joes. Those are a bit gamy, kind of sagey tasting to me, so I don't buy them. I'm guessing it has to do with what they're fed.

But locally, I surely cannot buy organic free-range chicken for anything anywhere near $2.70 a lb. A friend recently splurged on a small local chicken and I asked him how it was. "I think it was probably pretty good," he said, "but I just couldn't stop thinking about how I'd paid $20 for a chicken."

LOL ARgirl, for better or for worse you now know what we’re talking about. I keep trying to think of a better way than “woody” or “rubbery” to describe it. There’s got to be some form of packing material that comes close. I’m trying to remember if you actually hear your teeth squeaking through it or if it just seems like you should.

John, sometimes you remind me of me. Great experiment. Your results don’t seem to support the expense of organic for taste alone.

Clarification: if FOAS was including me in the above, I meant that chicken is one of the few places I can taste a difference for organics, not that it was a huge difference, and I usually go for organic more for philosophical reasons (knowing full wall that none are perfect and some cheat).

foodonastump, YES, you can hear your teeth squeaking through it. I think that you would call it "sinewy", or at least if it were a steak you would.

John, I'm still trying to imagine a frozen egg, deep fried. How WAS that, anyway? I'm thinking along the lines of Scotch eggs, without the sausage.

I've read several studies which conclude that organically raised meat has more nutritive value than that which is raised using "conventional" commercial methods. It may be that organically raised animals are also fed more nutritious foodstuffs regularly. If you can't stuff an animal full of Round Up Ready corn or day old white bread, you'll have to find a substitute. Because we are basically eating what that animal ate, more nutritious food SHOULD translate into more nutritious final product, in this case, chicken. At least that's my theory.

Although it's sad, the state of chicken today, I'm relieved to know that I'm not the only one who feels that the texture of a chicken breast leaves something to be desired. Everyone in MY family just shakes their heads and I know they are thinking "there she goes again".

Annie

My personal views after doing this experiment and reading the study I linked.

1. There is a flavor difference between plainly roasted chicken breast at $1.70 and $2.70/lb, that is perceptible to persons with discerning palates (DD is one, I'm maybe not one).

2. Cooking techniques can add far more flavor, for a lot less than $1.00/lb. Brining, herbs, browning, marinades, slow cooking, sauces, etc.

3. The $2.70/lb chicken may be more nutritious. Whether it's $1.00/lb worth of nutrition difference is uncertain in my mind.

4. If money is not an issue, I'll buy the $2.70/lb chicken. And I guess that I shop at Whole Foods enough that I'm sort of making that choice sometimes, even if it is for convenience (Whole Foods is five blocks' walk from my house) rather than consciously for flavor or nutritional reasons. But there are times when money feels like an issue - come talk to me after Tax Day or when I start paying double college tuition next year - and then I am now satisfied that I'm not giving up "too much" flavor or nutrition to save that $1.00/lb.

5. Woody breast though - if I encounter it, I'll take the remains of that chicken back to the store for a refund. It's defective food.

6. I'm now curious to try the Trader Joe's chicken, and I'll still look for the real pastured chicken.

Ask at Whole Foods for the pastured chicken. If they don't have it in the store, they can probably order it for you.

You have to not only think about the meat. What about the life of the chicken? If it's running about outside, scratching about and doing chickeny things, not only is it a happy bird, but it will taste better.

FWIW, the only way I know for sure to cook chicken breasts so they stay nice and moist is from a recipe for chicken salad in my Martha Stewart Quick Cook Book.

You butter a lidded baking dish (I have Pyrex), squeeze some lemon or lime juice (about 1/2 a fruit for 2 large breasts) over the breasts in the dish, salt & pepper them all over, cover and bake @ 350F for 40- 45 minutes, then let cool, covered, and use as desired.

I like to add some ground coriander or fresh rosemary, and tried Old Bay a couple of times as well. It's all good.

P.S. I buy organic with skin and bone.

I grew up in a small Southern chicken farming town so I made the healthy chicken choice back in the 70's.

I did skim a couple articles just curious about 'woody' having never heard of it.

Seems to still be a problem but many factory worker final packagers have developed a fell for the firm 'woodiness' and toss those aside for grinding into sausages and the nugget market.

..."Broiler chickens have been bred to strengthen the genetic markers for large breast meat, and this is thought to be a factor in the development of woody breast in recent years. One indication of this is the Athens Canadian Random Bred, a broiler chicken that has been maintained since the 1950s for research purposes. Lesions indicative of woody breast are found in this heritage breed, but not to the extent of the typical modern broiler chicken. According to Glisson, selecting genes for growth and yield has caused breeders to inadvertently select for woody breast, too."

article here

I do agree with this...

“Whether organics are worth the price difference depends on whether you think it’s important to have food raised with fewer pesticides and no antibiotics. I do,” says Marion Nestle, a U.S. food expert and professor in the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University. “Taste is also personal. I think organic chicken tastes better. It should. They have to be cared for more carefully to survive not being treated with antibiotics.”

article here

Islay, I agree, that is also an issue for me. I'll pay more and just eat less of it, if I know the animals has been well treated and has had a comfortable life and that the slaughter is as humane as it can possibly be. A serving of meat is 3 or 4 ounces anyway, not the huge amounts we consume and it would be far healthier for us if we moved away from the amounts we now consume. (Says the beef farmer. Yeah, I'll go broke with that attitude!)

Annie

I have also done side-by-side taste test and noticed no difference in taste or mouth feel, organic vs regular chicken.

But big difference in true free range v.s. so called cage-free.

I find this video funny: Chinese style free range chicken:

They also feed them with farmed worms:

dcarch

Dcarch, I cracked up watching those chickens fly, many people don't even know that chickens CAN fly. Some of mine are too big and heavy to fly far but we had one small hen that The Princess named Amelia Earhart because.....wait for it.....she always flew. (grin)

Like you, I find a difference in true free range chicken and "cage free" where they just stick a thousand chickens in a barn and they don't go outside or roam about. I also see a big difference in the birds that take longer to mature as opposed to the 7 weeks and in the freezer Cornish X, although the difference is more texture than flavor because the muscles have actually had a chance to develop and get used.

Just like some people don't care for grass fed beef because it tastes "too beefy", the heritage chickens seem stronger and gamier to many people and they don't like that.

Annie

Here is a bit of a follow up to my experience with the tough chicken breast; it was only the one breast that was tough like that. They other three in the package were perfectly normal. Glad I didn't throw them away. I once got some fried chicken breast strips at a fast food restaurant and one of them was very tough and hard, the rest were normal. It totally grossed me out and I lost my appetite...HA! I didn't know what I had bitten into, I had never experienced hard chicken breast meat before. It was disgusting!

Annie, my issue with the heritage or heirloom chickens they have at the local Whole Foods is that they're too big and too breasty, and tend to be tough like any other chicken of the same size. Not like the lovely little chickens we used to get. Remember when thighs and breasts were about the same size? I pine for the days.

Good Gosh Dcarch, you coulda given a gal a warning! I almost fell out of my chair! LOL! Guess I shouldn't have clicked on Full Screen before it started... even the cat ran out of the room...

I've nothing terribly useful to add to the topic. I've eaten tough stringy chicken breast - i.e. woody? Seems to be an on/off thing at the grocery store. And of course sometimes just a preparation issue : ) I can't find true free range here. Guess I'm just chick out of luck, huh? I just want some of John's roasted test chicken : )

I've had all three--conventional and cheap, organic (meaning the feed) and free range, plus pastured. The big difference in taste is for the pastured. One plus about organic that has not been mentioned is they don't get pesticides building up in body fat or tissue. That is rarely tested for, so hard to tell how much difference that makes. We live on modest means, we buy whatever is cheapest on sale, chop it up and season it so much it might as well be tofu, and mix it with other things. It's more of a condiment for us. When we want great taste we'll spring for a pastured chicken from a local farmer.

I had NO idea what to expect after reading the headline of this post.... Not gonna lie, I was ready to feel insulted. And I first had to check if my breasts were chickeny. I mean, I have had problems with goosebumps, a turkey neck, porker thighs but I didn't know I had to worry about issues with chicken breast.

However, I found this all very informative and thank all correspondents for their insights and explanations as to why I don't enjoy chicken breasts anymore.

I just found this thread and it hit home for me. A few months ago, we went to a favorite restaurant and I got the panko crusted chicken breasts. Ate one, it was delish -- took the other one for lunch the next day. Heated it a short time in the mw and ate it at my desk. It was totally rubbery!!! I had to throw it away. I feel like I can't order it ever again because it was so off-putting.