White or dark meat?

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I like both! I think different cooking techniques and flavor combinations work best with certain cuts though. For example, I like my Chicken Parmesean with breaded/pan-fried butterflied breasts while I love making a homemade gravy loaded with hunks of dark meat over mashed taters. For a chicken sandwich, again, I like butterflied breasts grilled/sauteed - but for many hot n' spicy stir-fry dishes I like dark meat.

I usully buy whole birds, debone the breast and thighs, then use the body/wings/drumsticks/giblets (excluding liver) for stock. An exception would be when I quarter the bird for roast chicken.
 
For a long time I was strictly a "boneless-skinless chicken breast and nothing else" person. All my former impression about dark meat was being of weird spongy texture, oily, with an unpleasant strange smell.
Cristiano was always in disagreement with my observation, and when we were at an Indian restaurant one time, I tried a Tandoori which was made with thigh meats. It was really flavourful, good firm but tender texture, not at all spongy. I really liked it. Then Cristiano pointed out, that probably all my bad experience with dark meats are from eating those badly raised/fattened chicken a la KFC, and the meat from chickens that had been healthily cared for are of much higher quality.
So Cris got more thighs from a butcher with good reputation, and made a roast, and yes indeed, it was bursting with flavour with pleasant texture.
So by now I figured out, it all depends on the quality of the meat. If it comes from a good source, dark meat can be also very tasty.
 
VeraBlue said:
I never tell anyone about the oysters in the back...there are only two..and if I say anything, everyone will want one:-p


I agree 100%! Sharing is very overrated.

Just tell them it's dark meat and they'll leave you alone.
 
kitchenelf said:
My first pick would be the dark meat - then it would be bone-in white - then if it's boneless skinless I prefer it pounded out as in a marsala dish.

My favorite all-time part is the oysters on the back, which are dark.

All the above. Although, I used to be a dipped and dyed dark meat eater until the last couple of years. I've been coming around to eating white meat a variety of ways and am enjoying it.

Oh, and, yes...the oysters. Love those tasty little morsels. The only oysters I'll eat and could make a pig of myself. Someone should develop poultry that produces multiple oysters. Yum!
 
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