# Frozen dinners: why all the chicken? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 4, 2013, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-dinners-why-all-the-chicken/646111 "2013-01-04T23:04:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Neidhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Neidhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neidhart)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2013, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-dinners-why-all-the-chicken/646111/1 "2013-01-04T23:04:20Z")
I eat a lot of frozen dinners, and I can’t help but noticing that if a dish has meat in it, at least 3/4 of the time it will be chicken. This is especially prevalent with Smart Ones and Lean Cuisine. You see beef and shrimp occasionally, but pork is only seen as an ingredient in meatballs or sausage in pasta dishes, and lamb or veal are conspicuous by their absence. It gets kind of boring having so little choice if you don’t care for chicken that much. Does it just withstand freezing better, is it cheaper, or both? ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2013, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-dinners-why-all-the-chicken/646111/2 "2013-01-04T23:08:57Z")
It’s cheap and most people like it. It can also be incorporated into almost any type of dish. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2013, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-dinners-why-all-the-chicken/646111/3 "2013-01-04T23:11:28Z")
Both. It freezes well in any form, and it’s inexpensive. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2013, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-dinners-why-all-the-chicken/646111/4 "2013-01-04T23:18:29Z")
Plus with Smart Ones and Lean Cuisine, chicken is a low fat protein unlike many beef or pork cuts. ---
**Author:** ![Michael63129](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2013, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-dinners-why-all-the-chicken/646111/5 "2013-01-04T23:24:14Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Plus with Smart Ones and Lean Cuisine, chicken is a low fat protein unlike many beef or pork cuts. Beef can be low-fat; at least, in the soups I like to eat (beef and vegetable), they have only 1-2 grams of fat per serving (around 100-150 calories) and up to 10 grams of protein with plenty of meat (not just a few small pieces). Chicken can be pretty high in fat too if you don’t remove the skin. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2013, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-dinners-why-all-the-chicken/646111/6 "2013-01-04T23:29:46Z")
> [@Michael63129](#): > > Beef can be low-fat; at least, in the soups I like to eat (beef and vegetable), they have only 1-2 grams of fat per serving (around 100-150 calories) and up to 10 grams of protein with plenty of meat (not just a few small pieces). Chicken can be pretty high in fat too if you don’t remove the skin. But remember these are American consumers here. If you go up to 100 dieters and ask them: Which of these meats are low fat? beef, chicken or pork; most would pick chicken. It’s a marketing thing. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2013, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-dinners-why-all-the-chicken/646111/7 "2013-01-04T23:34:04Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > But remember these are American consumers here. If you go up to 100 dieters and ask them: Which of these meats are low fat? beef, chicken or pork; most would pick chicken. > > It’s a marketing thing. But I also think it’s a cost issue, too. Chicken is a lot cheaper than pork and beef where I’m at. Going for boneless, skinless, lean cuts, we’re looking at something like $1.79 a pound for chicken breasts, $2.49 or so for pork loin, and the cheapest lean beef will be about $4-$5/lb, and we’re talking shitty cuts like eye of round. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2013, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-dinners-why-all-the-chicken/646111/8 "2013-01-04T23:38:23Z")
It’s a floor wax and a dessert topping. People definitely believe chicken is low fat, but it also has the advantage of being lower in cost. It’s not just frozen food, restaurant menus have a lot more chicken dishes then they used to, for both reasons, popular belief that you can’t gain weight eating chicken, and it costs less (for the restaurant, the consumer may be getting a better deal from other meats when comparing the price of the dish to its ingredients. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2013, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-dinners-why-all-the-chicken/646111/9 "2013-01-05T10:39:07Z")
Chicken also has a mild flavor that mixes well with other flavors - at least if we’re talking about the mass-produced chicken that we’re definitely talking about here. So it’s at least three things: chicken is cheap, it has a healthy reputation, and you can pour a wide variety of spices and sauces over it and call it a new dish. ---
**Author:** ![FuzzyOgre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@FuzzyOgre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FuzzyOgre)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2013, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-dinners-why-all-the-chicken/646111/10 "2013-01-05T13:42:51Z")
You also never see pork used in pet food. My cat loves the stuff, and I have to give him a nibble if I am preparing it. He is not interested in any food but his own, unless it is pork. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2013, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-dinners-why-all-the-chicken/646111/11 "2013-01-05T14:51:56Z")
frozen dinners are small you could never fit a cow or pig in there. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2013, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-dinners-why-all-the-chicken/646111/12 "2013-01-05T16:48:29Z")
[joke answer] That way, they can use any animal they have handy, as long as it “tastes like chicken.” [/joke answer] ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2013, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-dinners-why-all-the-chicken/646111/13 "2013-01-05T16:58:16Z")
> [@Michael63129](#): > > Beef can be low-fat; at least, in the soups I like to eat (beef and vegetable), they have only 1-2 grams of fat per serving (around 100-150 calories) and up to 10 grams of protein with plenty of meat (not just a few small pieces). Chicken can be pretty high in fat too if you don’t remove the skin. The cuts that are leaner tend to be more expensive. For example, ground meat, nothing fancy. The cheaper options are around 20- 30% fat. To get to the leaner options, that have 10% or less of fat, may cost you a dollar or more than the cheaper, fattier version. In comparison, boneless, skinless, chicken thighs (which are cheaper generally than chicken breasts) can give you more amount of meat for less money (on a per pound basis). ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2013, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-dinners-why-all-the-chicken/646111/14 "2013-01-05T21:03:28Z")
Try Swanson’s “Hungry Man Dinners.” Many contain beef or pork, and not all the pasta that many frozen meals have these days. For carbs, they use mashed potatos. ---
**Author:** ![Amblydoper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@Amblydoper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amblydoper)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-dinners-why-all-the-chicken/646111/15 "2013-01-06T02:11:45Z")
> [@KarlGrenze](#): > > The cuts that are leaner tend to be more expensive. For example, ground meat, nothing fancy. The cheaper options are around 20- 30% fat. To get to the leaner options, that have 10% or less of fat, may cost you a dollar or more than the cheaper, fattier version. In comparison, boneless, skinless, chicken thighs (which are cheaper generally than chicken breasts) can give you more amount of meat for less money (on a per pound basis). This is not correct. The cost of meat is not dependent on its fat content. Compare flank steak to ribeye. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-dinners-why-all-the-chicken/646111/16 "2013-01-06T02:57:43Z")
Chicken is cheap and abundant. Plus, like Homer Simpsons said, some people don’t eat beef, some people don’t eat pork, but we all eat chicken ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-dinners-why-all-the-chicken/646111/17 "2013-01-06T13:07:51Z")
Food thread moved from General Questions to Cafe Society. **samclem** , moderator ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-dinners-why-all-the-chicken/646111/18 "2013-01-06T13:34:14Z")
> [@Amblydoper](#): > > This is not correct. The cost of meat is not dependent on its fat content. Compare flank steak to ribeye. It is for the specific cut that I mentioned above. And ground beef, being what it is, is one of the cheapest cuts of beef already. Most other cuts that I’ve seen are more expensive than ground beef (unless there is a special). ---
**Author:** ![midnight-dreary](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@midnight-dreary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/midnight-dreary)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-dinners-why-all-the-chicken/646111/19 "2013-01-06T13:58:45Z")
Also, in my opinion, chicken freezes better than beef or pork. ---
**Author:** ![tanstaafl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@tanstaafl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanstaafl)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-dinners-why-all-the-chicken/646111/20 "2013-01-06T19:56:21Z")
In addition to already mentioned reasons, followers of some religions are prohibited from eating pork. Including that as an option just limits your number of customers. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-dinners-why-all-the-chicken/646111.md?page=2)