# If boneless chicken breasts were cheaper than boneless chicken thighs, why would one buy the thighs? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 23, 2019, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-boneless-chicken-breasts-were-cheaper-than-boneless-chicken-thighs-why-would-one-buy-the-thighs/840705 "2019-09-23T15:39:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![tullsterx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tullsterx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tullsterx)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-boneless-chicken-breasts-were-cheaper-than-boneless-chicken-thighs-why-would-one-buy-the-thighs/840705/21 "2019-09-23T16:34:43Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > Um, thighs taste better? I don’t like breast meat, and really only eat thighs, legs and wings if I have the choice. This. Definitely. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-boneless-chicken-breasts-were-cheaper-than-boneless-chicken-thighs-why-would-one-buy-the-thighs/840705/22 "2019-09-23T16:35:41Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > To each his own. I prefer chicken breast meat to thigh meat, same thing goes for turkey. I also prefer strip steaks to ribeye steaks, so there. Clearly the rest of us are addicted to fatty foods. You’ll outlive us all by twenty years. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-boneless-chicken-breasts-were-cheaper-than-boneless-chicken-thighs-why-would-one-buy-the-thighs/840705/23 "2019-09-23T17:08:05Z")
Breasts can taste good; you just need to flavor them up more. The big thing with chicken breast is that it is neutral and thus goes with everything. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-boneless-chicken-breasts-were-cheaper-than-boneless-chicken-thighs-why-would-one-buy-the-thighs/840705/24 "2019-09-23T17:24:24Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Breasts can taste good; you just need to flavor them up more. The big thing with chicken breast is that it is neutral and thus goes with everything. That’s my thinking. I’d rather eat thighs if I’m eating “a piece of chicken” but breasts are good for chicken dishes where they’re used as an ingredient. And sandwiches. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-boneless-chicken-breasts-were-cheaper-than-boneless-chicken-thighs-why-would-one-buy-the-thighs/840705/25 "2019-09-23T17:32:09Z")
> [@D18](#): > > Yesterday at Costco, boneless chicken breasts were a dollar cheaper per kilogram than boneless chicken thighs. They had a big coffin fridge full of each, so obviously thought they would both sell well. I would have thought the only reason to buy chicken thighs over breasts would be to save money; so under these circumstances, why would one buy the thighs? because they actually taste better. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-boneless-chicken-breasts-were-cheaper-than-boneless-chicken-thighs-why-would-one-buy-the-thighs/840705/26 "2019-09-23T18:12:58Z")
Like most of you, I like thighs better because they’re tastier. But occasionally I like to cook up chicken breasts. I find that if you slice them in two flatwise, pound them a little, and cook them until barely done over low heat, they’re way moister and tastier. Then you can make a flavorful pan sauce in the skillet and further moisten the chicken breast cutlets. But thighs are still best. You can roast them, grill them, fry them, or stew them, and they always come out yummy. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-boneless-chicken-breasts-were-cheaper-than-boneless-chicken-thighs-why-would-one-buy-the-thighs/840705/27 "2019-09-23T18:29:15Z")
I’ll use breasts if I’m making things like chicken cacciatore or paprikash. But first, I’ll simmer them in water with skin on, let them cool, and then cut them up. The broth can go into the sauce, and the skins I fry until they’re extra-crispy. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2019, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-boneless-chicken-breasts-were-cheaper-than-boneless-chicken-thighs-why-would-one-buy-the-thighs/840705/28 "2019-09-24T01:59:27Z")
> [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > Chicken breasts are often dry, no matter who cooks them. I do boneless skinless chicken breast in sous vide, the restrained controlled temp cooking keep them moister. I like to pull it and use it for chicken salad, tacos, stuff like that. For a while during chemo, I needed the protein but anything strongly flavored made me vomit. ---
**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:** [September 24, 2019, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-boneless-chicken-breasts-were-cheaper-than-boneless-chicken-thighs-why-would-one-buy-the-thighs/840705/29 "2019-09-24T02:04:04Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > I’ll use breasts if I’m making things like chicken cacciatore or paprikash. Say what???!?!?! No, paprikash calls for dark meat! I mean, whole chicken, to be sure, but if you’re choosing one or the other, it’s the dark meat! I never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever make paprikash with white meat only. Never. Ever. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2019, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-boneless-chicken-breasts-were-cheaper-than-boneless-chicken-thighs-why-would-one-buy-the-thighs/840705/30 "2019-09-24T02:05:23Z")
In America, the more bland food will always be the more popular. But that doesn’t mean that _everyone_ prefers bland food. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2019, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-boneless-chicken-breasts-were-cheaper-than-boneless-chicken-thighs-why-would-one-buy-the-thighs/840705/31 "2019-09-24T02:11:31Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Say what???!?!?! No, paprikash calls for dark meat! I mean, whole chicken, to be sure, but if you’re choosing one or the other, it’s the dark meat! I never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever make paprikash with white meat only. Never. Ever. Of course I use the whole chicken. It’s just that I seldom use breasts for anything else (maybe chicken salad, or in a stir-fry). ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2019, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-boneless-chicken-breasts-were-cheaper-than-boneless-chicken-thighs-why-would-one-buy-the-thighs/840705/32 "2019-09-24T12:22:28Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > To each his own. I prefer chicken breast meat to thigh meat, same thing goes for turkey. I also prefer strip steaks to ribeye steaks, so there. I’m with you. When I roast a chicken, we eat the white meat. I debone the rest of the bird, and that meat goes to the dogs. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2019, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-boneless-chicken-breasts-were-cheaper-than-boneless-chicken-thighs-why-would-one-buy-the-thighs/840705/33 "2019-09-24T12:30:06Z")
Cool. I agree, BTW, that the thigh meat tastes different. I just wouldn’t call it better. It’s just greasier IMO, not better. Sure, breast meat is easier to overcook and make dry. No argument there. ---
**Author:** ![LVBoPeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/858c86/32.png) [@LVBoPeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LVBoPeep)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2019, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-boneless-chicken-breasts-were-cheaper-than-boneless-chicken-thighs-why-would-one-buy-the-thighs/840705/34 "2019-09-24T12:47:30Z")
I’m also on team thigh- especially boneless, skinless ones. They are flavorful and practically indestructible for cooking- you have to pretty lax to let a thigh overcook. I love them in my air fryer or sheet pan type meals. Breasts are good when pounded out and breaded or for lighter stir frys where you can cook quickly and not have to worry about under cooking them. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2019, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-boneless-chicken-breasts-were-cheaper-than-boneless-chicken-thighs-why-would-one-buy-the-thighs/840705/35 "2019-09-24T12:59:36Z")
> [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > Chicken breasts are often dry, no matter who cooks them. True, by themselves. Roasting a whole chicken per the recipe in Cooks Illustrated, breast meat often comes off the bird rich and juicy. I think breast are easier than thighs to pound flat, for recipes like saltimbocca, or any ‘roll the chicken around a dollop of something and bake it’ recipe. EDIT: What LVBoPeep said, above. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2019, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-boneless-chicken-breasts-were-cheaper-than-boneless-chicken-thighs-why-would-one-buy-the-thighs/840705/36 "2019-09-24T13:12:01Z")
Chunks of breast meat in chicken soup, for example, is usually flavorless with a weird chewy texture ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2019, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-boneless-chicken-breasts-were-cheaper-than-boneless-chicken-thighs-why-would-one-buy-the-thighs/840705/37 "2019-09-24T13:36:51Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Chunks of breast meat in chicken soup, for example, is usually flavorless with a weird chewy texture This is true. It’s why I always shred rather than use a knife. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2019, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-boneless-chicken-breasts-were-cheaper-than-boneless-chicken-thighs-why-would-one-buy-the-thighs/840705/38 "2019-09-24T13:40:03Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > In America, the more bland food will always be the more popular. But that doesn’t mean that _everyone_ prefers bland food. I think it is the same in the UK for some reason, plenty of people are drawn to the bland but that just leaves more for the rest of us. Thighs are less popular than breast but are far superior in far more circumstances. The same is true of fish. Cod has its uses but a meatier, firmer bream or gurnard is both cheaper and tastier to my mind. My tip? if you need thighs sliced for a recipe (fajitas perhaps?) griddle them whole on a very hot hot-plate first, (coated with your salt and spices preferably) then let them rest a bit, then slice them and use them. Much juicier and a better overall ratio of coating/meat than if they were sliced up raw and coated. ---
**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:** [September 24, 2019, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-boneless-chicken-breasts-were-cheaper-than-boneless-chicken-thighs-why-would-one-buy-the-thighs/840705/39 "2019-09-24T14:12:32Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > I think breast are easier than thighs to pound flat, for recipes like saltimbocca, or any ‘roll the chicken around a dollop of something and bake it’ recipe. Yeah, it’s certainly not that I don’t use breast meat. For stuff like chicken schnitzel, breast works better, and for quick stir fries, I tend to use breast, or “chicken tenderloins” as well. It’s like the tofu of meats, I guess, except that you have to be careful not to overcook. For chicken sandwiches and nuggets and stuff like that, I’ve tried both, and I find thigh far superior, as far as my tastes are concerned, for both. And my finicky 3- and 5-year-old also prefer the thigh in the nuggets application. For chicken salads, though, I prefer the blander and leaner breast meat. Once again, going with the whole “tofu” concept of taking on the flavors of everything around it. It’s just a gratuitous protein for me in that context. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2019, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-boneless-chicken-breasts-were-cheaper-than-boneless-chicken-thighs-why-would-one-buy-the-thighs/840705/40 "2019-09-24T14:25:15Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Yeah, it’s certainly not that I don’t use breast meat. For stuff like chicken schnitzel, breast works better, and for quick stir fries, I tend to use breast, or “chicken tenderloins” as well. It’s like the tofu of meats, I guess, except that you have to be careful not to overcook. > > For chicken sandwiches and nuggets and stuff like that, I’ve tried both, and I find thigh far superior, as far as my tastes are concerned, for both. And my finicky 3- and 5-year-old also prefer the thigh in the nuggets application. For chicken salads, though, I prefer the blander and leaner breast meat. Once again, going with the whole “tofu” concept of taking on the flavors of everything around it. It’s just a gratuitous protein for me in that context. Tofu of meat is a great way to put it. My girlfriend doesn’t like a lot of fat or “squiggly bits” in meat, so I end up cooking breasts more than thighs if I’m cooking parts by themselves. I’m often finishing the meat with stock, so I avoid most of the dryness issues. Still, I find it tough to get them to brown adequately, without using “too much fat”, yet not drying out the interior of the meat. Weirdly, she likes the added flavor of dark meat, just not the texture. I’ve not tried making nuggets or chicken sandwiches from thighs, but that sounds like an absolutely delicious idea. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-boneless-chicken-breasts-were-cheaper-than-boneless-chicken-thighs-why-would-one-buy-the-thighs/840705.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-boneless-chicken-breasts-were-cheaper-than-boneless-chicken-thighs-why-would-one-buy-the-thighs/840705.md?page=3)