# What is the organ in chicken thighs? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 14, 2008, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-organ-in-chicken-thighs/472778 "2008-11-14T21:58:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-organ-in-chicken-thighs/472778/21 "2008-11-15T00:37:53Z")
> [@Pullet](#): > > What you saw is a kidney. The kidneys in birds are much longer, proportionally, than they are in humans, and they sit in pockets right along the inside of the pelvis, along either side of the spine. > > You should trust your relatives more 😉 Well, it’s a good thing I kept my skepticism to myself, then. No need to apologize. In my defense, my Mom thinks that drinking soda will make your sweat sticky, among other things. Hey, **puddleglum**. It’s a kidney! And you’re right, they taste yummy. ---
**Author:** ![hellpaso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecae2f/32.png) [@hellpaso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hellpaso)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-organ-in-chicken-thighs/472778/22 "2008-11-15T00:39:14Z")
OMG–I just quoted a response by “Pullet”. Of course you would know!! So do you just peck at the keyboard?😃 ---
**Author:** ![Szlater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Szlater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Szlater)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-organ-in-chicken-thighs/472778/23 "2008-11-15T00:42:49Z")
> [@hellpaso](#): > > That’s interesting to know–for whatever reason, I remember them being called “lights” in my family. “Lights” in terms of meat, usually refers to lungs. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Dave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/46a35a/32.png) [@Great\_Dave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Dave)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-organ-in-chicken-thighs/472778/24 "2008-11-15T01:02:56Z")
> [@Pullet](#): > > **Mangetout:** > I’m 80% sure the oysters are remnant glutteal muscles. The location matches with other mammals, and their function (extending the hip) would explain why they are dark meat. (Chickens spend most of their time standing, so they need muscle with lots of myoglobin to provide a long-term oxygen supply. Myoglobin makes the muscle dark. Conversely, chickens don’t spend a lot of time flying, so their breast muscles don’t have myoglobin and are therefore white in color. Ducks, by comparision, have dark meat on their breasts and white meat in their legs.) Did Pullet just call chickens mammals?? ---
**Author:** ![Szlater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Szlater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Szlater)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-organ-in-chicken-thighs/472778/25 "2008-11-15T01:05:05Z")
> [@Great\_Dave](#): > > Did Pullet just call chickens mammals?? Yes! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-organ-in-chicken-thighs/472778/26 "2008-11-15T03:53:48Z")
I’m going to go with the oyster as well. You can see one being removed and savored 6:30 into [this scene](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4SJD-DWM1A&feature=related) from the lovely film [AmĂ©lie](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0211915/). My wife and I buy roasted chickens from our local market (at $3.99 for an already cooked bird, it makes no sense to roast your own). She’s a perfectly fine cook, but I’m the one who always cuts the chicken up. I don’t insist on it, but it seems to be my responsibility. But it means I get the oysters. Yum! ---
**Author:** ![Szlater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Szlater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Szlater)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-organ-in-chicken-thighs/472778/27 "2008-11-15T04:09:23Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > at $3.99 for an already cooked bird, it makes no sense to roast your own How well do you think those chickens were treated for them to be cheap enough that a shop could turn a profit at that price? ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-organ-in-chicken-thighs/472778/28 "2008-11-15T04:34:06Z")
It’s the kidneys tucked under the bottom ribs. So nicely crusted and a nugget to extract from its bed. You must like bottom of the bucket chicken
 The Colonel doesn’t even do kidneys. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-organ-in-chicken-thighs/472778.md?page=1)