cintinative Posted November 14, 2017 Share Posted November 14, 2017 (edited) I can't seem to find a source of boneless, skinless chicken breasts that does not have this white striping issue. The texture is just weird--kind of gummy/chewy. I have not tried Costco yet, or Fresh Market and places like that. Has anyone found it is better there? Maybe I should splurge on organic? Does anyone know if the bone-in chicken breasts are better? It's getting to where I dread dinner when B/S breasts are involved. FYI. If you have not heard of this here is an article on white striping: http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/food-recipes/news/a42633/chicken-white-striping/ and http://www.businessinsider.com/mysterious-white-stripes-on-chicken-affect-meat-quality-2017-8 Or maybe my problem might be woody breast. ??? like this here: http://www.poultrytimes.com/poultry_today/article_cd6d0284-5ab9-11e7-a8e4-c399c839e7e8.html Edited November 14, 2017 by cintinative Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted November 14, 2017 Share Posted November 14, 2017 Is this a new thing? Because I've recently started noticing it. I've also noticed that the chicken breasts seem to be ridiculously big. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamanthaCarter Posted November 14, 2017 Share Posted November 14, 2017 (edited) Sounds like freezer-burn. ETA: I just read the links. My first thought is that chickens were never meant to be 9 lbs. I haven't encountered it because I get mostly local free range chickens, I think that might avoid the problem? Edited November 14, 2017 by SamanthaCarter 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted November 14, 2017 Share Posted November 14, 2017 I haven't ordered from Zaycon in the last few months, but in the past, the quality has been very good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 14, 2017 Share Posted November 14, 2017 I do know *exactly* what you are talking about and, I’m sorry to report, it is the reason I have not bought them at Costco recently. My temporary fix has been to buy only small quantities. Yesterday I used Perdue chicken breasts that came five indivually-wrapped and not frozen. Those turned out very good; I made a Chicken Marsala with them. These were called something like Fresh Alternatives or something, no antibiotics, no animal by-products in feed. I was planning to stick with this strategy for a while. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corraleno Posted November 14, 2017 Share Posted November 14, 2017 I hadn't heard of this before, but it does explain why the breasts I've bought recently have seemed so tough and chewy! I bought a package of rotisserie breast meat from Costco a couple of weeks ago and ended up giving about half of it to the dog because it was inedible — the term "wooden breast" is pretty accurate. Now that I've read a bit about it, it seems this disease also makes the meat less nutritious, as well as being tough and chewy. Maybe they should stop trying to maximize profits by creating monster chickens and just let them be normal chickens leading normal chicken lives. :thumbdown: 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cintinative Posted November 14, 2017 Author Share Posted November 14, 2017 I do know *exactly* what you are talking about and, I’m sorry to report, it is the reason I have not bought them at Costco recently. My temporary fix has been to buy only small quantities. Yesterday I used Perdue chicken breasts that came five indivually-wrapped and not frozen. Those turned out very good; I made a Chicken Marsala with them. These were called something like Fresh Alternatives or something, no antibiotics, no animal by-products in feed. I was planning to stick with this strategy for a while. UGH. I was really hoping Costco might be a solution. My friend said she just looks at the packages and tries to pick the better ones. That strategy has not worked well for me so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cintinative Posted November 14, 2017 Author Share Posted November 14, 2017 Sounds like freezer-burn. ETA: I just read the links. My first thought is that chickens were never meant to be 9 lbs. I haven't encountered it because I get mostly local free range chickens, I think that might avoid the problem? I have bought chicken breasts and frozen them for years, so this is a relatively recent thing. At first I thought it was just the store I shop at normally, but then I had the same issue at Aldi, and Kroger . . . I think free range chickens would be fine--they think the problem might be related to plumping the chickens up too quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liza Q Posted November 15, 2017 Share Posted November 15, 2017 Wow - I was thinking it was just a local problem! I am off to read the linked articles... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guinevere Posted November 15, 2017 Share Posted November 15, 2017 I've noticed this problem, too. So frustrating. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephanier.1765 Posted November 15, 2017 Share Posted November 15, 2017 To be quite honest, that white stripe sure made going vegan much easier. I've always been grossed out by raw meat but to have something new and weird in the raw meat just freaks me out more. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted November 15, 2017 Share Posted November 15, 2017 I haven't noticed this, but we primarily buy chicken tenders at Sam's club. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestavern Posted November 15, 2017 Share Posted November 15, 2017 That's disgusting. I haven't come across anything like that. I try to always buy organic; not sure if that's the difference? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corraleno Posted November 15, 2017 Share Posted November 15, 2017 I think free range chickens would be fine--they think the problem might be related to plumping the chickens up too quickly. If you have a Trader Joe's near you, I haven't had any problem so far with their organic free-range breasts, which are a lot smaller than the Costco ones. Their whole organic free-range chickens are good, too, although they are naturally a little less tender than a typical grocery store chicken (probably because they actually get to walk around a little), but it's nothing like the "wooden" texture of the Costco breasts. The TJ's chickens have a more flavor, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cintinative Posted November 15, 2017 Author Share Posted November 15, 2017 That's disgusting. I haven't come across anything like that. I try to always buy organic; not sure if that's the difference? I am wondering if I switch to organic if I will be spared this. Or maybe i should just buy whole chickens and butcher them. I haven't noticed this problem with whole chickens. My butchering skills are pretty pathetic though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted November 15, 2017 Share Posted November 15, 2017 I am wondering if I switch to organic if I will be spared this. Or maybe i should just buy whole chickens and butcher them. I haven't noticed this problem with whole chickens. My butchering skills are pretty pathetic though. We buy mostly whole chx and I have not noticed this. The taste and texture of the pastured chx I buy sometimes is great. I always make stock from those chx! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aura Posted November 15, 2017 Share Posted November 15, 2017 Learn something new every day.... :sad: Thanks for sharing those links. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MooCow Posted November 15, 2017 Share Posted November 15, 2017 It's very prevalent in family packs, and pretty consistent no matter where you shop. Last weekend I bought a small chicken breast package and could not believe how great it was-The taste, the color everything. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wendy not in HI Posted November 15, 2017 Share Posted November 15, 2017 I am wondering if I switch to organic if I will be spared this. Or maybe i should just buy whole chickens and butcher them. I haven't noticed this problem with whole chickens. My butchering skills are pretty pathetic though. My uncle was an inspector for the USDA, inspecting chicken processing plants (and others). He always says to buy whole chickens, they are the healthiest. Anything else is a risk... I'll have to ask him about this new issue - he's retired now, but seems to keep up with things. I usually just buy breasts or thighs. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2att Posted November 15, 2017 Share Posted November 15, 2017 Wow, that's fascinating. I like to buy chicken individually packaged from Perdue, because they are thinner and cook up nicely. But when regular chix breasts are BOGO at Publix I have been known to stock up on those, and have definitely seen the white striping issue. I have also noticed texture and taste issues, but I honestly thought it was because I did something wrong in cooking. Looks like now I can blame the chicken! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lang Syne Boardie Posted November 15, 2017 Share Posted November 15, 2017 So is organic, free range the answer? Especially whole chickens? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamanthaCarter Posted November 15, 2017 Share Posted November 15, 2017 I am wondering if I switch to organic if I will be spared this. Or maybe i should just buy whole chickens and butcher them. I haven't noticed this problem with whole chickens. My butchering skills are pretty pathetic though. So are mine. I attempted boneless thighs once. Haha! It was sad. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausmumof3 Posted November 15, 2017 Share Posted November 15, 2017 I hadn't heard of this before, but it does explain why the breasts I've bought recently have seemed so tough and chewy! I bought a package of rotisserie breast meat from Costco a couple of weeks ago and ended up giving about half of it to the dog because it was inedible — the term "wooden breast" is pretty accurate. Now that I've read a bit about it, it seems this disease also makes the meat less nutritious, as well as being tough and chewy. Maybe they should stop trying to maximize profits by creating monster chickens and just let them be normal chickens leading normal chicken lives. :thumbdown: I do kind of agree with you but I think most people would object to the texture of truly free range meat as it tends to be tougher and stronger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasider Posted November 15, 2017 Share Posted November 15, 2017 I am wondering if I switch to organic if I will be spared this. Or maybe i should just buy whole chickens and butcher them. I haven't noticed this problem with whole chickens. My butchering skills are pretty pathetic though. A good strong pair of kitchen scissors make the job much easier! I remember that I used to always buy and cut up whole chickens. At some point I stopped doing that, but perhaps it's time to return to that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebcoola Posted November 15, 2017 Share Posted November 15, 2017 I just got a Zaycon order a couple of weeks ago and haven't noticed any problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippen Posted November 15, 2017 Share Posted November 15, 2017 A good strong pair of kitchen scissors make the job much easier! I remember that I used to always buy and cut up whole chickens. At some point I stopped doing that, but perhaps it's time to return to that. It's rare to find whole cut up chickens in my area. The stores just don't sell them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted November 15, 2017 Share Posted November 15, 2017 I prefer boneless thighs myself. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted November 15, 2017 Share Posted November 15, 2017 Yeah those monstrous breasts don't taste that great. If I buy them at all, I cut them into thinner slices. Otherwise the thing is dead by the time you cook it all the way through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestavern Posted November 15, 2017 Share Posted November 15, 2017 I am wondering if I switch to organic if I will be spared this. Or maybe i should just buy whole chickens and butcher them. I haven't noticed this problem with whole chickens. My butchering skills are pretty pathetic though. If you have a decent grocer, they should be able to cut up a whole chicken for you. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestavern Posted November 15, 2017 Share Posted November 15, 2017 Yeah those monstrous breasts don't taste that great. If I buy them at all, I cut them into thinner slices. Otherwise the thing is dead by the time you cook it all the way through. Yeah, I find I have to pound the chicken breasts before cooking in order to avoid this. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted November 15, 2017 Share Posted November 15, 2017 I don't understand why so many people like the boneless breast though. They have zero flavor. You have to do a lot to get it to taste like anything at all. I roast a lot of chickens whole because those taste the absolute best. And really it's so easy to do that and then I have the bones for broth. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted November 15, 2017 Share Posted November 15, 2017 I don't understand why so many people like the boneless breast though. They have zero flavor. You have to do a lot to get it to taste like anything at all. I roast a lot of chickens whole because those taste the absolute best. And really it's so easy to do that and then I have the bones for broth. I agree. I haven't bought boneless breasts for a long time. If I want the convenience of boneless meat, I get thighs. I do wish I could find smaller whole chickens. Many/most recipes I see call for a 3-4 pound chicken, but what I see in the stores are 5-6 pounders. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hilltopmom Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 I crock pot and shred all my chicken, so I prefer the boneless breasts cuz I hate bones and grissle in my meat. I’d happily go back to being a vegetarian if the rest if my family would agree. Sigh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 I don't understand why so many people like the boneless breast though. They have zero flavor. You have to do a lot to get it to taste like anything at all. I roast a lot of chickens whole because those taste the absolute best. And really it's so easy to do that and then I have the bones for broth. Plus whole chx are more economical. At least where I shop. The difference in price per pound far outweighs the actual weight of the bones. And that doesn't count making stock, which is essentially free once you have the chx. I use ends and pieces of onions and other veg I have cut up, keeping them in a ziploc in the freezer until I make stock, 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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