Mushy chicken

[zxcvbob]

A week ago I was at Costco and i bought one of their $5 rotisserie chickens.  It was a good deal, I suppose, but it was not really very good chicken.  Not a lot of flavor and it had kind of a mushy texture. (the flavor thing might have been partially because my nose was messed up)  Friday, I bought a big bag of chicken leg quarters and I roasted them in the oven.  Actually overcooked them a little.  They have the same mushy texture.  Is that just the nature of chicken these days, where they grow so fast they are butchered at less than 2 months old?  Or is it because the meat was previously frozen?  I know the leg quarters had been frozen because there was still some ice in the bag.

I should buy some KFC "extra crispy" and see if it has the same problem.

[charby]

Yes it's the quick gain chickens that have been selectively breed for the modern chicken confinements.

[K Frame]

More companies are injecting meat with "flavoring" solutions that are essentially salt water. Nothing like paying $3.99 a pound for salt water.

But, the stuff can make the meat mushy, especially if it's treated, frozen, then thawed.

[zxcvbob]

More companies are injecting meat with "flavoring" solutions that are essentially salt water. Nothing like paying $3.99 a pound for salt water.

But, the stuff can make the meat mushy, especially if it's treated, frozen, then thawed.

At least this was only 59¢ a pound, not $4.  The bones are not even particularly hard except for the center third of the leg and thigh bones.  (I cut them up with pruning shears and throw the center sections away)  The meat is decent wrapped up in a tortilla with some guac and grated cheese, and there's lots of good scraps for the dogs.  I might make a pot of soup with some of it.

[MillCreek]

We buy a Costco rotisserie chicken from time to time.  After a couple of meals, I boil the carcass, shred the remaining meat and make chicken soup out of it.  It makes pretty good soup.

[zxcvbob]

We buy a Costco rotisserie chicken from time to time.  After a couple of meals, I boil the carcass, shred the remaining meat and make chicken soup out of it.  It makes pretty good soup.

I ate the legs and thighs from mine, boiled the back and wings to make soup, and used the white meat to make chicken salad.  I got a lot of meals from one $5 chicken, it just wasn't very good chicken.

[K Frame]

"At least this was only 59¢ a pound, not $4."

Yeah... that wasn't chicken...

Think smaller... and more legs. 

[MillCreek]

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/how-many-chickens-are-there. An interesting article to Charby's point.

[brimic]

Yes it's the quick gain chickens that have been selectively breed for the modern chicken confinements.

This. Local farm raised chickens have a lot more flavor and are less ‘flabby’ than the chickens from megalofarm.corp.

[cordex]

This. Local farm raised chickens have a lot more flavor and are less ‘flabby’ than the chickens from megalofarm.corp.

Largely depends on the breed.  Local farms can - and often do - buy quick gain chickens for meat birds.  Those birds just sit and eat and get fat even if you have them outside.

[zxcvbob]

Largely depends on the breed.  Local farms can - and often do - buy quick gain chickens for meat birds.  Those birds just sit and eat and get fat even if you have them outside.

Their bones aren't strong enough to do much else.  I assume old-school chicken breeds like Dominique, Delaware, Brahma, and Rhode Island Red are still available?  That's what I would raise if I had a flock.

[charby]

Their bones aren't strong enough to do much else.  I assume old-school chicken breeds like Dominique, Delaware, Brahma, and Rhode Island Red are still available?  That's what I would raise if I had a flock.

Yep, check for yourself.

https://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/index.html

[brimic]

Their bones aren't strong enough to do much else.  I assume old-school chicken breeds like Dominique, Delaware, Brahma, and Rhode Island Red are still available?  That's what I would raise if I had a flock.

Yes, it’s only a few breeds like Ross308 and Cobb500 and crosses of them with other birds that are the quick gain birds.