I’ve always found this strange.
You can get breast considerably less than thigh. 69 yen/100g just at my local, versus 95 yen/100g for thigh.
Thats a pretty big difference and in both other places i lived, thigh is cheaper. Is it just only a demand thing where Japanese consumers don’t like chicken breast? In which case I understand because i always think chicken thigh is better in most situations.
28 comments
Thigh tastes better, is valued higher; the breast meat is lean and flavorless in comparison.
Most people can’t cook chicken breast well so they think it tastes bad compared to thigh. Pretty much every Japanese chicken recipe calls for thigh instead of breast.
Personally I prefer breast and it has better macros for me anyway, so win/win/win. Thigh is often prepared too greasy for my tastes.
Most ppl don’t know how to prepare a chicken breast properly dark meat however is more fatty and flavorful
I’m happy because I can get it for cheap!
Today I cooked it for 10 mins on heat, then 10 mins off heat which stops it from overcooking.
Shredded, then can use for whatever you want!
It’s the same in many Asian countries as well, for reasons of taste and texture and ease of frying without it becoming a piece of rubber.
This is one of my favorite things about living in Japan, because I fucking love chicken breast, and all the butcher shops near me treat chicken breast as though they just dont wanna throw it away.
I got 4 chicken breat fillets (idk how to spell that shit) for like 190 yen at one place near me
Another place sells the sasami cheese fry for fucking 50 yen a piece
Fresh out of the fryer sasami cheese fry 2 for 100 yen walking home in the fall (when its not so fucking hot outside) is one of my favorite things
Chicken breast is wonderful if you have the magic equipment (I’m referring to sous vide 🤣)
I make it twice a week. Moist, tender and tasty every time
Breast is best
Can’t beat a couple of nice juicy breasts
My wife likes it better but I prefer breast .. always check when I get a sandwich or dish
Japanese cuisine favors umame, and fatties thigh is tastier.
Thigh is cheaper at Gyoumu Super.
Yes it’s the opposite of the US where chicken breast is more desirable than thigh or general “dark” meat.
1% of weight in salt cook, marinate for an hour then cook to 68 degrees internal temp then rest for five min. I butterfly my breasts as well
Thigh has really nice fat and retains juicyness for slow cooking so I can make chicken curry and be happy about it 🙂
Breast is drier, has less fat. Fat is tasty.
Thigh is considered to be juicer, breast is dryer .
It’s hilarious because it’s the opposite in England. You can get a massive pack of 1kg thighs/legs for ¥360 but their precious chicken breasts are double for a tiny portion.
If you’re like me and can’t be bothered to cook, there are plenty of recipes for cooking chicken breast in your rice cooker. Alone, or with rice.
So many in North America prefer white meat (I’m talking chicken). In fact you pay extra in some restaurants if you want the white meat.
But I find dark meat or the thigh is so much more tasty and tender.
People love “fat” on their meat, thigh has more fat than breast, it’s apparent from the availability of karaage everywhere you go which is fried from thigh meat. All supermarkets sell karaage, all B-grade restaurants sell karaage.
Also, wagyu (Japanese beef), has the most fat compared to any other beef in the world. It’s the reason they melt the moment you eat them.
Studies in the 60’s and 70’s went after [fat](https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/16/upshot/a-study-on-fats-that-doesnt-fit-the-story-line.html) vilifying it (fatty cuts of meat). This made breast the prefered type of meat.
The obsession with chicken breast is a western thing. Most Eastern and global south countries have long learned that the thigh and other red parts are juicier, more versatile and better tasting.
Thighs get used much more, that’s why it tastes better.
My understanding was always that restaurants and other food service in general (conbini bentos, etc.) mostly use thighs, especially because most Japanese chicken recipes use thighs (karaage, oyakodon, plenty of others). Salad chicken and things like that are obvious exceptions but there’s a much bigger demand for thighs.
This basically creates a surplus of breast meat, so it is sold relatively cheaply to supermarkets. Restaurants and prepared food factories don’t need it on large amounts, but it’s perfectly good meat.
Personally, I buy thighs if I’m making jambalaya or karaage as it’s clearly better for those, but I alove love buying big pack of breast for baking. Cooking them on the stove top can be tricky, but well seasoned and baked to a perfect temperature they’re great.
A little slap ya mama can go a looong way 🤣🤣
thigh’s taste better than breast, period.
breast can taste great too. but you’re a fool if you think breast is better.
In the US, breasts are preferred for some reason. They don’t have to be flavorful, they don’t have to be juicy, they just have to be as big as possible.
In much of the rest of the world, thighs are where it’s at. It’s not about getting the largest hunk of meat as possible, but about getting something that actually has flavor and character.