occasional chicken breast problems

I have noticed that occasionally my chicken breasts to be oddly textured, tough and fibrous. Sometimes it is breasts that have been frozen and then thawed. sometimes it is breasts that are not frozen and used the same evening.

I use a meat thermometer and pull them when they reach about 160 and they seem to hit 165 during the rest.

Is there something done in the butchering and processing that can contribute to this? should I stay away from big breasts? I wonder if it is that I need to buy a better grade of chicken?

thanks in advance
Mike

 

Oh no you didn't!

 

I think I just wet myself!!! ump :cool1

Mike..... the easiest way to get around said problem is: only buy "free range" and/or "Amish" chicken. That is what I started to do at the restaurant & have been happy with the results. :like

 

I think this all depends on the product that you are getting

Especially when it comes to breasts that are HUGE because they were pumping them with who know how many things.

like chef said above me get "natural" or "free range" bird and you most likely won't run into this problem

 

I'm sooo trying to keep my mouth shut here...lol.

On the ACTUAL topic though...worse than tough or fibrous, are the ones that are 'rubbery'. I know they're done (temps and color are fine), but the taste of the ones that turn out like that is like pure, raw chicken. Between the taste and texture, it's one of the few times I will actually spit food out.

I'll have to look into free-range stuff.

And yeah...some of the breasts anymore are ridiculous. 10lbs of chicken to a package, with 5-6 breasts? I remember when a chicken breast was 4-5oz.

 

Lucretia, I knew I could count on you
Thanks ChefLarge and Coqavin.'
Cris, your restraint is admirable.

 

We'd just about stopped eating chicken because it was so often kinda...funky. One day I grabbed a package of the overpriced organic air chilled stuff for some emergency chicken soup, and it was...good. Very good. Tasted like chicken should, and the texture was nice. We don't buy other kinds of chicken now if we can avoid it. Haven't had bad chicken since.

 

Thanks. I am on the search. living out here in the boondocks, one can buy directly from farmers but the high zoot special chicken is not as readily available in the grocery stores.

 

(Ducks..... avoids the low hanging fruit)
Mike I hear you and know exactly what you mean, I have found that buying "fryers" whole and breaking the down myself is the only way to avoid that,besides going the free range/organic route.

 

"food" for thought Jim. And thanks to all. I am glad I'm not the only one plagued by this. How has it come to this, and why do they get away with it? Do we know what it is that the mass producers do to the chicken that causes these unpleasant qualities?
I looked at one of our local stores online presence and find that they do offer "Just Bare Chicken" and "Smart Chicken" both of which claim local procurment, organic and air chilled processing. Though I never did see them in the store. maybe in the health food section?

 

Mike,

I have been through a couple of these "mass produced" chicken farms and, lets just say, extremely gnarly. Without going into to much detail, over populated, standing in their own feces, force fed and the list goes on. All about the "cheddar"!!!