OK. I’m pretty sure I remember you buying tons of frozen (boneless, skinless) chicken breasts from Costco. I think maybe you told me that that’s what you usually use. I’d like to break you from that habit.
Dave’s reasons to use thighs and legs (dark meat) instead of breasts:
1. Economy: Even buying in bulk, you’re not gonna find chicken breasts for less than $2.49/lb, whereas thighs and legs will go for $.99/lb.
2. Flavor: Preferring dark meat to white meat is not just a preference based on taste—white meat is much harder to cook well, because it overcooks and dries out so easily. Dark meat has more moisture, and thus you have a much more flexibility in cooking it—you’d have to work pretty hard to fuck up cooking a chicken thigh, whereas if the phone rings when a chicken breast is on the grill, you’re left with something with the texture of an old shoe.
3. Ease: I definitely understand the appeal of boneless pieces of chicken…they cook quicker, and they’re easier to eat, obviously. This is no longer a point in chicken breasts’ favor, however, as you can now find boneless thighs everywhere.
That said, obviously, chicken breasts have their place, I cook them sometimes. I just think you should let some dark meat into your life.
I’m gonna start this thing off with a bunch of chicken recipes, as per your needs.
