Does Anyone Still Roast a Whole Chicken?

Chicken Thigh Popularity is Killing its Bargain Price Point

Believe it or not, it's only been since the 1980s that American consumers have had the luxury of perusing a grocery aisle full of individual cuts of chicken meat. Prior to the invention and commercial use of deboning technology it was somewhat difficult to put together a family meal that consisted of six or more boneless chicken breasts. People roasted a whole chicken and families shared, or squabbled over, the various options of light and dark meat.

Technology gave us options and suddenly we could value each part of the chicken differently not just at home, but at the supermarket.  We didn’t have to spend money on the bits we didn’t want.  The supply and demand game changed.  

Consumer Trends Shaping the Chicken Industry

Whether just a marketing ploy or based on nutritional trends, Americans in the 1980s favored white meat; boneless, skinless chicken breasts to be exact.  The subsequent ripple effect of white meat recipes boasting low fat lean protein dinner ideas gave way to a perception that chicken thighs were a commodity of lesser value.

Until recently, export demand for thighs far outpaced domestic consumer purchasing trends. Americans were quite content to keep their low fat cuts and send a large percentage of fattier chicken thighs to regions of the world that consider them a valuable food staple.  White meat has traditionally been sold at premium prices and claims the majority of the poultry section of cold storage in the U.S.  But a recent narrowing of price gaps between the two cuts shows that value perceptions might be changing. 

Just ten years ago a chicken thigh could be purchased for half the price of a chicken breast and producers made most of their money from the sale of white meat.  So much so that chickens were bred to be bigger breasted and narrower in the thigh. 

Though it seems like the price of everything has increased, chicken thigh prices have climbed significantly and now cost just as much as chicken breasts.  From a consumer perspective, the chicken thigh trend was likely spurred by economics.  Skyrocketing beef prices in America have prompted consumers to dabble with alternative proteins. The once unpopular dark meat selections have become attractive to consumers looking to stretch a dollar a little further at the grocery store.  

Demand continues to increase because consumers genuinely enjoy the flavor and cooking versatility that chicken thighs offer.  Chefs say the trend is long overdue. Thighs are the easiest part of the chicken to cook with and the most widely used cut of chicken across cultural cuisines.  Processors also agree. It's far easier to debone a chicken thigh than a chicken breast.  Even consumers who don’t want to pay for the convenience of a deboned thigh can do it at home fairly easily.

Could the Whole Chicken Make a Comeback?

Thanks to popularity driving up demand the price of chicken thighs has also increased and they are no longer the bargain they once were.  Fast food chains find the cut just as desirable as high and dining establishments and home cooks. If thighs continue to be priced higher than chicken breasts will the trend hold based on flavor alone? 

As for producers who have long held the mantra, we make our money on the front not the back, earning potential seems promising in that undervalued cuts are now worth more money.  The average individual consumes 100 lbs of chicken per year. Ten years ago they might have only consumed two meals per month that consisted of chicken thigh meat.  Today purchasing trends are more balanced across the whole chicken.

Yet, the earning potential dynamic could also spell trouble for the chicken industry. Producers can no longer hold breasts next to thighs and charge a premium for the “better” cut. Consumers are saying that both cuts are equal in value even if they are used for different purposes. Shoppers could see all chicken as increasingly expensive if all cuts appear to be selling at premium pricing which would erode retailer ability to maximize profits on individual cuts.

If producers stand to make more money on the whole chicken then they have in nearly fifty years, could we see a shift in breeding strategies and a need for different technology?  Increasing overall bird size and specifically the quantity of breast meat on a single bird led to processing challenges in the past.  Machines had to be recalibrated to accommodate larger animals.  Breading bigger thighed chickens would create similar challenges, and expenses, even as it created new earning potential.

However, if thighs now hold the same value as breasts, it's not out of the realm of possibility to consider a scenario where we see more whole birds being sold once again.  In fact, perception has changed so drastically that, expenses aside, cooking an entire bird is now viewed as the healthier way to eat.  Gone are the days of no fat diets where skin, bones and dark meat was cast aside.  Today health conscious consumers see the value of fattier cuts and bone marrow. White meat no longer covers all the nutritional bases.

If it comes down to the most cost effective option for consumers than purchasing a whole bird is the clear choice.  Shoppers can buy all of what they want for as much as 50% less per pound than pre-cut selections. Food producers who make their money from the collection of profits they earn off of each individual cut might feel differently since they enjoy the benefits of selling not just the meat, but the deboning process as well.  A whole bird is sold per pound and producers would rely on weight and quality to turn a profit rather than convenience and selection variety.

Everything hinges on supply and demand. We live in an era where we can now efficiently mass produce both chicken breasts and chicken things, bone in or out, to meet a variety of consumer preferences. However, we’ve also reached a point where it's increasingly difficult to say that one cut is more valuable than another. When it comes to chicken, consumers now see the value of the whole bird.  There is a new balance to the value of the bird that could upset the economic balance of the bird industry.