Why Fast Food Chains Typically Use White Meat Chicken Over Dark Meat

Chicken has been America's most consumed meat since the 1990s, with the poultry industry's value reaching upwards of $46.1 billion, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. We consume it in many ways, from wings to drumsticks and from nuggets to kabobs, all while the value of chickens in America only continues to grow. It's popular at fast food restaurants, too, particularly in tenders and sandwiches (which we ranked from worst to best here). Historically, fast food chains have used white meat chicken in products — think chicken breast and chicken wings — but why the favoritism?

Fast food chains have used white meat chicken on the menu because companies are listening to what the people want, and the people want white meat chicken. Americans have been led to believe that white meat chicken is the healthiest part of a chicken, with lower calories and less fat, so they prefer tender chicken breasts above the sometimes tougher chicken thighs. The health benefits of white meat chicken have been shoved in consumers' faces, leading chicken breasts to become the top choice for many chicken products. Fast food restaurants simply jumped on the bandwagon to appease consumer demand for white meat chicken. 

Besides consumer desire, another explanation for white meat chicken over dark at fast food restaurants is product consistency. With the rising demand for chicken breasts throughout the last few decades, farmers have practiced selective breeding, leading to larger chickens with more breast meat. Big-name brands know that chicken breasts are reliable, with multiple filets coming from a single breast; that provides better margins for the fast food industry. Plus, the filets are cost-effective because extra white meat trimmings can be reused in products like the nuggets in this sweet and saucy McDonald's chicken nugget hack.

Times are changing, and although white meat chicken has long reigned supreme in the fast food industry, dark meat is on the rise. As the generations who were raised on the belief that white meat is healthier than dark meat are outnumbered by younger generations, the consumption of white meat is dropping. Consumers are more accustomed to globally inspired cuisines, such as Latin American and Asian foods, which tend to use more dark meat than white meat. Dark meat has become so popular that its prices are rising to compete with white meat. Not to mention that we even placed dark meat higher than white meat on our worst to best ranking of the cuts and parts of chicken. Given current trends, the days of seeing chicken breasts overshadow drumsticks may be coming to an end.