Chicken breasts are probably 4 times the size and maybe more than what they were when I was a child.

I have good results roasting a whole chicken. The breasts are not supersized. I will also cook whole cornish game hens.

Chicken thighs still have flavor.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Bell and Evans Organic breasts from Whole foods are perfect. Cooking them gently to 165 is the way, and not a degree over. The whole foods organic brand are hit or miss, more often fine but occasionally get a tough breast.

I get the same from Balducci’s. Probably over-paying.

+1

The only chicken I will buy now is Bell and Evans. It’s consistently good but so expensive we don’t get it often.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:in ascending order:

Whole Foods, Balducci's, Organic Butcher of Mclean/Bethesda

Yeah, once I started buying them at Organic Butcher I won't be going back.

Do they not get rubbery?

I buy from the farmers market and slice them in half myself to make them thin. It adds about 2 mins to my prep time.

I just use chicken tenderloins instead of chicken breasts now.

Anonymous wrote:I go to a butcher or store that sells chicken from a reputable farm. We now actually enjoy chicken. But it is expensive.

I just pound it thin with a mallet if I want thinner breasts.

A reputable farm. Kind of like private school for chickens.

Anonymous wrote:The Bell and Evans Organic breasts from Whole foods are perfect. Cooking them gently to 165 is the way, and not a degree over. The whole foods organic brand are hit or miss, more often fine but occasionally get a tough breast.

I get the same from Balducci’s. Probably over-paying.

I buy my chicken from Crowd Cow (online). They are thick so would need to be cut/pounded. The texture is really smooth though. Even the wings are super good.

The Bell and Evans Organic breasts from Whole foods are perfect. Cooking them gently to 165 is the way, and not a degree over. The whole foods organic brand are hit or miss, more often fine but occasionally get a tough breast.

1) If they are frozen or previously frozen they will be tough. Buy and eat fresh ones.
2) Try buying chicken tenders. They really are very tender, and at some markets are the same price per pound as whole breast.
3) if you buy whole breast, pound them down and cook them properly.

We use Heartland Home Foods and do a 6 month order at a time of boneless chicken breasts, beef tenderloin, burgers, roasts and fish. All excellent. All individually wrapped. I couldn’t eat grocery bought chicken anymore if I tried. So gross!

Anonymous wrote:I've been buying the air chilled "smart chicken" breasts from HT-- are organic butchers' better? (and are they frozen?)

The smart chicken brand has gone way downhill in my experience. It’s an industry-wide problem. Beware the woody breasts:

https://news.yahoo.com/woody-chicken-breasts-them-175700241.html

I go to a butcher or store that sells chicken from a reputable farm. We now actually enjoy chicken. But it is expensive.

I just pound it thin with a mallet if I want thinner breasts.

I've been buying the air chilled "smart chicken" breasts from HT-- are organic butchers' better? (and are they frozen?)

Anonymous wrote:in ascending order:

Whole Foods, Balducci's, Organic Butcher of Mclean/Bethesda

Yeah, once I started buying them at Organic Butcher I won't be going back.