Trivia question: Are chicken wings white or dark meat?

Trivia question: Are chicken wings white or dark meat?

 

If you go to KFC and order dark

meat, you’ll get parts of the leg

and wing. But is the wing

actually considered dark meat?

In reality, chicken wings, like the

breast, are white meat.

The difference between white

and dark meat is attributed to

the amount of myoglobin in the

muscles. Myoglobin is stored in

muscles that get exercise,

because they need more

oxygen. The more exercise a

muscle gets, the higher the

concentration of myoglobin.

The modern domesticated

chicken is basically flightless. As

a result, the breast and wings

get very little if any activity. With

the reduced activity they have

reduced levels of myoglobin

resulting in ‘white’ meat.

In flying fowl such as the duck,

the breast and wing muscles get

much more exercise and is why

ducks are basically all dark

meat.

Why do white and dark meat

taste different? White chicken

meat is leaner, has more protein

and less fat content than dark

chicken meat. The higher fat

content of dark chicken meat

gives it more flavor.

American consumers have a

preference for white chicken

meat, which is often considered

to be the healthier alternative of

the two.

Whether you should buy white

meat or dark meat is entirely a

matter of taste—both types of

chicken meat can be cooked in

the same ways. Since many

people prefer white meat over

dark meat, dark meat is quite a

bit less expensive than white

meat.

Here’s one more post on the subject:

It seems like there's a new theory, trick, or technique every year for making sure the white and dark meat on a turkey cook evenly. What's all the fuss about? Let's take a look...

When we talk about the white meat on a turkey or chicken, we're talking about the breast meat. It's white because the fuel for these muscle fibers comes primarily from a carbohydrate called glycogen and doesn't require as much oxygen from the blood. Glycogen is useful for short bursts of activity, like the short distance a turkey flies when startled.

Dark meat is found in the wings, thighs, and drumsticks, and it's actually a different kind of muscle than the white meat. These muscles get their fuel primarily from fat, which provides a more sustainable energy (for the prolonged activity of standing, walking, and running) than the glycogen. Dark meat is made dark by two proteins involved in the process of converting the fat into energy for the muscles.

Dark meat has a stronger and more game-like flavor as compared to white meat. This is due to the activity of those muscles and the various chemicals, proteins, and fats that activity builds in the muscle tissue.

Because it's thinner, more tender, and more exposed to the heat of the oven, the white breast meat usually finishes cooking first. The more compact and sheltered dark meat takes longer.

One of the tried and true methods of cooking a turkey is to start it upside down so the breast is sheltered and the wings, thighs, and drumsticks are exposed, and then turning it right-side up partway through cooking. Other methods involve shielding the breast meat with aluminum foil or barding it with strips of bacon to keep it moist.

What's your method for cooking a turkey evenly?

The original link on this discussion can be found at:  http://www.thekitchn.com/food-science-the-difference-be-69729