Side by side
Breast
White meat · suprême · pechuga
The flight muscle of a bird that does not fly, so it is built from fast-twitch white fibre with almost no fat or myoglobin. That makes it the leanest thing on the chicken and the easiest to ruin: it holds moisture only up to about 65°C, and every degree beyond that is squeezed out.
Even thickness matters more than size — butterfly or pound a thick fillet so the thin end is not overcooked by the time the middle is done.
Oyster
Sot-l'y-laisse · solomillo de pollo
Two coin-sized nuggets sitting in hollows on the back, either side of the spine. They are the most tender and best-flavoured meat on the entire bird and there are only two per chicken, which is why the French name translates roughly as "the fool leaves it there".
Turn a roasted chicken over before carving and scoop them out with a spoon — they are hidden from above.
Which one to buy
- Better forBreast : Oyster
- Pan-searingBreast88 : —
- PoachingBreast80 : —
- RoastingOyster74 : 92
- SkewersOyster— : 80
Other comparisons
All cuts
Beef Primals
Chicken Portions
Bluefin Tuna Cuts
Temperatures are guidance for whole-muscle cuts. Ground meat and poultry need 71°C / 160°F throughout.