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.
Thigh
Dark meat · cuisse · momo
A standing muscle, built from slow-twitch fibre packed with myoglobin and fat. That gives it far more flavour than the breast and a much wider margin for error — it stays juicy well past the safe temperature, which is why almost every braise, curry and grill recipe quietly prefers it.
Boneless and skinless is convenient, but bone-in skin-on cooks juicier and costs less per kilo.
Which one to buy
- Better forBreast : Thigh
- Pan-searingBreast88 : —
- PoachingBreast80 : —
- RoastingBreast74 : —
- BraisingThigh— : 92
- GrillingThigh— : 90
- FryingThigh— : 84
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.