Chicken (Dark Meat)

Chicken, eaten by most cultures in the world, is incredibly versatile. The dark meat of the chicken refers to legs, thighs, and drumsticks, muscles on the bird that do work and conversely have a high concentration of the oxygen-carrying protein myoglobin.

Dark meat contains more connective tissue and intramuscular fat than white meat. This changes its nutritional profile, as well as the cooking techniques used. While you can roast a bird whole, you’ll generally end up with more satisfying dishes by treating white and dark meat differently, favoring longer cooks with more moisture on dark meat pieces.

Dark meat tends to have lower protein and higher fat than white meat, the tradeoff is higher quantities of vitamins and minerals. We say they’re both good for different reasons, and, as omnivores, try to eat healthy amounts of both.