Florida-based chef Madison Lambert is speaking out about what she calls an “epidemic” of “woody chicken,” sharing a simple trick for identifying the tough, chewy meat before you even cook it. If you’ve been noticing that your chicken breasts are harder to chew and feel less like tender meat and more like rubber, you’re definitely not alone. This phenomenon, known as woody chicken, results in a flavor that might be okay, but a texture that is absolutely awful, making the meat gummy, tough, and excessively chewy.
Lambert recently posted a video on TikTok where she explains exactly what’s going wrong. She gets straight to the point, telling viewers, “If you’ve been getting chicken that tastes like rubber bands, or it’s just so chewy that you have to spit it out, this is why.” She then shows off several packages of raw chicken, pointing out the telltale sign: tiny, noticeable white lines visible within the breast meat, according to Bro Bible.
According to Lambert, those white lines are the problem. She stresses, “Do you see these lines in here? That’s gonna give you a woody piece of chicken.” This issue has become so common over the last four years that she estimates she finds these lines in “about every other pack of chicken you get,” which is just awful news for consumers who rely on chicken as a staple meal.
You need to double check your chicken
The visual problem Lambert is highlighting is often referred to as white striping, and it’s a known issue in the poultry industry. Experts believe that white striping occurs when chickens grow much faster than their muscle fibers can naturally handle. This rapid growth doesn’t just mess with the texture; it dramatically changes the nutritional profile, too. One study found that chicken breasts affected by white striping can have over 200% more fat than breasts that look normal. That would be an easy way to tell something is wrong with your KFC, but you wouldn’t know from store-bought until it’s too late.
While white striping is definitely related to the texture issues, it’s important to remember that not every striped breast will be woody, and not every woody breast will show the stripes. The connection between the visual lines and the terrible texture isn’t 100% confirmed, meaning there isn’t a foolproof method for determining woody chicken just by looking at the raw meat. However, checking for those white stripes is definitely a great starting point for knowing which packages to avoid.
Since there isn’t a guaranteed way to spot the problem, you might need to spend a little extra time inspecting the meat aisle to avoid disappointment. Some people claim that woody breasts are noticeably paler than normal ones, though color can vary based on the chicken’s diet. Others look for hard spots in the breast, or they simply stick to organic chicken, which is believed to be less susceptible to the issue.
This problem is widespread, estimated to affect anywhere between 5 and 30% of chicken breasts on shelves today. That’s a food horror story if I ever saw one.
If you’re feeling frustrated by this “epidemic,” you’re definitely not alone. Commenters online are completely over the situation, with many people admitting they thought the problem was their own fault. One user exclaimed, “I thought I was just bad at cooking chicken!” While the issue only affects texture and isn’t dangerous, it’s certainly not pleasant, and it ruins dinner.
Lambert noted that she wishes the industry could fix this because “it would really make my life better.” But until the chicken producers sort out the rapid growth issues, she advises shoppers to be vigilant. Her final piece of advice is simple: “you just got to use your eyeballs.” It sounds like a massive pain, but if it saves you from chewing on a piece of rubber for dinner, I think the extra inspection time is worth it.
