Fake Chicken / Chicken Substitute in Restaurants?

preilly79

Hi
I'm just after having a very tasty smoked 'chicken' and pasta dish in a polular northside pub. however the chicken just didn't feel right. upon closer inspection it didn't even look like chicken. the texture was all wrong and the surface of the chicken felt a little tougher that normal.

now i know most fast food restaurants are using some sort of chicken substitute but for a restaurant to use it leaves me somewhat disapointed and feeling a little ripped off.

not being a food expert of any kind i can hardly accuse the chef of using inferior products, but perhaps a chef among you could let me know if this is common practice? if so, what exactly are we eating and how might one identify it and possibly confront management? Assuming what is being advertised as chicken has at least some percentage of chicken do i even have a right to complain?

thanks in advance for any replies!
Phil

noby

Using a different animal instead if chicken? It's a lot more likely that you're eating inferior, factory reared chicken, that has been pumped full of some cocktail of vitamins steroids, growth hormones, and water.

oblivious

It many have been Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)

CJhaughey

Cat? Rabbit?
Smoking meats usually changes the meat in texture.

carryboy

preilly79 wrote:

Hi
I'm just after having a very tasty smoked 'chicken' and pasta dish in a polular northside pub. however the chicken just didn't feel right. upon closer inspection it didn't even look like chicken. the texture was all wrong and the surface of the chicken felt a little tougher that normal.

now i know most fast food restaurants are using some sort of chicken substitute but for a restaurant to use it leaves me somewhat disapointed and feeling a little ripped off.

not being a food expert of any kind i can hardly accuse the chef of using inferior products, but perhaps a chef among you could let me know if this is common practice? if so, what exactly are we eating and how might one identify it and possibly confront management? Assuming what is being advertised as chicken has at least some percentage of chicken do i even have a right to complain?

thanks in advance for any replies!
Phil

you should have complained. you've the right.

kim_eire

I read a while ago that they actuall use left over pork, they put it into a machine and dye it, its texture is different. Id put my money on it that was what you were eating! crap pork with prob bout 5% chicken!!!!!

sudzs

I've had that chicken!!!

Well I'd say it's the same stuff anyway. When I lived in Limerick there were lots of places that had smoked chicken this that and the other... a local food company, Pallas Foods (Newcastlewest, Co. Limerick) distribute and/or produce it.

It's probably chicken allright but highly processed. The texture is quite dense, you cant really see the fibres. A bit rubbery really. Tasty enough though, for what it is!

The Sweeper

Look up MSM (mechanically reclaimed meat). What you've had is a heavily processed chicken product. Nyom. Or not.

BaZmO*

Minesajackdaniels wrote:

Look up MSM (mechanically reclaimed meat). What you've had is a heavily processed chicken product. Nyom. Or not.

Got there before me!

I'd be very very surprised if they were using something other than chicken as they would get into an awful lot of trouble if they were.

Kerikosan

Smoked Chicken Has A different texture to normal fried, baked of poached chicken. it doesn't go into strands it stays as one block piece thats why
It looks like its processed I know ^^, but its not.

It's the smoking process which cooked the chicken very very slowly giving it a smoked flavor and the outside goes tough because of shrinkage when its smoked

I'm A professional Chef ^^, you can trust me.

The other idea's of it Being rabbit or cat make me laugh.

1. Rabbit is way way more expensive than Chicken.
2. There is no Suppler in Ireland or U.k or Europe for that matter that supplys cat meat to restaurants.

Chicken Breast isnt used or made by MSM (mechanically reclaimed meat).
anyway. MSM is used for 20 crappy chicken burgers for 99p at supermarkets..

At the restaurant We smoke our own meats and fish also.
We use whole fresh Chicken breasts and when you smoke it it goes tough, its highly flavored though and has a very slight pink color to it.
it's delicious

So you have not been conned by the Restaurant.

The Sweeper

Dude. Srsly. That's an OLD thread to drag up.

MJOR

i got that in a 4 star hotel in my casear salad mank