Are chicken wings considered dark meat?

White vs. Dark Chicken Meat

Chicken wings, like the breast, are white meat. The difference between white meat and dark meat is attributable to the amount of Myoglobin in the muscles. Myoglobin is stored in muscles that get exercise, because they need more oxygen. The more exercise a muscle gets, the higher the concentration of Myoglobin. Since a modern domesticated chicken is basically flightless, the breast and wings get very little if any activity, so the muscles develop very little Myoglobin. Where this really becomes evident is in flying fowl like ducks; the meat is more of a reddish color all over, which is why ducks are basically all dark meat.

Another meat where this is evident is Veal, whose lack of color is due to the lack of exercise of the muscles.

Here are more opinions on the subject:

• Chicken wings are white meat! It's funny that one person said "go to KFC and order dark meat and you will get wings." I worked at KFC (management) for nearly 10 years. Wings are white meat!

• Unfortunately for KFC management, they never bothered to tell their service personnel that wings were white meat. I learned from experience that the only way not to get wings in your "all dark" order was to be specific, and say, "no wings" or "legs and thighs only".

• Chicken wings are white meat but I think they taste like dark meat.

First answer by Jack Simion. Last edit by The Revolt. Contributor trust: 57 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 198 [recommend question]

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