Chicken is positioned as the protein winner in the United States in 2025, according to an article in WATT Poultry.
Consumers valued chicken’s low cost, healthiness and taste, the article stated.
Animal protein demand has been exceptional in recent years, but chicken had seen the largest growth at 19% over the past decade, it said, quoting an address to the 2025 Meat Conference by Brian Earnest, animal protein economist at CoBank.
Demand for chicken was so strong that it had overtaken beef – and even replacing beef in some cases, Earnest said, noting the popularity of the McDonald’s Chicken Big Mac released in late 2024.
He also noted increased demand in the US for dark meat – the chicken leg quarters, thighs and drumsticks that are typically considered an export product in the US.
“Earnest stated that this tells him US consumer is finding dark meat more appealing, perhaps in part due to the higher prices of other cuts. US consumers also tend to prefer boneless options like breast meat compared to the bone-in products like thigh meat.
“New further processing technology has made it easier to debone thigh meat, which is also helping to drive popularity,” Earnest said.
