Dear Folks,

Buying a good cut of meat in Asia should not be that difficult.

For example:  In Taiwan, it’s easy.

In order to get a good cut of meat, while in Taiwan, just visit the Costco Stores; it’s simple as pie.

So then, why is it sometimes so difficult to buy a decent, non-tough, chicken breast in Thailand?

The answer is:  It should not be difficult to find a chicken breast in Thailand, since we can hear the chickens in most of our neighborhoods, waking us up every morning.

In reality: When I go to the store and try to buy chicken breast, what I come home with is something like….

RUBBER-DUBBER-FLUBBER Chicken, instead.

Surely, I know that the Asian way of cooking favors stir-fry, and I like stir fry.

However, when I want to dig my teeth into a tender breast, then this is what I want. I don’t want to chew on it for an hour, before devouring it.

Why is the chicken breast in Thailand so much tougher than what some of us are used to in other countries?  Is this just Thai philosophy at work, and one more example of something we Farang will never understand?

Anyway, now to the crux of my dilemma:

I do not care if it might be chicken or pork.

All I care about is being able to buy a succulent and tender piece of meat, outside of Pattaya.

The reason I mention Pattaya is because I am not there.

And, also, in Pattaya, I know that the retailers suck up to the Farng, and provide whatever they want, including tender meat.

This is NOT a Joke-Post, by the way.

I would be willing to pay about Bt.200 per Kg, for some decent meat.

What are the brands, if any, to look for?

I will ONLY buy from the major food retailers, since I do trust them.

I have been told that several major retailer brands are owned by the same company, but maybe I am wrong.

So, will it be pork?

Or, will it be chicken breast?

I would prefer chicken, but will take pork, as long as it is high quality, and does not wear down my teeth, and tire my jaws.  The bite strength of humans is not that great, and some of this chicken should be fed to wolves. The wolf has a bite strength of about 400 psi. By comparison, a chihuahua has a bite strength of about 125, give or take. And a human male has a bite strength of about 150.  Well, at least we are not as weak as the Chihuahua.

Still, NOBODY, probably, wants to test their strength on a chicken breast.

BREASTS are supposed to be tender, or have you not heard?

As I say:  If I knew what to look for, I would buy either good-tasting pork or chicken, provided it was tender, and provided the cost was approximately Bt.200 per kg.  Or, am I expecting too much at this low price?

Any purchasing information will be helpful.

Gamma

Note: I am willing to slow cook it, bake it, broil it, or whatever. I only need meat that I am used to. I grew up in America, and not in China, after all.

This is not to say that Chinese cuisine is not the finest. It is only to say that the method of food preparation is different. When stir-frying meat, the Chinese use thin, long slivers of meat, mostly, and they marinate in TaiBaiFen, and many other mixtures, before cooking the meat on a very hot fire, for a very short time.

I want to bake, stew, broil, fry, etc., my meat, and have it melt in my mouth, as I once used to be used to.

In China, this is also available, with stewed dishes. But, where does their meat come from?  Probably not Thailand, I would think.

Conclusion: I want a piece of meat which is suitable for consumption by a chihuahua, and not exclusively edible by the wolf.

I might also add this:

a. I have about 330 Liters of freezer capacity, at the present time.

b. If I could find the right kind of meat, then I would buy (by volume) 200 liters of meat, about three times per year.

c. So, if anyone here might know where I can find this tender meat, at the right price, locally, then I will repair my failed Hitachi fridge, in order to increase my frozen meat storage capacity.

d. As I say, either pork or chicken will be acceptable, as long as it is consistently tender.

e. I hate shopping.

f. And therefore, I prefer to buy enough meat, eggs, and tuna to last about 6 months, at a time.

g. I have only GREAT THINGS to say about the quality of the TOPS premium grade tuna, canned tuna steak packed in water. Good price, and good quality.

h. I am seeking a quality source, similar to the high grade of TOPS tuna, for either chicken breast, pork loin (tender), or even some other meat. Meat is Meat, and completely OK with me, if tender.

h. How much would 200 liters of chicken breast meat weigh?....

So, you can see, Folks, I am NOT fooling around here.

Still, I might start with only 120 liters of meat, initially.

But...ONLY if tender.

Thai chicken is leaner than US chicken, which means marinating and not over cooking to keep it moist. Buy it fresh and use then. Freezing will toughen it more.

Tajimadoi Beef Station in Sanpapao if you want a good steak. They have a freezer full of it and they grow their own.

11 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

Thai chicken is leaner than US chicken, which means marinating and not over cooking to keep it moist. Buy it fresh and use then. Freezing will toughen it more.

I really do not care about excuses why the local chicken is not tender.

I just want results.

I am tired of wasting my time in this endless search for the perfect breast.

Also, I can tell you:

a. I had even thought about buying a meat mallet, to try to tenderize it myself, at home.

b. But, of course, I was worried about spreading salmonella.

c. Also, more importantly: I have far better things to occupy my time, rather than spending every day pounding on my meat.

d. If the retailer can't get it right: Then I will not buy. If Taiwan can do it, then why not Thailand? Also, China can do it. And, in China, as well, there was no need to pound on the meat when I was there. It was very tender from the get go.

18 minutes ago, novacova said:

Tajimadoi Beef Station in Sanpapao if you want a good steak. They have a freezer full of it and they grow their own.

Where do the best, premium, restaurants in BKK source their breasts?

This, I would like to know.

1 hour ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Dear Folks,

Buying a good cut of meat in Asia should not be that difficult.

For example:  In Taiwan, it’s easy.

In order to get a good cut of meat, while in Taiwan, just visit the Costco Stores; it’s simple as pie.

So then, why is it sometimes so difficult to buy a decent, non-tough, chicken breast in Thailand?

The answer is:  It should not be difficult to find a chicken breast in Thailand, since we can hear the chickens in most of our neighborhoods, waking us up every morning.

In reality: When I go to the store and try to buy chicken breast, what I come home with is something like….

RUBBER-DUBBER-FLUBBER Chicken, instead.

Surely, I know that the Asian way of cooking favors stir-fry, and I like stir fry.

However, when I want to dig my teeth into a tender breast, then this is what I want. I don’t want to chew on it for an hour, before devouring it.

Why is the chicken breast in Thailand so much tougher than what some of us are used to in other countries?  Is this just Thai philosophy at work, and one more example of something we Farang will never understand?

Anyway, now to the crux of my dilemma:

I do not care if it might be chicken or pork.

All I care about is being able to buy a succulent and tender piece of meat, outside of Pattaya.

The reason I mention Pattaya is because I am not there.

And, also, in Pattaya, I know that the retailers suck up to the Farng, and provide whatever they want, including tender meat.

This is NOT a Joke-Post, by the way.

I would be willing to pay about Bt.200 per Kg, for some decent meat.

What are the brands, if any, to look for?

I will ONLY buy from the major food retailers, since I do trust them.

I have been told that several major retailer brands are owned by the same company, but maybe I am wrong.

So, will it be pork?

Or, will it be chicken breast?

I would prefer chicken, but will take pork, as long as it is high quality, and does not wear down my teeth, and tire my jaws.  The bite strength of humans is not that great, and some of this chicken should be fed to wolves. The wolf has a bite strength of about 400 psi. By comparison, a chihuahua has a bite strength of about 125, give or take. And a human male has a bite strength of about 150.  Well, at least we are not as weak as the Chihuahua.

Still, NOBODY, probably, wants to test their strength on a chicken breast.

BREASTS are supposed to be tender, or have you not heard?

As I say:  If I knew what to look for, I would buy either good-tasting pork or chicken, provided it was tender, and provided the cost was approximately Bt.200 per kg.  Or, am I expecting too much at this low price?

Any purchasing information will be helpful.

Gamma

Note: I am willing to slow cook it, bake it, broil it, or whatever. I only need meat that I am used to. I grew up in America, and not in China, after all.

This is not to say that Chinese cuisine is not the finest. It is only to say that the method of food preparation is different. When stir-frying meat, the Chinese use thin, long slivers of meat, mostly, and they marinate in TaiBaiFen, and many other mixtures, before cooking the meat on a very hot fire, for a very short time.

I want to bake, stew, broil, fry, etc., my meat, and have it melt in my mouth, as I once used to be used to.

In China, this is also available, with stewed dishes. But, where does their meat come from?  Probably not Thailand, I would think.

Conclusion: I want a piece of meat which is suitable for consumption by a chihuahua, and not exclusively edible by the wolf.

I can do that with the cheapest cuts of beef and regularly do so for my Chinese dishes. Slow cooked in a little seasoned water for up to twelve hours. You just need to select the right pieces. I pay, on average, between 200 and 240 per kg. The ensuing stock is useful too.

If you are ruining chicken breasts...the problem is all yours. 😊

You just need to improve your technique, in each discipline.

1 minute ago, FrankieGoesToHolly said:

I can do that with the cheapest cuts of meat and regularly do so for my Chinese dishes. Slow cooked in a little seasoned water for up to twelve hours. You just need to select the right pieces. I pay, on average, between 200 and 240 per kg. The ensuing stock is useful too.

If you are ruining chicken breasts...the problem is all yours. 😊

OK.

I will look into this technique, once again.

And, I will double the price I pay, and be happy to do so.

But...WHERE to buy...this is really my ONLY question.

I am not in BKK, or it might be far easier.

Also, just checking Gemini on this subject of tender chicken breast meat:

STILL, in my view: One cannot make a purse out of a sow's ear.

Neither can you save a RUBBER-Chicken by marinating it, or adding cornstarch, or papaya to the mix.

10 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

OK.

I will look into this technique, once again.

And, I will double the price I pay, and be happy to do so.

But...WHERE to buy...this is really my ONLY question.

I am not in BKK, or it might be far easier.

My suggestion is not for chicken breast. I simply don't like chicken breast. But if I am going to use it, I'll marinate for flavour, cook it minimally and eat it immediately.

Any leftovers can be chopped up to bolster soups or some such.

15 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

I really do not care about excuses why the local chicken is not tender.

I just want results.

I am tired of wasting my time in this endless search for the perfect breast.

Also, I can tell you:

a. I had even thought about buying a meat mallet, to try to tenderize it myself, at home.

b. But, of course, I was worried about spreading salmonella.

c. Also, more importantly: I have far better things to occupy my time, rather than spending every day pounding on my meat.

d. If the retailer can't get it right: Then I will not buy. If Taiwan can do it, then why not Thailand? Also, China can do it. And, in China, as well, there was no need to pound on the meat when I was there. It was very tender from the get go.

Proper cooking helps make chicken tender. A mallet helps but marinating tougher meats, like I do Venison, helps a lot. Cooking to the proper temperature doesn't mean making it tougher but will prevent Salmonella.You get chicken cheaper here because its from Thailand. I've eaten and cooked chicken for decades both here and back home and it's tender if you cook it properly. Only costs about 69 Baht a Kilo when I buy it here. 90% of chicken in Thailand comes from Thailand. You can buy frozen but again it makes it tougher and drier. Thailand exports a lot of chicken but imports little as there isn't a need.

14 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Also, just checking Gemini on this subject of tender chicken breast meat:

STILL, in my view: One cannot make a purse out of a sow's ear.

Neither can you save a RUBBER-Chicken by marinating it, or adding cornstarch, or papaya to the mix.

Those ways are how I've cooked chicken all along, and they come out tender and moist. Overcooking does chicken in.

Buffalo balls in Thailand are good value.

19 minutes ago, FrankieGoesToHolly said:

Slow cooked in a little seasoned water for up to twelve hours.

If you are asking me to wait for 12-hours, while I prepare my next meal....

I will die of hunger, in the meantime.

I want to throw a few breast on the grill, and then chow-down.

I want to turn my oven on, and bake the chicken, and enjoy it, within the hour.

I want to deep fry my chicken breasts, or legs, as I have always done, in my home country, Taiwan, and not worry about it.

WHAT do they feed these chickens, here in Thailand, anyway?

Latex?

Thailand, and this part of the world, has always been known for natural rubber.

And, the chickens here are more rubbery than anywhere else you might imagine.

It would be better if we could purchase premium quality frozen chicken from the USA.

THEREFORE: Most likely, since Thailand exports chicken, and is such a robust raiser of chickens...there must be excellent and tender chicken raised here. Where does it go? I have not seen hide nor hair of it, yet.

I would think, if you want to pay for it, and actually know what you're buying. I won't pay what they ask for higher quality meat, beef, specifically. Pricing of 3-4-5k baht a kilo, not happening. I can make a decent cut of beef taste good & tender.

Pork, chicken & seafood, you can only do so much, and hard to charge much more as quality isn't going to justify some prices. More about presentation in the cold case, which doesn't impress me at all, nor justify the 2-3X the price, that I can buy it for.

3 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

If you are asking me to wait for 12-hours, while I prepare my next meal....

I will die of hunger, in the meantime.

I want to throw a few breast on the grill, and then chow-down.

I want to turn my oven on, and bake the chicken, and enjoy it, within the hour.

I want to deep fry my chicken breasts, or legs, as I have always done, in my home country, Taiwan, and not worry about it.

WHAT do they feed these chickens, here in Thailand, anyway?

Latex?

Thailand, and this part of the world, has always been known for natural rubber.

And, the chickens here are more rubbery than anywhere else you might imagine.

It would be better if we could purchase premium quality frozen chicken from the USA.

THEREFORE: Most likely, since Thailand exports chicken, and is such a robust raiser of chickens...there must be excellent and tender chicken raised here. Where does it go? I have not seen hide nor hair of it, yet.

It's not the chicken, it's you. No one deep fries chicken breast, are you insane? You don't know what you are doing. Maybe you should head back to Taiwan to see if it works for you there. The result will be exactly the same. Of course you can process meat with things like sodium bicarbonate or cornflour to 'velvet' the chicken(which is probably what they did in Taiwan). But I'm sure that you would ruin it anyway. I'm guessing that you have a LOT of frozen chicken breast...

Everyone here cannot see the forest for the chicken meat:

Khew-Khew = Rubber-Rubber

I am about to give up on Chicken, in Thailand, permanently.

I will switch to pork (but only if it is tender pork).

I can never find it either mainly due to the amount of water in my eyes from the price 🤔

3 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Everyone here cannot see the forest for the chicken meat:

Khew-Khew = Rubber-Rubber

I am about to give up on Chicken, in Thailand, permanently.

I will switch to pork (but only if it is tender pork).

Read the AI info. You missed "if cooked at the same timing or temperature..." In other words...your lack of technique. You.

2 minutes ago, FrankieGoesToHolly said:

No one deep fries chicken breast, are you insane?

a. I might be insane, but THIS is not the Topic, here.

b. All you need to do is go to the back gate of CMU. You will see someone deep frying hundreds of chicken breasts, every afternoon and evening of the week.

c. The price is about Bt.30 per half chicken breast.

d. Be forewarned: You will need to stand in line, maybe for up to 30 minutes.

NOTE: As to whether or not I am insane? Of course! Are we not all crazy?

5 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Everyone here cannot see the forest for the chicken meat:

Khew-Khew = Rubber-Rubber

I am about to give up on Chicken, in Thailand, permanently.

I will switch to pork (but only if it is tender pork).

You'll have the same problem. You utter lack of cooking skills. You just keep repeating the same thing, hoping for a better outcome.

1 minute ago, FrankieGoesToHolly said:

In other words...your lack of technique. You.

Actually, no.

I have two or three people, Thai people, cooking the same meat.

It is TOUGH, and they admit it.

They do not like it, either.

1 minute ago, FrankieGoesToHolly said:

You'll have the same problem. You utter lack of cooking skills. You just keep repeating the same thing, hoping for a better outcome.

I have no lack of success in Taiwan, with different breasts.

1 minute ago, GammaGlobulin said:

a. I might be insane, but THIS is not the Topic, here.

b. All you need to do is go to the back gate of CMU. You will see someone deep frying hundreds of chicken breasts, every afternoon and evening of the week.

c. The price is about Bt.30 per half chicken breast.

d. Be forewarned: You will need to stand in line, maybe for up to 30 minutes.

NOTE: As to whether or not I am insane? Of course! Are we not all crazy?

Likely dry as a bone...if they don't know what they are doing. If they do, they coat it and fry it minimally for immediate consumption.

Of course they may choose to 'velvet' it beforehand.

Just now, GammaGlobulin said:

I have no lack of success in Taiwan, with different breasts.

Adapt your technique or head back to Taiwan is my suggestion.

If you are going to put chicken breasts in the oven, wrap them in aluminium foil, with herbs, spices, olive oil etc, much in the way of fish fillets.

5 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Actually, no.

I have two or three people, Thai people, cooking the same meat.

It is TOUGH, and they admit it.

They do not like it, either.

Thais rarely utilise chicken breast. They don't use it at all in my local, very popular, fried chicken outlet. That's why it's cheap. They like meat on the bone.

Adapt.

10 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Actually, no.

I have two or three people, Thai people, cooking the same meat.

It is TOUGH, and they admit it.

They do not like it, either.

And they also over cook their meat, in hot oil. Coming from the US, you should be well aware how to make tender chicken, as most mothers already knew this. Again, Thai chicken is leaner, so it's up to you to tenderize and marinate, plus use a mallet. I've cooked, and my girlfriend does also, chicken every week, and it comes out fine if it's not stir fried. In curry, baked, breaded then fried, in soups, it all is tender IF you cook till just done. Thais, unless they have been overseas or listen to western podcasts,, are unaware of how to cook chicken to make it moist. There are also few ovens here used to bake chicken.

I don't think it is your cooking technique because I've had the same problem. None of it seems very good. Maybe the high-end stuff is decent, but it's too expensive to bother with.

I've switched to making stews with a pressure cooker so that it satisfies my desire for meat.

One minor suggestion is to order your chicken from a Betagro store via Grab. It tastes the same, but is fresher and will store better in the freezer.

Anyway, you can try this. Butterfly the breast to make it thinner. If it's too thick you need to cook it for longer and it will dry out and become tough. You can choose to 'velvet' it or not. Experiment as to your preference.

If it has less water than the injected American chicken, it stands to reason that you'll need to cook it for a lesser period or all the water will evaporate. Adjust. Butterflying will help by requiring a lesser cooking time.

3 minutes ago, davb said:

I don't think it is your cooking technique because I've had the same problem. None of it seems very good. Maybe the high-end stuff is decent, but it's too expensive to bother with.

I've switched to making stews with a pressure cooker so that it satisfies my desire for meat.

One minor suggestion is to order your chicken from a Betagro store via Grab. It tastes the same, but is fresher and will store better in the freezer.

It is the cooking technique. Velvet, Butterfly. These are techniques. There are options open to you. You just need to adapt your ways of preparing. Everything I do comes out edible.

Betagro chicken is often frozen in the first place. When I used to buy it from their stores, it was frozen.