What's happening with Aldis chicken?

[Yipitsme]

I love Aldi,its my favourite supermarket and great for everything.However for the past year I've found their chicken really odd tasting.every single breast has the same white thick gristly strip through the middle,its really odd it's like it's been added to two separate pieces to hold it together?it seems pumped full of water too and despite cooking for correct time turns into inedible chewy wood tasting pieces every time.
Its frustrating as I'll now need to start shopping elsewhere for poultry.

I worked in research for the company that produced the chicken for Aldi a few years ago for my placement year (I don’t know if they are still the supplier as this can change year to year based on pricing)
The sinue (white gristle bit in the middle) is a natural bit of the chicken it may be tougher in some birds more than others but isn’t too hard to remove.
I can say none of the unflavoured products ie breast, mini fillets thighs etc had any water added. With the flavoured roast in bag jobs they had a sort of brine added to help the flavours carry.

As I saw this may be different if they’ve changed supplier. You can found out who the manufacturer is by looking up the EC code (this is linked to each individual factory) if you find you don’t like a certain place you can avoid that code.

Sorry got a bit carried way actually being able to help give a different perspective...hopefully

Not chicken, but I thought this was interesting

I roasted an aldi chicken last night and it was lovely, no complaints here

Sorry, it's 2sisters food group who supply the chicken, and sorry to disappoint those who think Waitrose and M&S are better, but I just checked and theirs come from there too!

A lot of this thread seems to be about chicken portions, and I think it's inevitable that they will deteriorate with the flesh exposed, even when wrapped. I only buy whole chickens and I'm sure they taste better.

@yearinyearout

Sorry, it's 2sisters food group who supply the chicken, and sorry to disappoint those who think Waitrose and M&S are better, but I just checked and theirs come from there too!

they were not the supplier I worked for so there’s a potential reason for the change people are seeing, although it should be said it may be a blip due to covid impacting the supply chain, reduced numbers of staff on line to do visual checks etc delayed production due factory closures (meaning chickens are on farm longer than normal)

Just go vegan.

I roasted a little free range chicken from Aldi at the weekend and it was really nice. I haven’t had problems with any of their meat or veg, though threads on MN are full of people complaining.

Unless you buy locally sourced, organic, free range chicken, then chances are it will be pumped with water. But that costs money and most people can’t afford it.

Try corn fed as an in between.

I work for a chicken factory.... I can categorically tell you that the same standard of chicken is packed into Aldi, Morrison's, Costco and wholesale for butchers at our place. I'd be interested to see the label of your chicken. The EC code in the oval on the label links it to the supplier with a quick google you can find out who packed it and who they supply their raw material to.

@ViciousJackdaw

Which sort of white strip do you mean? There is one on the underside of the breast, in the part that is is called a mini-fillet or a tender. That's the tendon and if the breast has been poorly butchered, you see it. They do pull out, with the aid of a fork but they also cook away in the oven. If your CB has a white strip/es running over the top then they are strips of fat which is a consequence of factory farming. They reduce the tenderness of the breast.

I have always wondered what free range chickens have free range of. The name implies a lovely green field where they can peck at grains to their hearts content but they could equally have free range of a 2m x 2m area for all we know. Is there a particular standard that must be met to enable chicken to be called FR?

To be classed a free range, they just need to have access to outside space..... this space does not have to be very big. Chickens are stupid creatures.... and don't tend to venture outside as it's to far away from the feed, water and warmth of the shed

Lol I love Aldi chicken (all their meat actually!)

The corn fed one is amazing

@yearinyearout

Sorry, it's 2sisters food group who supply the chicken, and sorry to disappoint those who think Waitrose and M&S are better, but I just checked and theirs come from there too!

They are manufacturers and slaughterers, not chicken farmers. They do not 'supply' chicken.

Waitrose chicken comes from specific farms.
www.waitrose.com/home/inspiration/about_waitrose/the_waitrose_way/waitrose_animal_welfarecommitments.html

The farmers will be contracted to certain supermarkets (through the processor) which is how they can manage specific non standard welfare/environmental claims...but 2 sisters in this case will be the contracted ‘processor’ therefore any complaints about the chicken the supermarket receives will go to them not the farmer as they are the supplier into the supermarket

@ViciousJackdaw I spent a fair amount of time on free range turkey/chicken farms as part of studies, they had the sheds, nettle patches/straw bales lovely sunny day etc and there’d probably only be 10 outside at a time cause they just prefer to be undercover and scrating/dust bathing about in the bedding they had a big ole field to roam but weren’t fussed 😂

And there's this

Support your local butcher. Their meat is generally locally sourced and better quality. Better to eat quality meat less often

Support your local butcher. Their meat is generally locally sourced and better quality. Better to eat quality meat less often

The key word there is ‘generally’!

There is a decent butcher 20 min away but the closest one to us is awful.
Aldi slimy chicken and Iceland 6 bird roast are more tempting than anything I have ever bought there.
Independent is definitely not always better.

It’s meat from battery chickens, who have an absolutely inhumane and cruel life and an even worse death - why on earth would you expect them to taste delicious? Buy free range organic or eat less meat. It’s not hard.

We buy whole chicken from there, but stopped buying chicken breasts from any supermarket a while ago. We get a huge pack from out local butchers, but we can really tell the difference if I have to buy a pack from the supermarket.

I like Aldi chicken. The worst is co op though! Slimy and lots of tendon. By the time you pull it out with the fork you barely have any meat left.

I have had 2 rotten chickens in use by date recently, one in the summer. Both from
Tesco's. The year before, one from Aldi.

It isn't my fridge. I had it checked.

@Davros

And there's this

Is this for egg laying hens, or for meat? Or both?

Yuck yuck yuck

Tesco chicken breasts and thighs also have that thick white line of gristle through at the moment. I have to cut it out with scissors.