Why You May Want To Avoid Buying Chicken At Aldi

Aldi stands out as the cheapest grocery store in America where, despite its low prices, you can still find tons of fantastic items. However, there are some products that you should think twice about before buying. Previously, we've touched on the best cuts of beef at Aldi and the ones you should avoid. Well, unfortunately, there's something else in the meat section that many customers aren't pleased with: the chicken.

Head on over to the r/Aldi subreddit, and you'll find no shortage of gripes about Aldi's chicken. Some of the most common complaints are that the store's chicken is low quality, tough, and woody — meaning incredibly tough and fibrous. While Aldi uses various suppliers for poultry, folks appear to have had bad experiences throughout the U.S. However, it's not all bad reviews. In fact, plenty of people have nothing but good things to say about Aldi's chicken, so it seems to be largely hit or miss whether or not you'll end up with some duds. For that reason alone, it might be worth heading elsewhere if you need to stock up on chicken.

That said, woody chicken — one of the biggest complaints among consumers at Aldi — is a growing issue, and it's not localized to Aldi. Instead, the problem is thought to stem from the selective breeding of broiler chickens to make them grow faster and larger, in addition to excessive feeding to rapidly force growth. However, whether you're shopping at Aldi or another retailer, there are some ways you can avoid this undesirable meat.

Whether you've had your own bad experiences buying chicken at Aldi or you want to avoid biting into a tough, stringy chicken breast, it's important to know what to look for when shopping for chicken. The Poultry Site advises folks to look out for meat that is pale with white stripes across the flesh or bulging spots. They also point out that chickens over nine pounds appear more likely to produce woody meat, so keep in mind that bigger isn't always better when buying poultry. The last thing you want is to make some delicious cream cheese-stuffed chicken breasts only to take a bite and find out it's stringy and unappetizing. 

Ideally, chicken should be light pink with little or no white striping. If possible, look for chicken labeled Certified Humane, as this means the birds were raised and handled with animal welfare in mind. Suppliers must abide by strict guidelines to ensure the quality and well-being of the birds. This means there's a lower chance of the birds having been forced to grow too fast.