Halal Chicken at Restaurant Depot? Opinions?

[worktogthr]

Every once in a while, Restaurant Depot has low prices on Halal certified boneless skinless chicken thighs. I use boneless skinless chicken thighs for a lot of dishes, especially for chicken sausage. Now I have been told that the Halal beef they sell usually falls into the standard or select grade. Anyone know if the chicken is also of lower quality. Maybe less fat then your average chicken thigh etc.? Only option is a 40# case which I could portion, freeze and use as needed but I don't want to purchase the much of something that is not a good product.

Thanks,
Chris

 

[Stlsportster]

I don't have experience with Halal but I do with Kosher foods and my understanding is they follow similar rules. In Kosher foods, the quality is usually much higher as there are strict dietary rules which include how the animal is killed, processed and handled. Now Kosher food is also salted to remove excess blood from the meat so it is more salty than regular cuts of meat.

If a food is Kosher, it is also Halal. However the reverse is not automatically true.

 

[Gary Tomato]

My understanding is that Halal is mostly about how the cattle is slaughtered and the environment it is prepared in, not the quality of the cattle, so it would depend on the quality of cattle the abattoir slaughter.

I’ve never heard of lower quality chicken either, unless you determine that being based on it being a free range or caged fowl, free range are supposed to taste better but usually costs a lot more.

 

[Jason TQ]

My understanding is that Halal is mostly about how the cattle is slaughtered and the environment it is prepared in, not the quality of the cattle, so it would depend on the quality of cattle the abattoir slaughter.

I’ve never heard of lower quality chicken either, unless you determine that being based on it being a free range or caged fowl, free range are supposed to taste better but usually costs a lot more.

Pretty much this here I think. Halal is about the slaughtered process and their guidlines vs quality of the animal.

I did a few quick searchs and found some forums of folks talking about whether they can tell the difference between Halal beef/chicken and "normal" and the consensus seemed to be it tastes the same.

So if that is true I'd go with whatever was least expensive. The one massive 28lb brisket I got at RD was actually Halal :becky:

 

[miked125]

Our Costco carries it, its usually more expensive but does go on sale. At the point I buy whatever is cheaper, tastes the same. The big difference is how the animal is slaughtered.

 

[BBQ Nuts]

We use the RD Halal boneless skinless thighs for catering when they are cheaper and have not noticed any difference. Primarily use for our pulled chicken. Go for it!

 

[IXL]

Being "Halal" has nothing to do with the quality of the meat product itself. We buy the halal meats at RD when they are on sale and can tell no difference. They are not of lesser quality.

 

[HouseDoc]

I use RD breasts, thighs, and tenders.
All good. We vac seal the 40# box into manageable
size for a few meals.

 

[worktogthr]

Thanks so much for the input guys. I asked a few of the employees there and they did say that the halal beef for whatever reason would be comparable to select beef in most cases which is why I was curious about the chicken. Next time the price is right, I will definitely go for it!