History

• Chickens are believed to have been domesticated as a food source in India around 3,000 BC, while turkeys were domesticated from wild turkeys in Central America. Today the United States is the largest producer of both turkey and chicken in the world and is the second largest exporter of the birds. Most chickens and turkeys are grown and processed in the Southern United States.
  
  

Significance

• During the 1950s, chicken and turkey cost consumers more than beef. Unless the poultry was home raised, beef and pork were a better bargain for shoppers. As the demand for poultry grew, the technology and nutrition for the birds escalated so that the birds could be produced larger and healthier than before, which lowered the price per pound for poultry.
  
  

Function

• Chicken and turkey can be used interchangeably in most recipes. While turkey is most often consumed during the holiday period between Thanksgiving and New Years, it is available year round in grocery stores. Many producers are now selling turkey parts, such as the breast or legs, along with the whole turkey, much as chicken producers have done for years.
  
  

Considerations

• According to the Nutrition Almanac published by Nutrition Search in Minneapolis, Minnesota, a pound of roasted chicken contains 1,314 calories, 114 grams of protein and 92 grams of fat. Compare that to roasted light meat turkey, which contains 797 calories, 149 grams of protein and 17.7 grams of fat. Roasted dark meat turkey beats chicken with 920 calories, 136 grams of protein and 38 grams of fat per pound. These numbers give turkey the edge over chicken as the healthier of the two types of poultry.
  
  

Benefits

• Purchased during the holiday season, turkey prices are generally less than chicken per pound. By purchasing several turkeys at this time, the consumer can have turkey to last an entire year. The turkeys can then be thawed and roasted or removed from the bone to prepare like chicken in other recipes. The leftover carcass can be cooked, in water in a crock pot for 6 to 8 hours to make homemade turkey stock for use in recipes calling for chicken broth or stock.