Illustrations for the "Fried, Baked and Barbecued" chapter

Over the course of history, chicken has become increasingly popular for many reasons; this appeal arises from its versatility, low cost and perceived health benefits.

In his presidential campaign of 1928, Herbert Hoover promised the voters of the US “A Chicken in Every Pot”. Whilst increasing the accessibility of goods to all families, such as chicken, was Hoover’s proposal, the extent to which it would gain popularity, and find its way onto the dining tables of families, multiple nights a week, has been unprecedented. Up until this point in history, chicken meat had largely been the side product of egg production. With the rise of factory farming, the affordability of chicken increased amongst the US population, and was seen as a marker of prosperity. Chicken production was enhanced by improvements in disease control and the introduction of intensive confinement, in order to produce more food for troops in WWII. Overall, as the title matches the famous and direct quote, it could suggest that the authors wanted to promote ideas of prosperity as a way to market their book.

Advertising campaigns for Perdue chickens between 1968 and 1974 were targeted at women. This was tactical, as it was often housewives at the time who were the figure purchasing and cooking meals. Up until this point, chicken had provided farmers with minimal income and was a loss leader in supermarkets. By branding chicken, families began to choose their poultry not based on its appearance, but by trust in a brand, such as Perdue, promising quality. Over this time, branded chicken purchasing quadrupled. The popularity of chicken will have led to success for cookbooks such as A Chicken in Every Pot, as families were new to consuming so much chicken, these variations and exotic recipes were probably welcomed.

Illustration for the "Chicken and Fruit" chapter

In the 1970s, when the book was published, chicken accelerated in popularity due to its perceived health benefits. In comparison to red meat, chicken was seen to be relatively fat free and a low cholesterol way of maintaining protein in a diet. However, this cookbook clearly states that “it is not a book for dieters”. Therefore, it might be appealing to other needs for food in society, such as family and entertainment meals. Other attributing factors to chicken’s rise in the 1970s involve the rise of the home freezer, increasing the shelf life of poultry. Further to this, a drastic increase in the volume of chicken takeaway outlets occurred.

Ironically, chicken in modern times can have a dark side. Skyrocketing obesity in the US can be attributed to the rise of popular fast food chains, such as KFC. It is not necessarily the meat itself, but the high fat, low cost ways of processing and cooking the chicken that can often account for obesity. Growth hormones and inhumane ways of raising chicken are currently publicised in the public sphere more, such as in documentaries like Netflix’s The Future of Meat, as part of the Explained series. The average weight of a federally inspected chicken in January 1972 was 3.7 lbs, by January 2020 this had almost doubled to 6.4 lbs. Across this period new technologies, monitoring health of birds and hormones can all account for this rise in weight. This could encourage the consumer to question how natural and good for you eating chicken really is. Increasingly, consumers worldwide are becoming more conscious about the environment, leading to a rise in plant-based diets. The Future of Meat looks at alternatives that are more environmentally friendly, and in some ways more ethical (although the debates around this are complicated), such as reproducing chicken breast in a lab. Therefore, we can question the future popularity of chicken, has it reached a peak as a staple within households?