Have been almost completly vegetarian for the last 4 and a half years and was pretty much a carnivore before that, so I feel this is as unbiased of an opinion as is possible.
The Beyond, Gardien, Impossible, etc fake chicken have more flavor, nearly indistinguishable texture, are just as juicy, and aren’t greasy. At this point, I consider them better than regular chicken with the sole exception of fried chicken which was never my favorite but I can see the appeal of it.
I’ll concede that the beef substitutes have a ways to go (I like them and they’re not bad but they’re not fooling anyone, either) but they’re not the subject of this opinion.
When you buy “chicken” at the store, is it referring to the animal, or the flavor and texture?
EDIT: About the response I was expecting, and I think I agree in this instance. I was just curious to get others’ viewpoints. It might have been better to phrase it as “When you see the word ‘chicken’ on a product…”
Meat from the animal.
Absolutely the animal. There is no other meaning of the word chicken when buying chicken that means that it is not chicken.
Edit: unless it’s an adjective like “chicken substitute”
How do you buy “chicken flavour” or “chicken texture” at the store?