occasionally they sell 10 pound bags of raw chicken, as bottoms or legs(drumsticks) and thighs. what matters to me is how much usable flesh and some other qualify factors. keep in mind different cities will get their 10lbs sacks from different regional sources, so i can only speak for NYC, USA.
Aldi pressure steamed;
50% usable dark meat
50% bone and gristle
pieces were uniform roasters
no excess skin, no water injection
Lidl pressure steamed;
40% usable dark meat
40% bone and gristle
20% fat skin water
pieces were NOT uniform
mix of roasters and hens.
Aldi was comparable to what I get loose (roasters) from local Asian markets
Lidl was comparable to 5lbs "family packs" of supermarket chain (hen) chicken.
I measured 14oz of water trapped inside a sealed defrosted 10oz sack from Lidl,
which alone weighs 1 pound. I determine fat% because I used the same amount
of boil water in my pressure cooker, poured that broth into a quart mason jar,
chilled the broth... Aldi left 0.5cm of fat to skim, while Lidl was 2cm of fat.
in fairness, Costco also water injects their raw dark meat
but it tends to be uniform with excess fat&skin trimmed.
conclusion; Lidl is a good value, but does not compete with what i can get locally.
it's worth noting that Lidl markets to the BBQ consumer, which may not notice
this extra water and fat, as it simply broils away leaving less of an impression.
