Top Chicken Thigh Brands You Need to Try!

As the popularity of chicken thighs continues to rise, discerning home cooks and chefs alike are seeking the best brands that offer quality and taste. Whether you're grilling, roasting, or slow-cooking, choosing the right brand can make all the difference in your culinary creations. Factors such as ethical sourcing, flavor, and texture are key considerations in selecting top-notch chicken thighs. Discover some of the best brands available today and find out which ones truly stand out from the rest in the list below.


Illustration of chicken thighs

Best brands of chicken thighs in 2025

Tyson Foods

Tyson Foods is a leading producer of chicken thighs, known for its high-quality and diverse range of chicken products. The company's chicken segment, which accounts for approximately 30.81% of its total revenue, encompasses all aspects of chicken production, from breeding and raising chickens to processing and delivering various product forms, including whole chickens, chicken parts, and further processed items like chicken thighs. Tyson's efforts to improve its chicken business have been successful, with better chicken processing margins and higher wholesale chicken prices contributing to its financial recovery. The company's chicken segment is expected to see significant improvements, including a quarterly operating income of $239 million and an operating margin of 5.5%. Tyson's commitment to quality and innovation makes it a trusted brand for chicken thighs.

Perdue Farms

Perdue Farms is a leading producer of high-quality chicken thighs, known for their commitment to raising poultry on an all-vegetarian diet with no antibiotics, animal by-products, or hormones. In 2023, Perdue Foods produced 63.28 million pounds of ready-to-cook chicken, with 76% of their products being fresh and 24% frozen. Their chicken thighs are a favorite among chefs and home cooks for their rich flavor, tenderness, and quick cooking time. Perdue Farms employs over 19,000 people and contracts with more than 1,400 independent farm families. Their sales channels include 64% retail, 17% wholesale, 16% foodservice, and 3% export.

Foster Farms

Foster Farms is a renowned producer of high-quality chicken thighs, with a rich history dating back to 1939. The company, now part of Atlas Holdings, produces 23.8 million pounds of ready-to-cook chicken weekly and generated $2.445 billion in sales in 2023, with 72.7% of its sales coming from the retail market. Foster Farms is known for its cage-free, hormone-free, and antibiotic-free chicken products, with 40% of its flock raised without antibiotics. Their chicken thighs are popular for their nutritional profile, including 17 grams of protein and 15 grams of fat per 4-ounce serving. The company's commitment to quality and sustainability makes it a top choice for consumers.

Bell & Evans

Bell & Evans stands out as a premium poultry producer, particularly for its high-quality chicken thighs, by adhering to stringent standards such as 100% Air Chill processing, which eliminates added water and chlorine, and raising chickens without antibiotics. The company has seen significant growth, with a 10% to 15% annual increase, and it produces 3.5 million pounds of ready-to-cook chicken weekly. Bell & Evans is the first U.S. poultry company to use a fully automated unloading system and vision grading to ensure product quality. Their new harvesting facility, operational since late 2021, is organic-certified and features advanced automation and sustainability measures, including a 40% higher water efficiency than the industry average. This commitment to innovation and quality has earned them the 2022 Food Plant of the Year award.

Sanderson Farms

Sanderson Farms is a leading poultry producer in the United States, renowned for its high-quality boneless skinless chicken thigh fillets. As the third largest poultry producer, the company processes over 13.65 million chickens per week and has been in operation since 1947. Their chicken thigh fillets offer 22 grams of protein per 4oz serving, with only 4.5g of total fat and 105mg of cholesterol. Founded by D.R. Sanderson, Sr., the company has grown significantly, employing over 17,000 people and generating over $3.5 billion in revenue in 2020. With its products available under the Sanderson Farms brand, the company ensures delicious and nutritious meals.

Pilgrim's Pride

Pilgrim's Pride is a leading chicken producer, renowned for its high-quality chicken thighs, with a capacity to process about 36 million birds per week, resulting in nearly 9.5 billion pounds of live chicken annually. The company reported strong third-quarter 2024 results, with a net income of $350 million and an adjusted EBITDA margin of 14.4%, highlighting its operational excellence and strong demand in the U.S. fresh portfolio. Pilgrim's Pride's chicken demand remained robust, driven by competitive pricing and value delivered to consumers, with key customers expanding faster than category averages in the case ready and small bird segments. The company's diversified offerings, including value-added prepared foods, continue to expand across retail and foodservice channels. With a long-standing reputation, Pilgrim's Pride has been a supplier of major brands like Kentucky Fried Chicken and Costco. For more details on their third-quarter results, visit their detailed report.

Springer Mountain Farms

Springer Mountain Farms is renowned for producing high-quality chicken thighs, raised without antibiotics, hormones, or steroids, and fed an all-vegetarian diet. Their chickens are American Humane Certified, ensuring better animal care and superior tasting meat. The farm, located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, commits to environmentally focused practices and local sustainability. Their chicken thighs are available in various forms, including bone-in and boneless, skinless options, with some products containing up to 6% water and sea salt for added flavor. With a 95% fat-free profile, these thighs are a healthy and flavorful choice for any meal.

Mary's Free Range Chicken

Mary's Free Range Chicken, a brand under Pitman Family Farms, is renowned for its high-quality organic chicken thighs. The chickens are raised on a non-GMO, vegetarian diet, are free-range, and have no antibiotics, hormones, or steroids. This brand has seen significant success, particularly after a turnaround in 1998 when the Pitman family adapted to consumer demand for heritage and organic poultry, leading to their products being sold in nearly every specialty store in the West. Mary's Organic Chicken is certified organic, air-chilled, and ensures the chickens have access to the outdoors, enhancing the flavor and nutritional value of the meat. With contracts with several family farmers in the Central Valley to supply their birds, Mary's maintains a strong commitment to organic production and quality.

Smart Chicken

Smart Chicken is renowned for its high-quality chicken thighs, produced using a unique air-chilling process that preserves natural flavor and tenderness. This method, which involves cooling chickens with purified air instead of water immersion, minimizes water purge and reduces the risk of contamination. Smart Chicken thighs are part of a product line that is USDA Process Verified and free from antibiotics, hormones, and animal by-products. The brand, acquired by Tyson Foods in 2018, has seen significant growth, with organic fresh chicken sales increasing by 8.6% from 2016 to 2017. Smart Chicken's commitment to quality and humane farming practices makes it a popular choice among consumers seeking premium poultry products. For more details on their offerings, explore their product lineup.

Just BARE Chicken

Just BARE Chicken is a leading brand in the poultry industry, particularly renowned for its high-quality chicken thighs. Produced by Pilgrim's, the second largest broiler company in the United States, Just BARE Chicken stands out for its antibiotic-free production, with about 24% of Pilgrim's chicken production raised without antibiotics as of 2017. This brand is favored by consumers for its transparent packaging and the ability to trace the chicken back to the specific family farm where it was raised. Just BARE Chicken is also the leading chicken brand sold on Amazon.com, highlighting its strong market presence and consumer loyalty. The brand's commitment to food-conscious attributes has made it a national go-to-market brand at retail.


Benjamin
Benjamin

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