Ingredient A-Z

Chicken meal

rendered proteinalso called: poultry meal, dehydrated chicken

What it is

Chicken with the water and much of the fat removed before inclusion. By weight it is denser in protein than fresh chicken, which is why it often sits high in an ingredient list.

Why it gets discussed

Frequently compared against named fresh meat. Because ingredient order is set by pre-cooking weight, a food listing fresh chicken first may nonetheless derive most of its protein from a meal further down the list.

Where it sits on the label

Commonly appears in the first three to five ingredients.

Foods in our database that list chicken meal

• Wilderness Chicken Recipe (Adult Dry) by Blue Buffalo

Foods in our database that do not list it

• Fresh Ground Bird / Smooth Bird by Smalls
• Fresh Pulled Bird by Smalls
• Fresh Ground Other Bird / Smooth Other Bird by Smalls
• Fresh Pulled Other Bird by Smalls
• Fresh Smooth Fish by Smalls
• Fresh Ground Cow / Smooth Cow by Smalls
• Fresh Smooth Pig by Smalls
• Fresh Smooth Bird & Fish Dish by Smalls
• Grilled Chicken Feast in Gravy by Fancy Feast
• Gravy Lovers Ocean Whitefish & Tuna Feast Pate in Gravy by Fancy Feast
• Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe Flaked Trout Feast by Blue Buffalo
• Seafood Sensations (Salmon, Tuna & Shrimp Flavors) by Friskies
• Tender & Crunchy Combo (Chicken, Beef, Carrots & Green Beans Flavors) by Friskies
• Land & Sea Adventures (Chicken & Ocean Fish Flavors) by Friskies
• Gravy Swirlers (Chicken, Salmon & Gravy Flavors) by Friskies
• Pate Salmon Dinner by Friskies
• Extra Gravy Pate With Tuna in Savory Gravy by Friskies
• Meaty Bits With Ocean Fish in Sauce by Friskies

"Do not list" means the ingredient does not appear on the label text we transcribed for that product. It is not a certification, and recipes change - always confirm on the current packaging.