Dehydrated chicken

Dehydrated chicken is a raw material made by drying chicken meat, sometimes with by-products, to sharply reduce its water content, and dehydration concentrates the nutrients. One striking consequence of label arithmetic: one kilogram of dehydrated chicken corresponds to a much larger amount of fresh meat, because raw meat contains roughly 70 percent water, so a fresh chicken listed first can weigh less than it seems once the water has evaporated (FEDIAF). On a label it therefore helps to distinguish dehydrated chicken or chicken meal, a concentrated ingredient, from fresh chicken, which is weighed with its water still present. Good-quality chicken meal delivers high protein content and strong amino acid density, and its quality depends on the starting material and the drying process, which must avoid overheating that degrades protein (Regulation (EC) 767/2009). The term stays fairly generic, not stating the share of muscle, bone or other tissue, so manufacturer transparency about origin and composition helps judge real value. A useful marker: the words meal or dehydrated signal a water-free ingredient that compares more fairly across products. Reading it correctly is central to assessing where the [chicken breast](/glossary/chicken-breast) and other named cuts really sit, and it underpins much of the ingredient-list guidance in the [Petipedia glossary](/glossary).

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