Experts say fast food chains might turn to dark meat as the chicken supply dwindles Summary List Placement Demand for chicken is still rising as brands compete in the chicken sandwich wars, but the meat has gotten more expensive. Experts predict a simple solution to alleviate this likely temporary problem: chains might start selling and promoting dark meat. Chicken has become more expensive over the last year, though most of the attention has focused on wings in particular. Chicken wing consumption is up 17% over last year, and breaded chicken is up 15% over the same period, according to NPD data. Chicken wings were a hit in 2020 and early 2021 as a nearly "pandemic proof" food they travel well for takeout, and wing and pizza shops already had the experience with delivery to keep business going without indoor dining. Large storms in Texas over the winter hit the US chicken supply hard in "major chicken producing regions," Tom Super, a spokesperson for the National Chicken Council, told Insider. "It will take time and effort to eventually replace the impacted hatchery supply flocks in that region." The same labor shortage impacting restaurants is also hitting chicken farms. "The chicken wing farms in America, they''re having trouble retaining and recruiting employees ," Greg Duell, co-owner of Duff''s Famous Wings in Buffalo, NY, said. "When that happens, they can''t process the birds fast enough, they have to feed them more, the feed costs have gone up, the birds are getting bigger and they can''t process and get them out," he said.