SUMMARYBreast and thigh meat of nine‐week‐old fryers from a commercial source was processed as frozen or freeze‐dried raw or cooked meat. Objective methods were compared with sensory evaluation of texture and juiciness differences in the meat. The effect of freezing temperature (‐23° and ‐191°C) on the quality of freeze‐dried poultry meat and the differing effect of freeze drying on raw and cooked breast and thigh meat were also determined.Freeze‐dried chicken meat was readily distinguished from frozen. Freeze‐dried meat had poorer texture and less juiciness, higher shear resistance, and more expressible liquid than frozen. Cooked chicken meat had significantly higher shear resistance (Allo‐Kramer and Instron) after freeze‐drying than after freezing. The shear resistance tests agreed well with panel judgments of texture and could be substituted for them. However, for meat that was frozen or freeze dried before cooking, the differences in shear resistance were not consistently significant. Freeze‐dried breast meat had larger amounts of expressible liquid (Succulometer) than the frozen. For breast meat this objective test agreed well with panel judgments of juiciness and could he substituted for them. Although the panel consistently distinguished differences between frozen and freeze‐dried thigh meat, little or no liquid could be expressed from any of the thigh meat; thus the test could not be substituted for the panel judgments. No significant differences in “water‐holding capacity” (Grau‐Hamm press) were found between frozen and freeze‐dried meat; this test could not be substituted for the panel tests under the conditions used.Freezing temperature (‐23° and ‐191°C) had no significant effect on meat freeze‐dried before cooking. The freezing temperatures resulted in detectable differences in meat freeze dried after cooking, but the differences were too small to be of practical importance.Freeze drying adversely affected breast more than thigh. The breast meat was less tender and juicy, and had higher shear resistance, and more expressible liquid.Meat cooked after freeze drying had better texture and juiciness, lower shear resistance, and less expressible liquid than meat cooked before freeze drying.