PurposeThis study addresses a critical gap in understanding consumer behavior toward indigenous chicken, investigating the interaction between cognitive factors and purchase decisions. The current research offers a valuable contribution to the field of sustainable food marketing by shedding light on these dynamics.Design/methodology/approachThe research employed a quantitative survey method to gather data from consumers of indigenous chicken in Malaysia and analyzed it using structural equation modeling.FindingsHealth and price consciousness, along with effort expectancy, significantly influence consumer attitudes toward indigenous chicken. However, environmental consciousness and availability do not directly impact attitude. Similarly, attitude mediates the relationship between health consciousness, price consciousness, effort expectancy and purchase behavior, while attitude does not mediate the relationship between environmental consciousness, availability and purchase behavior of indigenous chicken.Originality/valueThis study is one of the pioneering works to apply the cognitive affect behavior (CAB) model to examine the factors influencing consumer attitudes and purchase behavior toward indigenous chicken. It investigates how constructs such as health consciousness, environmental consciousness, price consciousness, effort expectancy and availability affect these attitudes and behaviors, offering novel insights into the purchase intentions of younger and educated individuals.