Have been almost completly vegetarian for the last 4 and a half years and was pretty much a carnivore before that, so I feel this is as unbiased of an opinion as is possible.
The Beyond, Gardien, Impossible, etc fake chicken have more flavor, nearly indistinguishable texture, are just as juicy, and aren’t greasy. At this point, I consider them better than regular chicken with the sole exception of fried chicken which was never my favorite but I can see the appeal of it.
I’ll concede that the beef substitutes have a ways to go (I like them and they’re not bad but they’re not fooling anyone, either) but they’re not the subject of this opinion.
Could be right on the smell, but TBH, I’ve never really associated chicken with a particular smell (except fried chicken) but I always liken that more to the cooking process than the meat itself.
I probably did leave out a fair number of dishes/use-cases since most of my chicken consumption that isn’t just snacking is in the form of sandwiches, cutlets, and casseroles: things that don’t don’t necessarily need the fat to make the dish. Same for things like quesadillas and fajitas. But at the end of the day, this post is my own personal opinion and not a blanket statement of fact lol.
I’m also not a strict vegetarian, so using chicken stock is acceptable when needed though I usually make due with oil/butter and spices.
Back when I smoked, I couldn’t pick up the smell of chicken. I always thought it was just bland, but it was that I didn’t get enough of the smell. Scent is a big part of perceived taste (as opposed to the actual detection that happens on the tongue only), and food has been so much better overall since I quit.
Since chicken, particularly breast meat, doesn’t have a very strong smell, it’s easy to not notice it even when one’s nose isn’t inhibited by something
Before I quit smoking ~11 years ago, I could eat literally anything because it all tasted like cardboard anyway. Don’t miss that one bit.
Amen to that!