When you stop and think about it, it's actually quite strange that pig meat is called “pork,” cow meat is called “beef,” sheep meat is called “mutton,” and deer meat is called “venison.” What's even stranger is that chicken meat is still called “chicken,” and fish is “fish.” So what gives?

Why does chicken not have a meat name?

And why is chicken meat just called 'chicken'? ... Even chicken got a new culinary name: pullet, which is the Anglicized version of the French poulet, and is now only used to refer to a young hen. All of those French terms are still the French words for those animals (as well as their meat) today.

Is chicken a meat or not?

"Meat" is a general term for animal flesh. Poultry is a type of meat taken from birds such as chickens and turkeys.