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Thigh meat from Cobb 500 broiler (Cobb) and Beijing-You chicken (BYC) at marketable age were compared to explore the impact of growth rate on meat quality. BYC had a higher water capacity, as well as lower shear forces and IMF content than Cobb, indicating that the growth rate has a significant influence on meat quality. Additionally, 144 upregulated and 44 downregulated differential metabolites were identified using gas chromatography mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) and liquid chromatography mass spectrometer (LC-MS). Moreover, we found a significant difference between the dominant expression of metabolites in the two genotypes. The highly expressed metabolites in Cobb were amino acids and their derivatives, including l-citrulline, dimethylglycine, 1,4-butanediamine, alanine, and creatine. In contrast, BYC deposited more bioactive compounds, such as, α-linolenic acid, linoleic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, anserine, and taurine. These results indicate that meat quality and metabolite profiles differ greatly between fast- and slow-growing chickens.