Read this last week.

Short answer: the egg.

Chickens, as a species, became chickens through a long, slow process of evolution. At some point, a chicken-like bird produced an offspring that, due to some mutation in its DNA, crossed the threshold from mere chicken likeness into chicken actuality. That is to say, a proto-chicken gave birth to a real-life official chicken. And since that real-life official chicken came out of its own egg, we can say that the egg came first.

Well wait a minute here.

1) We know the chicken evolved from something else. I will get agreement from most people on that one.

Then the question we need to ask is whether or not this chicken bird that evolved was already laying eggs when it became chicken like or whether it evolved to lay the legs afterwards.

2) I think that an earlier species of bird would have to develop a capacity to lay eggs earlier in the evolutionary process.

I don't think I could see some kind of non-egg laying bird spontaneously developing calcified shells for its fetuses. A bird seems to well developed to change its birth giving like that.

In fact upon further research all birds give birth via eggs. Indicating to me that birds in general evolved very early to give birth by egg, much before anything like a chicken would have been around.

Well that was long winded ...

Both, with a waffle on the side!

Chickens evolved from dinosaurs which laid eggs. Does that help?

Technically, the mutation happened upon fertilization to make the first chicken who was then hatched from the first chicken egg.

Therefore ... the egg always comes first.

The question is NOT about an actual chicken or egg. That is an analogy.

The question is about existence itself.

Eggs have to have some kind of incubation period and, therefore; the chicken would need to be first. The animal needs food to survive, but does not depend on a "parent" animal for survival. It depends on reproduction for the species to survive. The egg is the product for the survival of the species, not the survival of that one animal.

So definitely the chicken came first

Okay, lets say you are correct. Where did this miracle chicken come from?

The point of this question is this. If you explain our existence by saying that God created us, then the question remains, where did God come from or who created God?

If you answer that question with "God is infinite and has always been and always will be." Then, you have to also apply this answer to some magic infinite chicken (or egg) that is infinite.

But if an egg's destiny is to hatch, then the egg is not infinite (as an egg) unless you hypothesis that this universe is simply a giant infinite egg that has not yet hatched.

Think about that.

Shouldn't the real question be.......... Paper or plastic ?