This study assessed the effect of dietary flavonoids (quercetin, morin, rutin, silymarin), a simple phenolic (ferulic acid), and vitamin E on lipid composition of selected tissues taken from chicks fed a low vitamin E, low essential fatty acid (EFA) diet. Dietary supplementation with vitamin E had no influence on lipid classes in blood plasma, liver, or breast muscle or on their fatty acid composition. Similarly, the phenolics had no effect on lipid classes in these tissues but quercetin, morin, and ferulic acid had marked effects on the fatty acid composition of tissue lipids, notably by reducing 18:1 and 20:3 n-9(triene indicator of EFA deficiency), and increasing 18:2 n-6, 20:4 n-6, and total n-6 fatty acids. These phenolic antioxidants appear to have promoted the production and/or the conservation of EFA in the EFA- and vitamin E-deficient chicks.