Fill in the blank (_) in the following sentence from the following choices.
Sentence: Jeremy bought chicken fillet instead of beef steak, because he was shopping on a budget and  the _ was less expensive.

Choice 1: Jeremy bought chicken fillet instead of beef steak, because he was shopping on a budget and  the chicken fillet was less expensive.
Choice 2: Jeremy bought chicken fillet instead of beef steak, because he was shopping on a budget and  the beef was less expensive.
Which of the choices is correct? Respond with only "1" or "2" and no additional text.
1
1.