We’ve all heard the dietary guidance – white meat is better for you and dark meat contains too much fat. Consequently, we tend to push our grocery carts past the thighs, drumsticks and wings in favor of the packaged chicken breasts.
While it’s true that chicken thighs contain twice the fat of boneless, skinless breasts, chicken thighs contain a mere 11 grams of fat per 4-ounce serving! That’s less fat than you’d find in the same serving of beef, lamb or pork. The calories and cholesterol in chicken thighs weigh in at 232 calories and 105 milligrams of cholesterol per serving. How does this stack up against the chicken breast? Breast meat maintains 196 calories and 96 milligrams of cholesterol per serving. Plus, chicken thighs have more iron and almost twice the zinc of a chicken breast!
Choosing chicken thighs does more than help you keep a trim waistline – you can fatten your wallet! Thighs are a more economical choice. You can even purchase them skinned and boned to make cooking easy.