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Home » Should I Use Chicken Breasts or Chicken Thighs?

Should I Use Chicken Breasts or Chicken Thighs?

By Marybeth Feutz 6 Comments

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs are both a great choice for a main dish. Chicken is so versatile, and can be used in so many ways. There are a few differences in the nutrition of chicken breasts and chicken thighs, so which one should you pick?

Should I Choose Chicken Breasts or Chicken Thighs? from My Fearless Kitchen. Chicken is so versatile, and can be used in so many ways. There are a few differences in the nutrition of chicken breasts and chicken thighs, so which one should you pick?

Should I Use Chicken Breasts or Chicken Thighs?

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Boneless, skinless chicken breasts get all the hype. They are low-fat, easy to cook with, and very versatile. But what about their dark meat cousins, the chicken thighs? You can also get boneless, skinless chicken thighs in your grocery store. And dare I say, I actually prefer to buy the thighs?

Chicken Breasts

Chicken breasts are great. They are very low in fat and high in protein. If you are watching your fat intake, chicken breast is a great option for you.

Should I Choose Chicken Breasts or Chicken Thighs? from My Fearless Kitchen. Chicken is so versatile, and can be used in so many ways. There are a few differences in the nutrition of chicken breasts and chicken thighs, so which one should you pick?

Chicken breasts can be used in lots of ways – on the grill, in a skillet, in the oven, in a Crock-Pot, or in an Instant Pot. You can marinade them, brine them, or top them with sauce. But if you aren’t careful, they can get overcooked and dry in a hurry (especially in all-day slow cooker recipes). Also, because they have so little fat, they tend to stick to surfaces like grills and pans. So sometimes you have to add extra fat to keep them from sticking. This is where chicken thighs come in really handy!

Chicken Thighs

Chicken thighs can be used in all the same ways that chicken breasts can. Thighs do have a little less protein and a little more fat than chicken breasts, but the differences are not very big.

Should I Choose Chicken Breasts or Chicken Thighs? from My Fearless Kitchen. Chicken is so versatile, and can be used in so many ways. There are a few differences in the nutrition of chicken breasts and chicken thighs, so which one should you pick?

My favorite way to use chicken thighs are in the slow cooker. I don’t worry about using chicken thighs in an all-day Crock-Pot recipe – they don’t get overcooked as quickly as chicken breasts do, so they will still be tender and moist at the end of the day. Just like a chicken breast, you can cook chicken thighs on the grill, in a skillet, in an oven, in the Crock-Pot, or in your Instant Pot. Use a marinade or your favorite sauce. The nice thing about chicken thighs is that because they do have a little bit of fat, they won’t stick to your cooking surfaces as quickly.

What’s the Nutritional Difference Between Chicken Breasts & Chicken Thighs?

There is a little bit of nutritional difference between chicken breasts and chicken thighs. But there really isn’t much difference. Chicken breasts have 26 grams of protein in each 3 ounce serving. For comparison, a beef ribeye steak has 20 grams of protein in 3 ounces. One egg has 6 grams of protein.

Chicken thighs do have double the amount of fat than chicken breasts – 7 grams of fat in 3 ounces of cooked chicken thighs versus 3 grams of fat in 3 ounces of cooked chicken breast. But there is only 1 more gram of saturated fat in chicken thighs compared to chicken breasts. Recommendations for a 2000-calorie diet are to eat between 44-78 grams of fat a day, so whether you choose chicken thigh meat or chicken breast meat, this will be a relatively low percentage of your fat intake in a day.

Should I Choose Chicken Breasts or Chicken Thighs? from My Fearless Kitchen. Chicken is so versatile, and can be used in so many ways. There are a few differences in the nutrition of chicken breasts and chicken thighs, so which one should you pick?

Printable Cheat Sheet for What’s the Difference Between Chicken Breasts & Chicken Thighs?

Do you want a free copy of this cheat sheet to keep handy in your kitchen? Click here to download your free copy.

Enjoy!

3 Ways to Take the Fear Out of Your Kitchen

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Filed Under: Holiday Tool Box, Kitchen Printables, Kitchen Tips, Tricks, & More, Poultry, Where is My Food From? Tagged With: chicken, chicken breast, chicken thigh, cooking tip, grocery tip, kitchen tip, printable, tip

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Trackbacks

  1. Is This Chicken Done? - My Fearless Kitchen says:
    05/14/2018 at 3:11 pm

    […] Should I Use Chicken Breasts or Chicken Thighs? – free printable! […]

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  4. Slow Cooker Hawaiian Chicken - My Fearless Kitchen says:
    07/14/2018 at 11:15 pm

    […] I love using chicken thighs in my slow cooker recipes. They are much more forgiving than chicken breasts, they don’t overcook as quickly, and they don’t dry out as easily. You can substitute chicken thighs any time the recipe calls for chicken breasts (just know that the nutritional information is a tiny bit different). […]

  5. Grilled Garlic-Basil Chicken Thighs - My Fearless Kitchen says:
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    […] but I prefer to cook chicken thighs on the grill. Not sure what the difference is? Find out more here. Chicken breasts are a little harder to grill well… they are so thick that they can get dried […]

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Hi! I'm Marybeth, the blogger behind My Fearless Kitchen! Jump in, and let me share what I'm learning about food, farming, quick kitchen tips, and easy recipes to chase the fear out of YOUR kitchen! Read more.
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