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