National Fried Chicken Day, July 6, celebrates one of the most popular and traditional foods in American cuisine.
When it comes to eating chicken, you have two main options: white meat or red meat.
White meat, i.e. breasts and wings, is widely considered to be a “better” and healthier food than red meat, i.e. thighs and drumsticks, for several reasons.
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But what are the details, what do nutritionists and chefs say, and which type of chicken is the “better” choice?
Several experts weighed in to try and settle this intriguing debate.
Fox News Digital asked chefs and nutritionists for their thoughts on the classic chicken thighs vs. chicken breasts debate. (iStock)
Calorie Count
Michelle Rauch, a registered dietitian and nutritionist in New Jersey, told Fox News Digital in an email that a 4-ounce serving of boneless, skinless chicken breast contains about 120 calories.
Conversely, “a 4-ounce serving of chicken thighs (without skin) contains about 150 calories,” she said.
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So, if you’re counting calories and that’s your main deciding factor, chicken breasts may be the better choice.
But there’s a lot more that goes into this equation, including how the chicken is cooked and the ingredients used in cooking it.
Fat is important
Chicken breasts have much less fat than chicken thighs, Rauch says.
A 4-ounce serving of skinless chicken breast contains less than 1 gram of fat, while the same size serving of chicken thigh contains 9 grams of fat, of which 2.5 grams are saturated.
One chef told me that chicken thighs have more fat than chicken breasts, but that’s only part of the story. (iStock)
But that’s not the whole story, Dennis Littley, a Wyoming fine dining chef and owner of AskChefDennis.com, told Fox News Digital.
Chicken thighs have more fat than breasts, but “that extra fat provides a lot of benefits, especially in terms of flavor,” he said.
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“Nutrition-wise, the fat in chicken thighs contains healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which are beneficial for heart health,” Littley added.
Proteins in Pictures
Different types of chicken vary in protein content, said Molly Miller, chief research dietitian at Springdale, Arizona-based Tyson Foods.
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“A 3-ounce serving of fully cooked chicken breast contains 21 grams of protein,” she said in an email.
The same amount of chicken thigh “has 18 grams of protein,” she says.
Experts point out that chicken breast is less fat-rich than red meat and therefore less suitable for frying. (iStock)
Nutrients you should know about
Chicken breasts are lower in calories and fat than thighs, but the thighs still have their benefits, Rauch says.
“Chicken thighs contain almost twice the iron and more than twice the zinc of a similarly sized chicken breast,” she says.
Taste Test
“If you’re just looking for flavor, choose lean meat (thighs) when frying, as they will tend to be moister and juicier when cooked at a higher temperature,” Rauch says.
She noted that chicken breasts tend to become “dry and tough” when fried.
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“Plus, deep frying chicken breasts can mask the flavor of the meat itself, depending on the type and thickness of the breading and seasonings,” she says.
Littley agreed, saying that in his opinion, “chicken breast has a mild flavor and is lean, so it absorbs other flavors well, which is why it’s a great choice for dishes where you want to bring out the flavor of a marinade or sauce.”
Both chicken thighs and chicken breasts have nutritional advantages and disadvantages, which become even more pronounced when you add the element of frying. (iStock)
Chicken thighs are “more forgiving” than breasts, he says.
“Because it has a higher fat content, it is less likely to dry out, a common problem with chicken breasts, especially for inexperienced cooks,” he said.
In other words, preferences are personal.
Both chicken thighs and chicken breasts have nutritional advantages and disadvantages, especially when fried.
“Frying adds extra fat and calories that may negate some of the health benefits of choosing a lean meat like chicken breast,” Littley says.
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“But frying also improves flavor and texture, making it a popular cooking method despite the trade-offs.”
To combat this, he says, you can use healthier oils or pan-fry or air-fry your chicken instead of deep-frying it.
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“Air frying, in particular, allows you to get that crispiness with just a little bit of oil,” Littley says.
“If you marinate the chicken thighs beforehand, you can use less oil and still get the full flavor.”
