What is the calorie count of a chicken thigh? If you’re curious about what this popular meat comprises, keep reading. According to the Dietary Guidelines, thigh meat has more fat than breast meat, and both are within the acceptable fat intake. Ideally, fat should account for no more than 20% of your daily calories, and saturated fat should account for no more than 10% of your calories.
How Many Calories In Chicken Thigh?
A chicken thigh includes around 109 calories. Due to their higher fat content, chicken thighs are somewhat more soft and tasty than chicken breast. One skinless, boneless, cooked chicken thigh (52 grams)
- 109 calories
- 13.5 grams of protein
- Carbohydrates: 0 g
- 5.7 grams of fat
Two hundred nine calories, 26 grams of protein, and 10.9 grams of fat are included in a 3.5-ounce (100-gram) me chicken thigh meal2).
As a result, protein accounts for 53% of calories, while fat accounts for 47%. Chicken thighs are frequently less expensive than chicken breasts, making them an excellent choice for those on a tight budget.
Chicken Thigh Nutrition Facts
Chicken thighs have a low saturated fat content, making them a nutritious complement to your diet. The USDA advises a 3.5-ounce amount of chicken thigh flesh for a balanced meal.
Thigh meat’s protein and fiber content are higher than breast meat’s. On the other hand, Chicken thighs are lower in calories and fat, and there are no saturated fats or carbs in chicken thighs.
Is Chicken Thigh Healthy?
Chicken thighs and breasts are both excellent sources of lean protein. Dark chicken flesh without the skin has three times the fat content, with 9 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, and 170 calories.
Finally, if prepared correctly, chicken thighs can be a nutritious complement to your diet. Try grilling, baking, or stir-frying chicken thighs instead of frying them if you’re attempting to reduce your fat intake. Also, pay attention to the amount of sodium you use when cooking.
Is There A Difference Between Chicken Breast And Chicken Thigh?
The fat content is the only significant difference between the two, and chicken thighs have higher fat content and are moister than chicken breasts. Because chicken thighs are dark flesh, they have a strong flavor.
The nutritional value of chicken breast and chicken thighs differs. When comparing the nutritional value of both chicken portions, chicken breasts come out on top. When chicken breasts are boneless and skinless white meat is cooked, they can become dry and chewy.
They’re low in calories, high in protein, low in saturated fats, and high in healthy cholesterol. The protein, combined with the low fat and calorie content, will give you the energy you need to get through the day and post-workout. Finally, you can have both, but chicken breasts are the healthier option.
Why Is Chicken Thigh Good For You?
Dark meat, like avocados, is abundant in monounsaturated fats, which are suitable for you. Thighs are considerably less expensive than skinless chicken breasts, making them an excellent choice for weekday dinners. Many critical nutrients may be found in chicken legs and thighs. Dark meat contains far more iron and zinc than white meat, which is essential for a solid immune system.
If you’re replacing red meat with chicken, choose chicken breast because it’s the healthiest part of the bird. Darker cuts, such as the thigh and drumstick, provide more calories than lighter cuts, such as the breast. Saturated fat is added by keeping the skin on or frying the chicken.
Health Benefits of Chicken Thigh:
Fat and protein
Chicken legs have considerable calories: a skinless chicken thigh has 176 calories, while a drumstick with the skin removed has 106 calories. Both slices of the chicken leg are high in protein, which is necessary for tissue repair and muscular building. Each drumstick and thigh contain 17 and 28 grams of protein, respectively.
This helps you meet your daily protein requirements of 46 grams for women and 56 grams for men. Fat is also present in chicken legs, with 3.7 grams per drumstick and 6.2 grams per thigh. This fat gives energy and aids in vitamin absorption, allowing you to live a healthier lifestyle.
Beneficial Vitamins
Because of their nutritional content, chicken legs also have some advantages. They provide enough vitamin B-12, vital for nerve cell health and gene activity regulation, and pantothenic acid, promoting healthy cell metabolism.
Each chicken thigh has 0.84 micrograms of vitamin B-12, which is 35% of your daily B-12 requirement, and 1.7 milligrams of pantothenic acid, which is 34% of your daily need. This accounts for 21% of your daily B-12 and pantothenic acid intake. B-12 and pantothenic acid are slightly lower in chicken drumsticks, with 0.5 micrograms of B-12 and 1.03 milligrams of pantothenic acid.
Minerals That Are Required
Chicken legs include considerable selenium and phosphorus, boosting your mineral intake. Selenium is a component of various enzymes in your cells, and its role in enzyme activity helps your thyroid gland function while protecting your blood vessels from harm. Phosphorus is also a component of cell membranes and DNA, and it helps control enzyme activity.
A chicken thigh has 30.9 micrograms of selenium, 56 percent of your daily selenium need, and 265 milligrams of phosphorus, 39 percent of the recommended daily consumption. Each chicken drumstick has 18.5 micrograms of selenium and 158 milligrams of phosphorus, which is 34% and 23% of your daily selenium and phosphorus requirements, respectively.
Are Chicken Thighs Healthier Than Beef?
While it’s true that chicken has less saturated fat than beef, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s healthier. Chickens, for example, store fat predominantly under the skin, and thighs contain more fat and cholesterol than breast meat.
Chicken thighs are a definite winner when it comes to flavor! On average, a 3-ounce skinless chicken breast contains 140 calories, 3 grams of fat, and 1 gram of saturated fat. On the other hand, the same amount of chicken thighs has three times the fat and has 170 calories.
Is It Healthy To Eat Chicken Breast?
It has the highest protein content by weight, the most significant aspect when deciding which chicken cut to consume. Chicken breast is good for losing weight, retaining muscle mass, or increasing recovery.
What Are Chicken Breast’s Health Benefits? This sort of fowl is high in lean protein and low in fat. It’s slim and contains the most excellent protein per pound. Vitamin B, vitamin D, calcium, iron, zinc, and trace levels of vitamins A and C are all found in chicken.
Is It Possible To Lose Weight By Eating Chicken Thighs?
Monounsaturated fat, like the sort found in chicken thighs, can help you lose weight, regulate and lower your cholesterol levels, and even cut your risk of heart disease and cancer; according to Body Ecology, It allows us to lose weight without having to worry about consuming too many calories.
The fat content in chicken thighs is exceptionally high compared to chicken breast. According to Google, 100g of chicken thigh includes approximately 177 calories, 8g of fat, and less protein. It is for this reason that chicken breasts are preferred over chicken thighs.
When compared to chicken breasts, chicken thighs have a higher fat content. A 3-ounce drumstick contains approximately 145 calories and only a tiny amount of saturated fat. A 3.5-ounce chicken thigh, on the other hand, has nine grams of total fat and three grams of saturated fat.
While both types of meat are high in protein, they have more fat than chicken breasts. As a result, they’re still ideal choices for people who wish to eat healthily. The most acceptable source of lean protein is chicken thighs. The upper section of a chicken’s leg is known as the thigh.
There are two types of fat in it: saturated and unsaturated. The thighs are lower in calories and richer in protein than the breast. The most incredible saturated fat is found in a drumstick with skin. Breast is preferable to thigh for those with higher fat content.
Conclusion
The thigh meat is more nutritious than the breast and has a higher myoglobin concentration, which transports oxygen to working muscles. It’s also lower in calories than chicken breast.
The nutritional value of a three-ounce chicken thigh is similar to that of a chicken breast, and its fat-to-protein ratio is likewise higher than that of a breast. Although thigh meat has more saturated fat than breast meat, it is nutritious. Because chicken thighs are abundant in fat, they are a low-calorie option for a healthy diet.
However, how much fat does chicken thigh meat contain? The skin-on chicken thigh has 53 calories and 1.7 grams of saturated fat per 3-ounce serving. They’re abundant in protein and other nutrients and a healthy complement to any diet. However, how many calories does a chicken thigh contain?
