Garlic Butter Chicken Thighs (2024)

FAQs

Are chicken thighs good for weight loss? ›

The chicken breast is lean and has the most protein by weight, making it ideal for people who want to lose weight, maintain muscle mass and improve recovery. Fattier cuts like the thigh, drumstick and wings have more calories, which make them better for people wanting to build muscle or gain weight.

And while it is true that chicken thighs tend to contain more fat and cholesterol than breast meat (which has 3 g total fat and 0.7 g saturated fat per 3-ounce serving, per the USDA), both can easily fit into the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommendations for fat intake.

While the breast is very low in fat, chicken thighs are higher in fat, and in cooking, fat equals flavor. It also means the thighs are more tender and less likely to dry out than chicken breasts—in other words, they are very easy to cook and very difficult to ruin.

Because dark meat contains more tendons, chicken thighs are a tough cut, but because they contain more fat than white meat, they become tender and juicy when cooked properly.

While chicken can be a versatile and convenient protein to cook, if your diet doesn't have a diverse protein profile, you lose out on some key nutrients—including essential fats, such as omega-3s. "Eating chicken every day as your sole protein source could result in some nutrient gaps," says Burgess.

As far as rapid weight loss is concerned, only eating chicken for a week or 2 may result in quite noticeable results. However, relying on chicken as your only food source means you're likely to miss out on a bunch of essential vitamins and minerals, potentially leading to a nutritional deficiency.

The white meat in chicken breasts contains more protein and less fat, while the dark meat in chicken thighs contains more vitamins and minerals. Put simply, the best choice is the one that people prefer to eat.

Dark meat has an abundant amount of connective tissue, which dissolves into gelatin as the meat cooks, rendering it juicy and tender. The longer it cooks, the more that connective tissue breaks down.

Most cooks know that fat is flavor, and that is the main reason why thighs are better than breasts. Chicken thighs are a fattier cut of meat, which means they're going to have a more intense, rich flavor than the white meat breasts.

Cook at Higher Temperatures

The ideal temperature to cook your chicken should be around 275 °F – 320 °F (135 °C – 160 °C). As you start to decrease temperature beyond this threshold, the skin will become rubbery. The chicken fat needs to be cooked into the meat, and that cannot happen when your temperature is very low.

Why do my chicken thighs taste rubbery? ›

Leaving chicken in a pan, oven, or grill for just a little too long can suck the moisture right out and leave you with a dry, rubbery bird. Without moisture, the protein fibers in the chicken become elastic. The types of chicken you buy at the store can also make a difference.

Use a small, sharp knife to cut a small incision in the thickest part of the thigh; the juices should run clear. Red or pink juices are an indicator that the meat hasn't finished cooking. The exterior of the meat should be opaque (rather than translucent) and golden-brown in color.

If your main aim is weight loss, then the best type of chicken you can opt for is- skinless, boneless chicken breast. Do you know that 3-ounce serving of skinless, boneless chicken breast provides just 140 calories, a whopping 26 grams of protein, and just 3 grams of fat?

Chicken breast and Chicken thighs differ in the nutritional value. If you compare the nutrition in both parts of the chicken, chicken breasts are a healthier option. They are low in calories, high in protein, low in fats and saturated fats but high in good cholesterol.

Some people prefer the taste of dark meat over white meat and consider it to be more tender and flavorful. Both chicken thighs and breasts are good sources of lean protein.

Protein and Fat

Each drumstick offers 17 grams of protein, and each thigh contains 28 grams. This contributes a significant amount toward your daily protein intake requirements of 46 grams for women and 56 grams for men. Chicken legs also contain some fat -- 3.7 grams per drumstick and 6.2 grams per thigh.