The highest fat content in a chicken comes from the skin, followed by the wings, which just barely edge out the next-fattiest cut of chicken meat, the thigh.
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You'll find the highest chicken fat content in the skin. But even once you've stripped the skin away, not all cuts of poultry are created equal. Some have roughly twice the fat content of lean breast meat.
The highest fat content in a chicken comes from the skin, followed by the wings, which just barely edge out the next-fattiest cut of chicken meat, the thigh. Next up is the drumstick, followed by breast meat, which is the leanest cut of chicken.
Highest Chicken Fat Content
Nobody disputes the fact that chicken skin has the highest fat content of the entire animal; according to the USDA, 40 percent of chicken skin is pure fat. However, that doesn't mean consuming small amounts of it is bad for you. As a pair of medical and nutrition experts point out at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, most of the fat in chicken skin is of the healthy, unsaturated variety.
They also add that leaving the skin on helps keep your chicken moist as it cooks, which reduces the need to add salt or other ingredients. However, that doesn't mean a healthy diet can contain endless amounts of chicken skin or other sources of unsaturated fat.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, a balanced and healthy diet should get 25 to 35 percent of its calories from fat, preferably healthy unsaturated fats. By comparison, the HHS recommends limiting your intake of saturated fat to less than 10 percent of your daily calorie intake.
Dark and Light Meat Chicken
For the sake of consistency, it's easiest to compare the following USDA figures for fat content per 100 grams of any cut of meat from the chicken; otherwise, the results will be skewed by the clear difference in size between a breast and a wing, a drumstick and a thigh, and so on. Because your choice of cooking method can affect fat content too, all of these figures are for chicken that has been roasted, broiled or baked.
Dark meat on the chicken is typically considered to have more fat, but gram-for-gram, the next fattiest part after the skin is actually the wing, which has 8.06 grams of fat per 100-gram serving, skin off. Keep the skin on, and you're looking at a whopping 16.7 grams of fat per 100 grams of meat — roughly two large wings or three small ones.
Chicken thighs come in a very close second, weighing in at about 7.7 grams of fat per 100 grams of skinless meat. Add the skin back on, and you're looking at 14.3 grams of fat in a chicken thigh. For reference, the 100-gram measurement used is equal to roughly one large chicken thigh.
Next up is the drumstick. For a skinless 100-gram serving, you're looking at about 5.4 grams of fat. Add the skin back in, and your total fat consumption hits about 9.7 grams per 100 grams of meat. For reference, it would take two small drumsticks to make a 100-gram portion.
Finally, a roasted, boiled or baked chicken breast, with no skin, contains just 3.9 grams of fat per 100-gram serving. If you do eat the skin, you'll get 7.7 grams of fat in a chicken breast serving of 100 grams — again, per 100-gram serving, which is roughly equivalent to one-half of a small chicken breast.
Tip
The way you choose to cook your chicken affects its fat content too. The American Heart Association recommends several best practices that can help you reduce the fat content in any meat, including chicken: Trim off visible fat, broil instead of frying and keep poultry moist by basting with wine or fruit juice instead of leaving the skin on. Or cook with the skin on and remove it before eating.
FAQs
The highest fat content in a chicken comes from the skin, followed by the wings, which just barely edge out the next-fattiest cut of chicken meat, the thigh. Next up is the drumstick, followed by breast meat, which is the leanest cut of chicken.
What is the fatty part of chicken? ›
Fattier cuts like the thigh, drumstick and wings have more calories, which make them better for people wanting to build muscle or gain weight. People on low-carb or keto diets also need to eat more fat and may benefit from eating these cuts too. Overall, chicken is a great addition to your diet.
What is the fatty food in chicken? ›
Chicken is a protein food. It has a good concentration of protein and a health-friendly ratio of protein to fat. A 100-gram portion of chicken that contains 32.1 grams of protein only has 3.24 grams of fat.
Is the skin the fattiest part of the chicken? ›
An article published in Lipids in Health and Disease looked at the levels of cholesterol, protein and saturated fats within chicken. Chicken with and without skin was evaluated and it was found that the chicken with skin was higher in cholesterol and unsaturated fats.
What part of poultry has the highest fat content? ›
Red meat and the dark meat of poultry tends to have the most fat. If the fat is visible, trim some to reduce the total fat content.
What are the fatty bits in chicken? ›
Tip. The highest fat content in a chicken comes from the skin, followed by the wings, which just barely edge out the next-fattiest cut of chicken meat, the thigh. Next up is the drumstick, followed by breast meat, which is the leanest cut of chicken.
What is the white fatty stuff on chicken? ›
The white stuff coming out of chicken as it cooks is simply extra protein that dissolves in water and is forced out of the meat by heat. Food scientist Topher McNeil, PhD, explains, “The [chicken] muscles themselves actually contract and squeeze out the liquid that's in between muscle cells.”
Which part of chicken is unhealthy? ›
Darker cuts like the thigh and drumstick contain higher caloric content than lighter cuts like the breast. Keeping the skin or frying chicken will also add saturated fat. If you're switching out red meat for chicken, you'll want to stick with chicken breast, as it's the healthiest cut of the bird.
Where is excess fat on chicken? ›
Intensive selection has led to great improvements in economic traits such as body weight gain, feed efficiency, and breast yield to meet the demands of consumers, but modern commercial chickens exhibit excessive fat accumulation in the abdomen area.
What is the leanest part of the chicken? ›
“A skinless chicken breast is the leanest cut of chicken. It is lower in calories than other cuts of chicken while still providing a high-protein option,” says Jackie Sharp Womble, MS, RDN, LD, EP-C.
In fact, removing the skin can cut the saturated fat in half if you're eating the breast and by a third if you're eating dark meat. A 2018 study published in Open Heart found that eating saturated fat increased LDL cholesterol, which may increase the risk for cardiovascular disease.
What is the healthiest chicken to eat? ›
In general, skinless chicken breast is considered one of the healthiest cuts of chicken. It is low in fat and calories, yet high in protein and essential nutrients such as vitamins B6 and B12, niacin, and phosphorus.
What are the disadvantages of eating chicken? ›
“ Chicken is a major contributor to foodborne illnesses, antibiotic resistance, zoonotic diseases, and other chronic illnesses. We should be actively avoiding chicken and instead focusing on plant-based sources of protein.”
Which is healthier, chicken breast or thigh? ›
Which is healthier, chicken breasts or chicken thighs? Nutritionally speaking, boneless, skinless chicken breasts do have fewer calories and fat overall, says Jamie Allers, RD, a registered dietitian with Hartford HealthCare's Digestive Health Institute.
What part of meat is the fattest? ›
Not only is the ribeye considered to have the highest fat content on average among the most popular steaks around, but it's also one of the most delicious and sought-after. Whether smoked as a standing prime rib roast or grilled as a ribeye steak, it leads the pack with more than 35 grams of fat per serving size.
What is the dark meat on a chicken? ›
Dark meat typically refers to the pieces of chicken that are found in the leg, drumstick, and thighs. The leg cut of meat includes both the drumstick and thigh. The drumstick is the lower part of the leg, while the thigh is the upper part. While not a common cut, chicken tail meat is dark meat as well.
What is the best part of a chicken to eat? ›
If by “best” you mean the tastiest part of the chicken, then thighs and drumsticks are the way to go. What makes chicken thighs and drumsticks so tasty? Easy: these parts of the chicken are rich in a protein called myoglobin, which gives meat a darker color and a richer flavor.
What is chicken fat called? ›
The fat, known as schmaltz, is, in its most basic form, just that: rendered poultry fat. Often, though, onions are also added to the rendering process for flavor, then strained out along with the gribenes (crispy poultry fat cracklin's) before use.
