Is Chicken Thigh Or Chest The Healthiest?

Illustration (Unsplash/Atharva Tulsi)

JAKARTA - The easiest non-vegetarian food ingredient to process compared to the others is chicken. Chicken meat as the fulfillment of animal protein needs is also preferred because it does not have thorns like fish.

Even though fish is higher in omega-3s, chicken is still a choice to support your health.

Based on the nutritional level, chicken meat contains protein, carbohydrates, fat, cholesterol, vitamins A, B, D, E, K, and minerals. Chicken is often used as a diet menu because of its nutritional content.

However, there are certain parts of the chicken that are not recommended for consumption. Because it contains saturated fat which is not good for a diet program.

Which parts of the chicken are high in protein and low in fat?

The part of chicken meat that is high in protein and low in fat is the chest. The chicken chest has a low-calorie count, which is 170. Lower than wings (240 calories), lower thigh or drumstick (180 calories), upper thigh or thigh (210 calories).

The amount of protein in the chicken chest is above the upper thighs, lower thighs, and wings. This means the chicken chess is indeed the healthiest part to be processed and consumed.

How to process chicken in the healthiest way?

How to process chicken meat also needs to be considered. The safest is not to add fat, calories, and less healthy ingredients.

Most recommended is baking, boiling, or steaming. If you are sautéing, it is better to avoid frying in flour or other ingredients that contain calories.

So how do you clean the chicken to get rid of bacteria?

Furthermore, before cooking the chicken must be washed precisely. Quoted from Reader's Digest, it is advisable not to wash because it contains salmonella bacteria. Most appropriately, clean with a paper towel. However, after washing the chicken, it is important to clean the peripheral of the sink and also your hands.

Free-range chicken or broiler chickens?

It is common knowledge that free-range chicken is lower in fat rather than broiler chickens. However, this can be solved by removing part of the fat, especially under the skin in broiler chickens. Fat in free-range chickens is only half of the amount in broilers. So, adjust it to your health condition.

For the dinner menu, for example, free-range chicken is recommended. While having breakfast or lunch while still on the move, it is okay to eat broiler chickens. Furthermore, pay attention to the freshness of the chicken that you want to consume.