Keto Chicken Thigh Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Is chicken thighs better than breast on keto diet? ›

Chicken thighs (with the skin on) are perfect for when you're on the ketogenic diet.

The best side dishes to serve with chicken thighs are green beans, French fries, Spanish rice, carrots and potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, onion rings, cannellini beans, roasted Brussels sprouts, couscous salad, buttermilk biscuits, creamed spinach, quinoa, roasted beet salad, cornbread, and grilled zucchini.

You'll need salt, pepper, both onion and garlic powders, paprika, and Italian seasoning. Add a dash of cayenne pepper for a little heat. Extra virgin olive oil: helps the seasoning mix adhere to the chicken thighs, and gets the skin golden brown and crispy.

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.

Unfortunately for weight loss efforts, chicken thighs have more calories and more fat. In a 3 ounce serving, skinless chicken breast has 140 calories and 3 grams of fat. A three ounce portion of chicken thigh has 170 calories and 3 grams of fat.

Ultimately, chicken thighs can be a healthy addition to your diet as long as they're prepared in a good-for-you way. If you are trying to limit your fat intake, prepare chicken thighs in ways that don't use much added oil, like grilling, baking or stir-frying. Also be mindful of the sodium that you add during cooking.

Unlike the other most common cut of chicken (breasts), thighs are extremely forgiving when it comes to cook times. If you let 'em cook for several minutes after they've reached 165°F, don't sweat it — you'll still have juicy, succulent chicken and nobody will have to know that they may have been slightly overcooked.

Don't Cover the Chicken.

When baking chicken thighs with the skin on, you're trying to achieve crispy chicken thighs in the oven. Therefore, leaving them uncovered ensures a crispy skin that turns perfectly golden.

Chicken thighs are a perfect go-to for a hot grill (or grill pan!). Try a rub or marinade, or simply season with salt and pepper. Brush grill grates or grill pan with oil. Preheat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat.

The key is to cook them slowly.

Gentle techniques—such as braising at a relatively low heat and grilling over an indirect fire—work best. The goal is to keep the meat at an internal temp between 140 and 195 degrees—the collagen-breakdown sweet spot—for as long as possible.

Why use chicken thighs instead of breasts? ›

It's considered dark meat, and it has a richer, more intense flavour than breast. The difference in the two meats also affects how you should cook them to get tender and juicy chicken.

Chicken, by nature, has lower cholesterol and lower fat than most meats. Chicken breast contains the least cholesterol, followed by the thighs, wings, and legs. However, its cholesterol-raising effects depend on the part of the chicken you use and the method of preparation.

We love chicken thighs because they stand up to (and thrive) under almost any circ*mstances. They stay juicy when they're grilled or baked in the oven, develop a nice crisp when broiled or air-fried and end up fall-off-the-bone tender when slow-cooked or braised.

For meat lovers, the best news is → both white meat and dark meat are perfectly fine to eat when following a keto diet. However, note that the best type of chicken to use is definitely chicken breast as it is the leanest cut.

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.

One skinless, boneless, cooked chicken thigh (116 g) contains : Calories: 208. Protein: 28.8 g. Carbs: 0 g.

Way More Flavorful

Any good cook knows that fat is flavor, and that is yet another reason why thighs are superior to breasts. Chicken thighs are a fattier cut of meat, which means they're going to have more intense, rich flavor than their white meat counterparts.