Chicken thighs?

Gaygirl2120
Gaygirl2120 Posts: 541 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I want to try replacing chicken breast with chicken thighs this week for my meal prep. I’m so sick to death of chicken breast I can’t eat it for awhile. But I’ve never made chicken thighs before. How do I prepare it to keep the calories as low as possible? Since it’s already higher in calories than chicken breast.

Replies

  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    Thighs are more calorie dense because they contain more fat, no way around that if you're changing it up because of taste. You could try to eat a smaller portion. You could also choose another meat - pork, beef, lamb etc, or fish, seafood, all of them can be lean.
  • songs415
    songs415 Posts: 7 Member
    I can only eat chicken breast if it is crack chicken. I eat chicken thighs everyday and account for the fat. Sometimes I do trim the fat off before I cook it. I broil mine with Mrs. Dash tomato, basil and garlic and sprinkle parmesean cheese.
  • collectingblues
    collectingblues Posts: 2,541 Member
    Smaller portion. I can't stand chicken breast and use thighs exclusively. Eat just one thigh or half a thigh.
  • Gaygirl2120
    Gaygirl2120 Posts: 541 Member
    collectingblues wrote: »
    Smaller portion. I can't stand chicken breast and use thighs exclusively. Eat just one thigh or half a thigh.

    Yeah I was planning on just doing one for each meal. It’s less expensive than breast too 👍🏻
  • strongerbytheday
    strongerbytheday Posts: 116 Member
    I love chicken thighs on the grill. I use all kinds of marinades and flavors. So juicy and delicious!
  • rickdkitson
    rickdkitson Posts: 86 Member
    I was hoping that this was going to be another chicken wings on first date thread.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Here's how to cook them perfectly.

    https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/perfect-pan-roasted-chicken-thighs
  • AveriaKyle
    AveriaKyle Posts: 20 Member
    Boil them and cook with vegetables. Soup! 😋
  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,979 Member
    I usually trim the fat off with some scissors and substitute them in place of any of my recipes that call for breasts.
  • como_agua
    como_agua Posts: 213 Member
    http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/grilled-chili-lime-chicken-297408

    super delish. i use chicken thighs for EVERYTHING, so much tastier. i marinate mine over night, cook in the oven for an hour at 350 in a lasagna dish covered with tin foil.

    this one is also a fave: http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/greek-marinade-28150?ftab=reviews

    happy cooking!
  • Dani9585
    Dani9585 Posts: 215 Member
    Thighs are far superior to the breast. They are just so darn delicious! Especially cooked on the BBQ, or over an open fire if you have that option!
  • crystalewhite
    crystalewhite Posts: 422 Member
    jgnatca wrote: »
    Here's how to cook them perfectly.

    https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/perfect-pan-roasted-chicken-thighs

    Use this recipe! It's the one I use and they turn out perfectly every time.
  • WholeFoods4Lyfe
    WholeFoods4Lyfe Posts: 1,518 Member
    I love Chicken Thighs. I mostly buy the bone-in, skin-on variety as I much more enjoy the flavor. You can always remove the skin after cooking, but it really adds a lot more moisture and flavor cooking with it on. I just roast mine off, usually putting 6 or so in the pan and seasoning them all differently with my various Balanced Bites Spices.
  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member
    I love chicken thighs and they are a great alternative to breasts and aren't nearly as dry! I usually get the boneless/skinless variety because they are easier to weigh/measure in preparation. Sometimes, I'll just grill them out of the package and put them in salads with a little salt/pepper/garlic powder seasoning. There's a bbq chicken summer salad that I do this with quite a bit that includes corn and red onion and mixing ranch/bbq sauce together for the dressing.

    My favorite way is to coat them in BBQ sauce and grill them---usually about 4 minutes per side. I'll put a bunch of them in a gallon Ziplock, dump in the BBQ sauce (weighed/measured of course) and let it "soak" for 30 mins-an hour. Then, grill on medium heat.

    I haven't made it in a while, but I also love this: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/216962/foil-baked-chicken/. It's a little labor intensive, but it is totally delicious.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    I prefer the taste of thighs, plus they hold up better in the crockpot.

    My slow cooker Chicken Cacciatore recipe isn't online, but this is close enough: https://www.skinnytaste.com/crock-pot-chicken-cacciatore/
    You could use bone-in or boneless - bone-in is cheaper and is considered to have more flavor, but then there is more work deboning at the end. I go back and forth.

    For a change of pace, I make Slow Cooker Burmese Chicken and Noodles, which between the pasta and the coconut milk, isn't low cal, but it sure is yummy!

    During grilling season, I use boneless, skinless thighs in place of the pork tenderloins in this recipe, and grill them for 4-5 minutes per side on Med High: http://6kitchendivas.blogspot.com/2009/03/kentucky-pork-loin.html

    In the winter I dredge bone-in, skin-on thighs with pulverized Pepperidge Farms bread crumbs and bake them at 350 degrees for an hour with some russet potatoes, and serve with broccoli.
  • whathapnd
    whathapnd Posts: 1,304 Member
    I LOVE chicken thighs and find them harder to overcook than breasts. I prefer sin on and bone in. As far as reducing calories, experiment with trimming fat to get to a proportion that you like/can live with. Skinless ones in the crockpot or baked do well too.

    Here's a list of 59 chicken thigb recipes from Epicurious. Number 10 is on my rotation. Delicious and quick meal. The longer you can marinate the thighs, the better. I keep meaning to make the slaw but never get around to it.

    https://www.epicurious.com/ingredients/12-reasons-to-fall-in-love-with-chicken-thighs-gallery
  • Gaygirl2120
    Gaygirl2120 Posts: 541 Member
    Thank you so much everyone! Going grocery shopping today 🤗
  • spencermitsch
    spencermitsch Posts: 12 Member
    https://www.themediterraneandish.com/cilantro-lime-chicken-thighs-recipe/

    I prefer chicken thighs cause you don't have to worry about drying them out. The above recipe is truly wonderful. Probably the most compliments I've gotten for a fairly healthy dish.
  • mutantspicy
    mutantspicy Posts: 624 Member
    edited July 2018
    crazyravr wrote: »
    Thighs + Jerk marinade and a grill = heaven :)

    This! Thighs are the best.

    To OP : I didn't read thru all the thread, but perhaps go boneless (not my favorite) there will a little less fat, but also just be more diligent about trimming the fat off of them.

    Its tough to beat regular bone in thighs and drumsticks on the grill!
  • Bann554
    Bann554 Posts: 44 Member
    I get tired of chicken breasts also. I eat skinless chicken breats. And cook them in a grill pan. Season them with whatever I want,salt, pepper, diced garlic, drizzle of olive oil. I don't worry about it nutritionally as long as it fits into my calories goals. I can make chicken breats or turkey the same way. I don't like thick chicken breats. I will slice them in half if they're large.
  • BruinsGal_91
    BruinsGal_91 Posts: 1,400 Member
    For slow-cooker recipes, it's thighs over breasts every time. These are a couple of my favourites.

    https://cavemanketo.com/chicken-chili-soup/

    https://www.frompastatopaleo.com/recipe/mango-chicken-curry-instant-pot-crockpot/

    I'm not saying they're low calorie, but they're certainly delicious.
  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,979 Member
    spencermitsch wrote: »
    https://www.themediterraneandish.com/cilantro-lime-chicken-thighs-recipe/

    I prefer chicken thighs cause you don't have to worry about drying them out. The above recipe is truly wonderful. Probably the most compliments I've gotten for a fairly healthy dish.

    One way to help prevent breasts from drying out is to soak them in a brine solution for a few hours in the fridge. They absorb water but don't become salty and they stay very juicy when you cook them.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    BruinsGal_91 wrote: »
    For slow-cooker recipes, it's thighs over breasts every time. These are a couple of my favourites.

    https://cavemanketo.com/chicken-chili-soup/

    https://www.frompastatopaleo.com/recipe/mango-chicken-curry-instant-pot-crockpot/

    I'm not saying they're low calorie, but they're certainly delicious.

    Mmmmm, bookmarking the Mango Chicken Curry - sounds like winter comfort food to me!
  • BruinsGal_91
    BruinsGal_91 Posts: 1,400 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    BruinsGal_91 wrote: »
    For slow-cooker recipes, it's thighs over breasts every time. These are a couple of my favourites.

    https://cavemanketo.com/chicken-chili-soup/

    https://www.frompastatopaleo.com/recipe/mango-chicken-curry-instant-pot-crockpot/

    I'm not saying they're low calorie, but they're certainly delicious.

    Mmmmm, bookmarking the Mango Chicken Curry - sounds like winter comfort food to me!

    @kshama2001 Yep. Comfort food at its best. I do the slow cooker version (don't have an instapot) and it's so easy.

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