Boneless chicken breast is the most expensive cut of chicken due to the extra steps taken by the butcher. It is low in fat and high in protein, but dark meat has its own benefits. Buying whole chickens and processing them at home can reduce costs. Boneless chicken breast can be cooked in various ways, including grilling, baking, frying, and stir-frying.
Boneless chicken breast is simply chicken breast that has been deboned or has had the bones removed. The skinless boneless chicken breast was skinned and boned. Both of these procedures are done by the butcher, whether it’s a small, locally owned butcher shop or a national chain, like Tyson’s. These extra steps are why boneless, skinless chicken breasts are the most expensive cuts of chicken.
Many experts promote boneless skinless chicken breast as the best for you. It’s low in fat, has nearly half the fat of dark meat, and is high in protein and niacin. Niacin is a B vitamin and helps translate the energy from carbohydrates, proteins and fats into energy for the body. Boneless chicken breast has about 3 grams of fat for a 3-ounce (85-gram) serving. It has about 142 calories in that 3 ounce (85 grams) and 26 grams of protein.
However, dark meat isn’t without benefits of its own. Dark meat is high in selenium and its fat content is a mixed bag of saturated, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. It’s also higher in iron and zinc than white meat. There is no good reason why a health conscience individual shouldn’t include both white and dark meat in his or her diet.
One way to reduce the cost of meat is to get meat that is less likely to be contaminated because it is less processed, and to include both white and dark meat in your diet is to buy whole chickens. You can buy fresh or frozen and still bone and skin it yourself. It is recommended to get the cooler chickens sitting in the back of the house. The closer the chicken is to the hotter air, the more opportunities it has to start cooking some bacteria. Never throw away the bones and fat, though. You’ll want to keep it for making homemade chicken stock.
Once you have your boneless chicken breast or two, there’s no end to the things you can do with it. You can grill it, bake it, fry it, mash it and bread it, or cut it thin and mix it up. Coating a piece of boneless chicken in high-fiber bread or grain crumbs and baking instead of frying is a great way to save calories. Stir-fried chicken is an easy way to add a serving of veggies to your meal. Remember to go easy on the sauce to save calories that way. If you’ve been adventurous enough to make your own chicken stock, you could use it to make your own soup with eggs to go with the stir-fry.
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