So often we hear, “eat this, not that” or “eat more of this and less of that.” Sometimes we listen and other times when something like our consumption of crispy chicken skin is called into question, we ignore the call to end our supposed bad behavior.
For years eating chicken skin has been seen as a guilty pleasure. After all, it’s mostly fat and everyone knows a diet high in fat can cause health problems. But two experts explain that chicken skin might actually be healthier than we thought.
Amy Myrdal Miller R.D. of The Culinary Institute of America explained to Harvard’s School of Public Health that chicken skin has always had a “bad rap” for having a high fat content. But what most people fail to realize is that the type of fat found in in the skin is actually healthy fat.
According to Myrdal Miller, chicken skin mainly consists of unsaturated fat, which unlike saturated fat, is good for you. Unsaturated fats can improve cholesterol, help with inflammation, and stabilize heart rhythms.
In addition to the potential healthy benefits of consuming chicken skin, leaving the skin on while cooking the chicken helps to keep the meat moist and full of flavor.
However, there are some things to take into consideration when eating chicken skin. Leaving the skin on also adds calories and saturated fat is still present in the skin.
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The bottom line is if you previously removed the skin on all your chicken because you were concerned it contained too much fat, you don’t need to worry, at least not too much. Feel free to go ahead and eat that crispy, golden brown chicken skin, in moderation of course!
Have you avoided eating the skin because you thought it was unhealthy? Now that you know chicken skin contains the healthy kind of fat will you go back to eating it?
Pass this article on to your friends and family and let them know the good news!
