Tuck-tuck! Welcome to the Year of Rooster!

2016-12-01

Chicken always finds its place during festive seasons and this year, it becomes the hero of the Chinese Lunar Year. Let’s dig in, tuck-tuck!

Yummy hearty chicken

Everyone knows chicken, like beef and pork and, is an excellent source of protein with high biological value, providing all the essential amino acids we need in a more easily absorbable manner. It also packs with numerous nutrients such as vitamin a, B6 and B12, as well as iron and zinc for our bodily functions, Replacing excessive red meat with chicken, a type of white meat, can not only put colon cancer at bay, but also stay away from cardiovascular diseases. Of course, the latter depends on the ‘meat-cur’.

Cholesterol-dense ‘cut’

Chicken offals are the densest ‘cut’, particularly the liver at the top of the list packing 345 mg cholesterol in just 2 pieces, followed by the stomach. Although they are naturally abundant in iron, almost 20 times of the Asian-favorite wings, people with cardiovascular diseases and for the sake of health.

The fatty ’cut’

Not-to-mention chicken neck and paw, the skin is without doubt, the fattiest, possessing a stunning 44g fat in 100g rounding up to 440 kcal. In other words, trimming that skin on chicken thigh containing 11 teaspoons of fat off can effectively peel out 9 teaspoons of fat almost equivalent to the calories in half bowl of rice ‘Trim it, not eat it!’ is a not-to-miss strategy for weight fighter and better cardiovascular health!

The Star ’cut’

Such honorable credit should give to chicken breast and thigh. While texture of trimmed chicken thigh may be better than the breast, the breast only hold up minimal amount of fat, 2.62g in 100g. What a great news for weight fighter who looking for low fat protein source!

Healthy chicken ‘cut’ requires healthy ways to turn it to the star on the dining table. Cooking methods like steaming, baking, panfry with non-stick pan or even microwave are some handy Chinese Lunar New Year! Tuck-tuck!

*Values based on 100 grams of edible portion

● Source: 

1. The Food Research Laboratory of the Centre for Food Safely

2. The Nutrient Data Laboratory, Unitied States Department of Agriculture

330 Tips provided by:  Ms Grace Lam  (Senior Dietitian - Centre for Nutritional Studies, School of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, CUHK)