• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Eat the Bite
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • About
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Welcome to Eat the Bite!
  • Recipes
  • Appetizer/Snack
  • Side Dish
  • Breakfast/Brunch
  • Sandwiches
  • Beef
  • Chicken
  • CSA SERIES
  • Entrees
  • International
  • Pasta
  • Pizza
  • Pork
  • Salad
  • Seafood
  • Stuffed Chicken Breast Series
  • Sweet Things
  • Vegetarian
×

Home » Chicken

How to Trim the Fat From Chicken Thighs

Published: Mar 16, 2023 by Stacey

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe
how to trim the fat from chicken thighs: there is a lot of fat on chicken thighs

Do you feel guilty eating chicken thighs? Are you hesitating incorporating chicken thighs into your cooking routine because of all the fat? Well, that's all going to change. TODAY. I feel like I'm writing an intro to an infomercial. But seriously, I've heard people time and again say they don't want to eat chicken thighs because of all the fat. So how about we take a couple extra minutes and cut all the fat off? Today, I will show you how to trim the fat from chicken thighs.... with this Ah-mazing new tool for only $19.99!! Just kidding - it's not an infomercial. It's just instructions how to trim the fat from chicken thighs.

There Is Some Technique Needed to Properly Trim The Fat

If you are a regular reader of my website (which you obviously are), you know that I love my dark meat chicken. Love it. Chicken thighs are my favorite and I love 'em bone-in or boneless. They are so amazing and flavorful. They are also filled with fat. Oh, they come packaged so neatly in those plastic wrapped containers... and then we open them. Have you ever picked up a chicken thigh and said, "What the heck is going on with all this fat?"

trim obvious flaps of fat first
There's a lot of fat on chicken thighs
this is the fat from four trimmed chicken thighs
Pile of fat from trimming four thighs

See, I handle a lot of chicken thighs, more than the average person. At a certain point, I realized it was an absolute necessity to take a couple of extra minutes to trim the fat from the thighs. I've timed it. Once you've practiced this a few times, it takes about 45 seconds to a minute to trim the fat from each thigh.

It's starts with the obvious flaps of fat hanging from the outer skin. Anyone can do that and most of us do. However, there is still a lot of hidden fat on the underside and that's what I'm diving into today. Here are some terms you should know:

Technical Terms for Trimming the Fat from Chicken Thighs:

  • Obvious Flaps of Fat
  • Nose Diving
  • Hidden Fat Pockets
  • Scissor Skimming
  • Triangle of Fat (aka The Troublemaker)

Easy Steps for Trimming the Fat from Chicken Thighs

how to trim the fat from chicken thighs: start by trimming obvious flaps of fat
Start by trimming the obvious flaps of fat
how to trim the fat from chicken thighs: use nose diving technique to cut into fat and explore the depth
Use a nose dive technique to explore how deep fat goes
how to trim the fat from chicken thighs: the troublemaker triangle of fat can run very deep
The notorious troublemaker triangle is one of several hidden pockets of fat on thighs
how to trim the fat from chicken thighs: under the top layer of skin is more hidden fat. Scissor skimming technique is useful here
Use scissor skimming technique for thin layers of fat
the final result: four neatly trimmed chicken thighs
All trimmed up and ready to cook!

Now That You've Trimmed Your Thighs, Wanna Make Something?

  • One-Pot Chicken with Carrots & Fennel
  • Rosemary Lemon Garlic Chicken Thighs
  • Dijon Chicken Thighs w/Apples, Leeks & Fennel
  • Cardamom Chicken Thighs w/Coconut Raisin Rice
  • Rosemary Balsamic Grilled Chicken Thighs
  • Grilled Chimichurri Chicken Thighs (boneless chicken, same techniques used)
  • Ina Garten's Chicken Marbella
Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
how to trim the fat from chicken thighs: there is a lot of fat on chicken thighs

How to Trim the Fat From Chicken Thighs


★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

  • Author: Stacey
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: 4 trimmed chicken thighs
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Description

Want to eat guilt-free chicken thighs? I can teach you how to trim the fat from chicken thighs. It's really easy, promise.


Ingredients

Four chicken thighs

One pair of good kitchen shears


Instructions

  • Get a cutting board and your kitchen sheers. 
  • Trim the obvious flaps of fat hanging off the chicken. I always start here and this is where most of the big pieces of fat come from. 
  • Cut any remaining strips of fat from around the edges. These strips of fat are sometimes hiding under the top layer of chicken skin. Lift the skin slightly around the edges and you will see the fat. You may need to skim the scissors across the surface of the chicken to get that fat off. 
  • For the underside of the chicken thighs, look for the obvious fat you can see and dig down a little with your scissors with a nose diving motion. These are often hidden pockets of fat. Whenever you see fat, do an exploratory nose dive to see how deep it goes. With the underside, hold the fat on top with one hand and trim the fat from below with the other. (my video show this well). 
  • There is a small triangle of fat that can run deep so look out for this. Nose dive your scissors into the triangle of fat. It might look small, but there is often a huge amount of fat below the surface as well. 
  • After all the thighs are trimmed, do a onceover to see if you missed anything. 
  • This same method works for boneless, skinless chicken thighs too. All that fat is still on the underside and should be removed before cooking. 
  • Once you’ve practiced this technique a few times, it should take about 45 seconds to a minute per chicken thigh to get all the fat out.

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag us — we can't wait to see what you've made!

« Pesto Pasta with Olives, Shiitake Mushrooms & Artichokes
Stuffed Chicken Breast with Roasted Tomatoes, Goat Cheese and Leeks »

Reader Interactions

Comments

    Leave a Comment Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

  1. TheHappyWhisk (Ivy)

    March 18, 2023 at 9:05 pm

    Great job cutting the fat!!!!!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Stacey

      March 20, 2023 at 12:50 pm

      Thanks Ivy! I appreciate that.

      Reply

Primary Sidebar

Want to hear about more deliciousness from Eat the Bite?

Sign up for my newsletter and never miss a recipe!

I'll send the latest and greatest right to your inbox!

Social Media Stuff

  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

Do You Love Chicken? Here's a Few Recipes to Keep You Busy:

small platter of grilled lemon oregano chicken with charred lemons and clark farm peppers

Grilled Lemon Oregano Chicken with Charred Clark Farm Peppers

Dijon Chicken with Apples, Leeks and Fennel: overhead view of platter of chicken on the table with one portion on a plate to the side, bowl of basmati rice, apples, rosemary, fennel on the table

Dijon Chicken with Apples, Leeks and Fennel

Collage of Feeding a crowd for the holidays - 10 best recipes to serve the masses. starting at top left and going clockwise: spaghetti lasagna, jalapeno popper chicken wrapped in bacon, phyllo meat pie, croque monsieur sandwich, creamy chicken bacon pasta, chicken marbella, pork chops with stove top stuffing, steak and sausage pie, stuffed chicken pepperoni pizza bake.

Feeding a Crowd for the Holidays: 10 Best Recipes to Serve the Masses

overhead view of serving platter of creamy chicken bacon pasta garnished with parsley and fresh parmesan with microplane and cheese in the top left corner and a single portion in the top right corner

Creamy Chicken Bacon Pasta (No Butter, No Cream)

very close look a one rosemary balsamic grilled chicken thigh with asparagus in the background

Rosemary Balsamic Grilled Chicken Thighs

side view of a platter of grilled chimichurri chicken thighs with extra sauce and cherry tomatoes

Grilled Chimichurri Chicken Thighs

overview of one portion of cranberry brie stuffed chicken with broccoli and carrots and garnished with parsley

Cranberry Brie Stuffed Chicken

overhead view of the best grilled chicken with marinated tomatoes with one portion plates and a serving bowl of tomatoes, platter of chicken and arugula salad with goat cheese and radish

The Best Grilled Chicken with Marinated Tomatoes

overhead table view of crispy brick chicken with pan sauce, roasted calabaza squash and sauteed zucchini

Crispy Brick Chicken with Pan Sauce and Veggies

back yard bbq front view of platter filled with bacon stuffed cheeseburgers

Backyard BBQ: Sriracha-Lime Chicken, Bacon-Stuffed Cheeseburgers & Twisty Potatoes

overhead view of one portion of cashew chicken stir fry with a serving plate and basmati rice in the background

Cashew Chicken Stir Fry

platter with bone-in stuffed chicken breast with spinach and gouda, rosemary potatoes and salad in background

Bone-in Stuffed Chicken Breast with Spinach and Gouda

front view of sheet pan drumsticks on a platter topped with cilantro and mint

Sheet Pan Drumsticks with Roasted Carrots and Cumin Potatoes

overhead view of both sheet pans with crunchy coconut chicken fingers

Crunchy Coconut Chicken Fingers

close up look of kackle burger chicken cutlet with bacon and cheese on french bread cut in half

The Kackle Burger: Chicken Cutlet with Bacon and Cheese

Recent Comments

  • Stacey on How to Trim the Fat From Chicken Thighs
  • TheHappyWhisk (Ivy) on How to Trim the Fat From Chicken Thighs
  • Stacey on Ina Garten's Chicken Marbella

Footer

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2023 Eat the Bite on the Foodie Pro Theme