Chicken thighs contain 1.3 milligrams of iron per 100 grams. Grams is a measure of weight. To put 100 grams in perspective, consider alternative measures for this food:
- 1 cup equals 140 grams.
In the category of poultry, we included whole products in the Top 10 list. Foods may be fortified with iron but are not included in this Top 10 list.The food tested for the particular graph below can be described more specifically as:
Chicken, broilers or fryers, thigh, meat and skin, cooked, roasted
Read more about iron in meat or visit our list of iron-rich foods.
Chicken Thigh (Dark Meat Chicken) And Iron
Chicken thigh and other dark meat cuts of chicken are great sources of iron. One cup of dark meat chicken provides about ten percent of the daily required iron of a woman aged twenty to fifty and about twenty percent of the daily iron required by a small child. Dark meat chicken has quite a bit more iron than chicken breast, so it is the better poultry choice. Chicken in general also contains a form of iron (heme iron) that is the most readily absorbed by your body — iron inhibitors in grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds do not interfere with the absorption of iron in your chicken. Muscle meat such as chicken may also enhance your absorption of iron from plant-based foods.
For more information on the iron content of your favorite foods, explore the resources on this website including the food group information. Use the search function to find some of the less common foods.