Chicken is a great healthy meal option that all the family can enjoy.

Not only is chicken now widely recognised as being a ‘healthy food’ but in terms of price point and popularity, it ticks all the boxes. Chicken fulfils a vital role in the average New Zealand diet and delivers versatility, taste and excellent nutritional value.


Chicken Nutrition Facts
Eating chicken two or three times a week helps form an essential part of a well balanced diet and provides a complete nutritional package for you and your family.

Did you know these interesting facts about chicken?

• Nutritionally chicken contains all nine essential amino acids, which are our body’s protein building blocks.
• Chicken is low in fat and is a great source of protein.
• Chicken is an excellent source of readily digestible iron, zinc and vitamin B12.
• A standard 100g portion of chicken contains almost the same amount of protein as the equivalent serving of beef or lamb.
• Chicken contains only 3.3% of fat per 100g when served without the skin.

- NHMRC Dietary Guidelines for Australian Adults, endorsed 10th April 2003

Chicken and the Environment
When compared to other agricultural farming such as beef, lamb and pork, we now know that chicken farming delivers the smallest carbon footprint on our environment. Looking ahead to the future, it’s clear that in terms of environmental sustainability, chicken farming is likely to be the most ecologically viable form of meat farming in New Zealand.

For further information about the poultry industry in New Zealand, please refer to the PIANZ website.

Chicken and Your Daily Diet
Chicken is a very adaptable meat in that it can be readily applied to numerous recipes for everyday meals as well as being easily substituted for most red meats. Try using chicken in your next stir fry, pasta dish, risotto, burger, pizza topping, casserole or kebab. Do you have some cooked chicken leftovers? Chop it up and add it to your kids lunches in sandwiches, wraps or rolls to supply your children with their essential daily protein requirements.

Chicken is also a great convalescence food especially for the very old or young and a lightly poached skinless chicken breast will deliver a good nutritional hit with easy digestibility.

A whole fresh chicken provides a wealth of meal options as almost every part of a chicken can be eaten and cooked in many ways. Chicken bones provide an excellent base for a stock or soup.

To summarise, chicken provides complete protein, a variety of nutrients and very little fat, and can be cooked in myriad ways to provide versatile, affordable and delicious healthy eating for you and your family.