Chicken is one of our members’ top tracked foods and it’s easy to see why—white meat poultry is delicious, satisfying, and has less cholesterol and saturated fat than meats like beef, pork, and lamb.
With chicken on your ZeroPoint™ foods list, you may be wondering if something like deli meat is too. And what about ground chicken? Does that have a Points® value? Our nutrition team has the answers.
When is chicken one of my ZeroPoint foods and when is it not?
The following ARE ZeroPoint foods for WeightWatchers members:
Chicken breast: skinless, boneless, whole, ground or deli-sliced; raw, cooked, or smoked in 0 Points-value sauces or spices
Ground chicken or turkey that is labeled “breast” or “extra lean” or at least 98% fat free/2% fat
Deli meat that is specifically skinless chicken or turkey breast
If the product contains less than 2% of non-ZeroPoint ingredients (sugar, oil, food starch), it is still considered a ZeroPoint food.
The following are NOT ZeroPoint foods:
Processed, unspecified products such as “deli turkey” which often contain sugar or dark meat—ingredients that are not ZeroPoint foods
Pre-marinated chicken or turkey breasts
Why are other lean meats (like beef) not on my ZeroPoint foods list?
Red meat provides essential nutrients like iron, zinc and vitamin B12, however some cuts of red meat are higher in saturated fat and are more likely to be overconsumed than skinless chicken and turkey breast. Red meat can still be enjoyed as part of a healthy eating plan and can be tracked as part of your Points Budget.
If I remove the skin from rotisserie chicken breast, is it a ZeroPoint food?
Yes, as long as you're eating the breast meat.
Do chicken tenderloins and thigh meat have a Points value?
Chicken tenderloins are a ZeroPoint food as they are the leanest part of the chicken breast. Chicken thighs have a Points value as this cut contains a higher amount of fat than the tenderloin or breast. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't eat them! They can be enjoyed within your Points Budget.
If chicken or turkey breast is used to make jerky, is it a ZeroPoint food?
Afraid not. Jerky is a dried form of meat and has higher calories per ounce, so it won’t be one of your ZeroPoint foods. It’s also more of a snack food, so it’s easier to overeat. That’s why we ask you to track it.
How will I know if my chicken or turkey is actually skinless breast or another part of the bird?
Take a good look at it. Turkey and chicken breast are white meat, so if you’re eating a product that is visibly light compared to darker meat and is skinless, it's the breast meat. The Points values in your WeightWatchers® app will be the most up-to-date.
If I use the barcode scanner on a packaged meal, like an egg and turkey bacon breakfast sandwich, will it remove my ZeroPoint ingredients?
If the packaged food is in our database, the Points value shown will have the ZeroPoint ingredients removed, assuming they are actually 0. (For example, deli turkey is not a ZeroPoint food.)