Is Chicken Thigh Acidic or Alkaline?
Chicken thigh (prepared) is acid-forming: Positive PRAL: acid-forming after digestion.
Classification
Cooked chicken thighs come in at +11.8, well above the raw value of +8.0. Water and fat escape during frying, so the protein in the remaining meat is more concentrated. That puts them close to cooked chicken breast. Serve them with roasted vegetables and potatoes instead of fries or bread, and you offset a good part of that.
In the Meat & Sausages category, chicken thigh (prepared) ranks #48 of 67, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Venison (+11.5), Fried sausage (+11.3), Kassler (cured smoked pork loin) (+10.9). More acid-forming are Corned beef (+11.8), Veal (+12.1), Beef mince (+12.1).
Acidic or alkaline: PRAL, not pH
On this site, acidic and alkaline refer to the PRAL (potential renal acid load). It estimates what a food leaves behind once it has been digested: a positive value is acid-forming, a negative value is alkalizing. That is different from the pH of the food itself: a lemon tastes sour, yet its PRAL is −4.0, so it is alkalizing. Your diet does not change your blood pH. It does change how much acid your kidneys have to deal with.
Chicken thigh: prepared, raw
Same food, different state. All values per 100 g.
| State | PRAL |
|---|---|
| raw | +8.0 |
| prepared | +11.8 |
What balances chicken thigh
A serving (125 g) of chicken thigh adds +14.7 to your daily balance. These three bring it back; the grams shown offset exactly this serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is chicken thigh acidic?
It depends on what you mean by acidic. The pH describes the food itself, for example how sour it tastes. The PRAL describes what it leaves behind after digestion: Chicken thigh (prepared) has a PRAL of +11.8 per 100 g, so it counts as acid-forming in your daily acid-base balance.
How much lamb's lettuce offsets a serving (125 g) of chicken thigh?
A serving (125 g) of chicken thigh adds +14.7 to your daily balance. Lamb's lettuce (fresh) has −8.3 per 100 g, so about 180 g of lamb's lettuce offset this serving.
Do I have to avoid chicken thigh on an alkaline diet?
No. What counts is the balance of the whole day, not a single food. Chicken thigh is acid-forming; with enough vegetables, potatoes and fruit on the same plate, the meal stays balanced.
Chicken thigh, prepared or raw: which is more alkaline?
Chicken thigh (prepared) is at +11.8, Chicken thigh (raw) at +8.0. So the "raw" version is more alkaline. Differences come from water content, cooking water or concentration during drying.
Chicken Thigh logged, balance checked.
Basentracker adds up every meal automatically and shows whether your day is in the alkaline range. The same values as on this page, all 977 foods, photo scan, recipes.
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Compare all Meat & Sausages: Meat & Sausages table. Common questions are answered in Acidic or Alkaline?, and the PRAL calculator adds up a whole meal.
Source: Basentracker food database (PRAL according to Remer & Manz, calculated from protein, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and calcium per 100 g). This information does not replace medical advice.