How much protein is in chicken?
Here is a quick breakdown showing how much protein is different parts of a chicken. Generally, there are 6-8 grams of protein in an ounce of chicken meat, depending on how it is prepared and if it is dark chicken meat or white chicken meat.
- Chicken Breast (boneless, skinless, 12 oz.) contains about 72 grams of protein.
- Chicken leg or thigh (boneless, skinless, 12 oz.) contains about 66 grams of protein.
- The protein content of chicken is roughly 5-8 grams protein per ounce.
How much protein is in chicken, a chicken breast, leg or thigh, turkey or other poultry?
Protein content of some common poultry varieties are listed here, as well as calories, grams of carbs and fat. For protein content of steak, protein in eggs, fish or dairy products, see other pages on this site.
Take note that the fat content can vary greatly between different cuts of chicken. Also, carbohydrate content of the actual meat is usually 0. However, carbs jump as soon as you add breading to the chicken as you will notice in the Perdue Popcorn chicken and other breaded products.
Chicken & Other Poultry Protein Charts
The charts and tables below will provide information about how much protein, fat and carbs are in common chicken products. you will notice that the protein content can differ when the fat content changes. chicken with the skin on it is higher in fat, and as a result, the percentage by weight of protein will decrease.
Chicken Protein Content Table
| Chicken Type | Protein Grams | Carb Grams | Fat Grams | Calories |
| 6 oz. Chicken Breast | 39 | 0 | 2 | 174 |
| 3 oz. Chicken Breast skinless, roasted | 24 | 0 | 1.5 | 110 |
| 3 oz. Chicken Breast w/skin, roasted | 25 | 0 | 7 | 163 |
| 5 oz. Chicken Breast (meat only) | 41 | 0 | 4 | 200 |
| 5 oz. Chicken Thigh (meat only) | 35 | 0 | 14 | 266 |
| 5.5 oz. Chicken Drumstick (meat only) | 44 | 0 | 9 | 257 |
| 4 oz. Chicken Breast Deli Meat | 21 | 0 | 1 | 93 |
| 1 Chicken Thigh | 14 | 0 | 8 | 128 |
| 6 Chicken Wings | 34 | 0 | 22 | 335 |
Other Poultry Protein Content Table
Here is a chart listing how much protein is in poultry products other than chicken, such as turkey and duck.
| Poultry | Protein Grams | Carb Grams | Fat Grams | Calories |
| 12 oz. Cornish Game Hen (roasted) | 51 | 0 | 9 | 295 |
| 6 oz. Duck, domesticated (meat only) | 31 | 0 | 10 | 226 |
| 4 oz. Ground Ostrich Meat | 23 | 0 | 10 | 188 |
| 6 oz. Turkey Breast | 42 | 0 | 1 | 189 |
| 4 oz. Turkey Deli Meat | 22 | 0 | 2 | 104 |
| 4 oz. ground Turkey | 20 | 0 | 9 | 170 |
| 1 oz. Turkey Jerky | 19 | 1 | 1 | 101 |
Perdue Chicken & Poultry Products Protein Content Table
If you want to know how much protein is in chicken by Perdue, here is a handy chart of some popular Perdue Chicken products including protein in chicken breasts, thighs, etc.
| Perdue Chicken Product & Serving size | Protein Grams | Carb Grams | Fat Grams | Calories |
| PERDUE BONELESS SKINLESS CHICKEN BREAST TENDERLOINS 4 oz. | 25 | 0 | 1 | 110 |
| PERDUE FRESH BONELESS SKINLESS CHICKEN BREASTS 4 oz. | 25 | 0 | 1 | 110 |
| PERDUE FRESH BONELESS SKINLESS CHICKEN THIGHS 4 oz. | 22 | 0 | 8 | 160 |
| PERDUE FRESH CHICKEN DRUMSTICKS 4 oz. | 20 | 0 | 10 | 180 |
| PERDUE FRESH CHICKEN LEG QUARTERS 4 oz. | 19 | 0 | 21 | 270 |
| PERDUE FRESH CHICKEN THIGHS 4 oz. | 19 | 0 | 19 | 250 |
| PERDUE FRESH CHICKEN WINGS 4oz. | 20 | 0 | 14 | 210 |
| PERDUE FRESH GROUND CHICKEN 4oz. | 22 | 0 | 9 | 160 |
| PERDUE BREADED POPCORN CHICKEN 3 oz. | 10 | 26 | 7 | 210 |
| PERDUE BREADED CHICKEN BREAST TENDERS 3pcs (97g) | 10 | 16 | 14 | 230 |
| PERDUE CHICKEN BREAST NUGGETS 4pcs. (90 g) | 9 | 19 | 13 | 230 |
| PERDUE FRESH CHICKEN GIZZARDS 4 oz. | 20 | 0 | 2.5 | 110 |
| PERDUE FRESH CHICKEN LIVERS 4 oz. | 19 | 1 | 5 | 130 |
| PERDUE FRESH GROUND CHICKEN PATTIES 1 patty (112 g) | 22 | 0 | 9 | 170 |
Click for Perdue Chicken Recipes
Tyson Foods Chicken Product Protein Content Table
| Tyson Chicken Product & Serving Size | Protein Grams | Carb Grams | Fat Grams | Calories |
| Tyson Fresh Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts 4 oz. | 23 | 0 | 2.5 | 110 |
| Tyson Fresh Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs 4 oz. | 19 | 0 | 10 | 160 |
| Tyson Fresh Ground Chicken 4 oz. | 20 | 0 | 8 | 150 |
| Tyson Fresh Chicken Wings 4 oz. | 18 | 0 | 20 | 250 |
| Tyson Fresh Chicken Livers 4 oz. (approx.) | 19 | 0 | 4.5 | 110 |
| Tyson Crispy Chicken Strips 3 oz. (approx.) | 13 | 17 | 10 | 210 |
| Tyson Air Fried Chicken Nuggets 3 oz. (approx.) | 15 | 15 | 4 | 160 |
| Tyson Chicken Nuggets 3 oz. (approx.) | 14 | 15 | 17 | 270 |
Click for Tyson Chicken recipes
Protein in Chicken, Turkey and Poultry is Great for Bodybuilders
Chicken tops the list of high protein foods, and can generally be divided into two categories: white meat (breast) or dark meat (thighs and legs). Both contain high quality protein.
Basically, the thighs and legs have higher fat content per ounce of meat than the breast. This is partially because chickens need more endurance in their legs, which is provided by the energy that is stored in fatty tissue.
As far as nutrition and protein goes, both types of chicken meat are excellent sources of high quality protein for your diet.
As bodybuilders know, chicken and tuna are, gram for gram, probably the least expensive sources of protein you will find anywhere. Additionally, left-over chicken makes a great high protein snack too!
Chicken dark meat may contain more fat than white meat, but also has more vitamin B, and iron than white meat. Dark chicken meat also contains more zinc, riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, vitamins B6 and B12.
Be sure to avoid eating the skin of the chicken, as this is almost all fat and no real nutritional value!
When you see how much protein is in chicken, you see you get a lot of high quality protein for relatively low cost, so those who need a higher intake can use it without going broke! Only protein powders and Tuna come close to the low cost per gram of protein.