Chicken breast calories and protein, raw and cooked.
Chicken breast is easy to log and easy to log twice as wrong, because raw and cooked weights give different numbers for the same piece of meat. Here is why, with the portions people usually eat.
2 min read
01 / Per 100 g
Raw or cooked: why the numbers differ.
100 g of raw skinless chicken breast is 120 calories and 22.5 g of protein. 100 g of the same breast roasted is 165 calories and 31 g of protein. The meat has not gained anything: cooking drives out water, so 100 g of raw breast cooks down to about 73 g, with the same 120 calories in it.
| Per 100 g | Calories | Protein | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raw, skinless | 120 | 22.5 g | 2.6 g |
| Roasted, skinless | 165 | 31 g | 3.6 g |
| Roasted, with skin | 197 | 29.8 g | 7.8 g |
| Pan-fried, skinless | 187 | 33.4 g | 4.7 g |
From USDA FoodData Central. Pan-fried values include the fat the meat absorbs. Grilling and roasting are close to each other when no oil is added.
02 / Portions
Common portions.
| Weight | Calories | Protein | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 oz raw | 113 g | 136 | 25 g |
| Half a breast, roasted, skinless | 86 g | 142 | 27 g |
| 1 cup chopped, roasted | 140 g | 231 | 43 g |
| 150 g cooked, as in a salad | 150 g | 248 | 46 g |
03 / What changes it
What changes the number.
- Raw or cooked weight. Log the state you weighed. Logging a cooked weight as raw undercounts it by about a quarter.
- The skin. Roasted with skin is 32 calories and 4.2 g of fat more per 100 g than skinless.
- Oil and marinades. A tablespoon of oil is about 121 calories, whether it goes in the pan or in a marinade.
- Breading. Breaded and fried chicken adds the coating and the oil it soaks up; for packaged pieces, use the label.
04 / Logging it
How to log chicken breast.
In GymTribe, add chicken breast by hand with its weight, raw or cooked, and keep to one way each time. Chicken dishes in the catalog include grilled chicken with rice, chicken tikka and chicken stir-fry. For whole meals, see the grilled chicken salad and the chicken burrito bowl.
Keep it simple
Weigh it one way.
Pick raw or cooked, weigh it the same way every time, and your log stays comparable from day to day. These numbers are from USDA FoodData Central; they are estimates, not medical or clinical nutrition advice.
