How Much Protein in Chicken Breast? 10 Foods with More Protein
Chicken is one of the most usual consumed meat in the whole world. There is a good amount of protein in chicken breast.
It is easy to get, easy to make and has immense nutritional value. It is one of the biggest sources of protein in our body.

Image credit: Sandra (Unsplash)
Article information: This article is written by NikitaMayuresh, RD, CDN
Chicken protein is very important for all the fitness enthusiasts out there. Protein helps in building and maintaining muscles, losing fat, and being healthy.
Gym freaks consume chicken twice or more every day.
Chicken meat comes in various forms such as chicken breast, thigh, leg, wings, and so on. The amount of protein, fat, and carbs in them is different too for different purposes.
In today’s post, we will discuss the quantity of protein in chicken breast (1).
Chicken Breast Nutrition
Chicken breast is one of the most useful and nutrient-rich cuts of chicken meat.
Skinless and boneless chicken breast(per 100 grams) contains (2):
Calories- 165
Protein amount- 31 grams
Fat amount- 3.6 grams
Saturated fat amount- 1 gram
Monosaturated fat amount- 1.2 grams
Polyunsaturated fat amount- 0.7 gram
Cholesterol contain amount- 85 milligram
Sodium amount- 74 milligrams
Iron amount- 1 milligram
With skin and bone chicken breast (per 100 grams) contains
Calories- 197
Protein amount- 30 grams
Fat amount- 7.8 grams
Saturated fat amount- 2.2 grams
Monosaturated fat amount- 3 grams
Polyunsaturated fat amount- 1.7 grams
Cholesterol contain amount- 84 milligrams
Sodium amount- 71 milligrams
Iron amount- 1 milligram
Thus, we can observe that more or less with or without skin and bone, the nutrient values are somewhat the same.
The skin and bone slightly increase the fat or calorie value of the chicken and a few other nutrients too.
The protein value decreases by 1 gram with the skin and bone. But this is pretty obvious that chicken meat is really rich in protein than fat.
Also, chicken breast is the only part of the chicken that has the most amount of protein value, followed by chicken wings which have 30 grams of protein.
So, chicken breast is really popular amongst the bodybuilder as it has high protein value and fewer carbs, which means more muscles without the worry of getting unfit or fat.
Protein Filled Chicken Breast
As we have learned, chicken breast contains the maximum amount of protein than all the other parts per 100 grams.
Thus, chicken breast is commonly consumed by the fitness freaks who want to build more muscles without worrying about eating too much.
Chicken breast is very useful for those who are trying to cut some weight as it has the least amount of carbs and the most amount of protein.
Maintaining calorie intake is necessary for all the bodybuilders, so the chicken breast is really important for them. So, if you are trying to get lean, chicken breast which is a good source of omega-3 is perfect for you.
Chicken meat contains all the important amino but not to forget, it contains creatine. Most protein sources cannot supply with creatine but chicken breast do thus it is really beneficial.
Chicken Breast Protein Benefits
There are a lot of benefits of chicken breast protein or chicken protein in general. Chicken has a lot of nutritional value as well as health benefits.
Protein in our body plays a crucial role in our daily diet. It contains and is made up of amino acids which helps in the construction of blocks of our muscles.
The necessary amount of protein requirement on a daily basis is around 1 gram per 1 kg of our body weight which is 0.4 g of protein per pound of our body weight.
But for bodybuilders and athletes, it is around 0.6 g to 0.9 g per pound because muscle building is their number one priority.
Some of the benefits are:
- Lose your weight and gain muscles
- Controls your blood pressure
- It reduces the risk of cancer, like other meats such as beef and pork can increase the risk, chicken and fish does just the opposite
- Reduce cholesterol; Red meat highly increases the amount of cholesterol but chicken does not, thus doctors advise to consume more chicken than red meat
- Get rid of the common cold with a hot tasty bowl of chicken soup
Foods with More Protein Than Chicken Breast
There are a few other foods that have more protein amount in it than chicken. There are a lot of protein-rich foods but these are the most important of them. Since they are rich in protein, all of these items are healthy.
1.Tofu
Tofu, which is also called bean curd is a food item that is made by coagulating soy milk and then squeezing the resultant curd into a soft white square like a block.
It is used in sweet and savory dishes. Tofu has a low-calorie count and has a large amount of protein in it. It is also high in calcium, iron.
Tofu helps in losing weight and it also stabilizes the blood flow through our arteries. It is used to strengthen bones and lose weight. Thus, Tofu is one of the biggest sources of protein.
Protein amount (per 100 gram)- 48g
2. Cottage cheese
Cottage cheese is cheese which has low calorie with a slightly mild flavor. It is gradually becoming famous as it contains a huge amount of protein and really low calorie and not to forget, it is something that everyone loves. Cheese!
It is available in different varieties such as creamed, whipped, lactose-free, low sodium, or sodium-free. Cottage cheese is high in protein as well as calcium and both of them deals with weight loss.
Thus, cottage cheese is a really important source of protein
Protein amount (per 100 gram)- 11 or 12g
Read More: Foods for Glowing Skin
3. Shrimp
Like a lot of animal foods, shrimp has quite a good amount of protein in it and can replace any meat or poultry animal as a source of protein in your daily diet.
Shrimp has all the important amino acids which are needed for keeping and maintaining a healthy lifestyle and thus, it is a source of high-quality protein and it also supplies with other nutrients too.
The protein contains in the shrimp varies from preparation to preparations.
Protein amount (per 100 gram)- 24g
4. Lentil
Low priced dry lentils are a 100% effective way to increase your protein intake in your diet. It also shoots up fiber intake and a range of important minerals.
Lentils do not require to be soaked before consuming or cooking, like other dried beans. For a protein-rich lunch you can have lentils with chicken breast and a few chopped vegetables and some garnishing.
Lentils are another good source of protein and also, it is under a vegetable, so all the vegans can have it to increase their protein count in their body.
Protein amount (per 100 gram)- 9g
Read More: Foods That Are Good For Your Liver
5. Tuna
This is probably the best protein source. Inexpensive, easy to get, and tasty, this meaty fish of the sea is a huge source of protein and other important nutrients too.
Canned tuna has almost 40g of protein per can. It has a good amount of Vitamin B too, along with antioxidant selenium which makes tuna a really good nutrition choice of food.
So if you do not like chicken or meat or even veggies, you can go for fish for that muscle power and weight loss.
Protein amount (per 100 gram)- 30g
Read More: High Fiber Foods
6. Greek Yogurt
Greek yogurt has become really popular these days as it contains almost twice the amount of protein than other yogurts.
It is rich in calcium and protein, which means it helps in the bone-building as well as muscle building, thus, it comes with a full package of nutrition value.
Greek Yogurt helps your sugar level and your weight in check. Greek Yogurt is made by straining the whey out of the yogurt which gives you a thick consistency than unstrained yogurt.
Protein amount (per 100 gram)- 10g
7. Prawns
Proteins are a great source of protein as it contains Omega- 3, iron, zinc, and Vitamin E. They are extremely low in fat and calorie and rich in protein.
Though prawns can be a little expensive, it is worth it. Prawns contain approximately the same amount of protein in chicken per 100 grams.
Protein amount (per 100 gram)- 25g
8. Quinoa
Under all the aspects of whole grains, quinoa which comes from South America which is basically a seed is rare in its family of seeds as it contains quite a large amount of amino acids, which means that it is a complete package of muscle-building protein.
Toasting quinoa in a saucepan before putting it in shimmering water gives it a natural nutty flavor.
Quinoa is an excellent plant-based protein for all the vegans out there. Out of all the plant foods, quinoa is the most high-quality nutrition value one.
Protein amount (per cup)- Approximately 8g
Read More: Iron Rich Foods
9. Salmon
Salmon is another meaty fish from the sea that has high nutritional value. It has that fat diminishing Omega-3 fatty acid as well as high protein value too. It contains all the amino acids that you need to grow, repair, and develop your muscles.
This is an excellent source of protein for people who have a poor digestive system, as it can be easily digested and is good for sick people. Salmon also reduces the risk of heart diseases.
Protein amount (per 100 gram)- 20g
10. Smoothies
This is probably the tastiest protein source of all time. Who does not like smoothies? From adults to kids, smoothies are always amongst our favorites.
You can level up your protein score in your diet game by the protein shakes by mixing whey protein powder or casein and make a smoothie and add fruits for vitamin content and flavor.
Premade smoothie can also be purchased but before buying make sure it has all the protein-rich ingredients in them and not just fruit. You can also make a vegan smoothie or plant-based protein smoothie by mixing rice protein and pea protein.
Protein amount (per 100 cup)- 16g approximately
Thus, the chicken will be a great addition to your diet as it is a high nutrition food product with a high amount of protein that helps your body to lose weight and gain muscle.
Protein is extremely necessary for your body to strengthen your core muscles and bone density. Chicken breast and thigh are the two main important parts of the chicken that has a high amount of protein contained in it.
Other than that, there are other food items too that have a high amount of protein in them.
Overall, protein is important for your body for a long of things other than muscle building and losing weight, it helps to fight against diseases, it helps in blood circulation in your arteries and so on.
Therefore, have a healthy and happy lifestyle with the perfect intake of protein.