Chicken thigh nutrition holds up well next to chicken breast protein

A roasted skinless chicken thigh carries 14 more calories per 100 grams than a breast, and that's about the whole gap. Chicken thigh nutrition gets treated like a diet detour, yet the figures in Healthline's breakdown of chicken cuts show the two are closer than gym lore suggests.

Breast still wins on protein density, no argument there. But if you'd rather eat juicier meat four nights a week, chicken breast protein isn't your only route to a high-protein dinner, and the trade is smaller than most people assume.

Chicken breast calories and chicken thigh nutrition, per 100 grams

Here's the side-by-side for cooked, skinless, boneless meat. Healthline lists 165 calories, 31 grams of protein and 3.6 grams of fat for 100 grams of breast. The same weight of thigh comes in at 179 calories, 24.8 grams of protein and 8.2 grams of fat.

So chicken thigh calories sit only about 8% above breast. Fat is where the cuts really part ways: the thigh has more than twice as much, which is exactly why it stays moist on a hot grill while breast dries out.

Per 100 grams cooked, a skinless thigh has 14 more calories, 6.2 fewer grams of protein and 4.6 more grams of fat than a skinless breast.

Why nutrition facts for chicken thighs vary by source

MedicineNet's table puts a cooked thigh at 209 calories per 100 grams, while Healthline says 179. Different database entries describe slightly different meat, so pick one source and stick with it rather than mixing figures from day to day.

How much protein in chicken breast versus a thigh?

A typical cooked breast weighing 172 grams delivers 53.4 grams of protein for 284 calories. A 116-gram cooked thigh gives 28.8 grams for 208 calories. One breast is a big portion; one thigh is a modest one, so most people eat two.

The fairer test is protein per calorie. Breast gives about 18.8 grams of protein per 100 calories, and thigh gives about 13.9. Need 30 grams of protein at dinner? That's roughly 97 grams of cooked breast or 121 grams of cooked thigh.

Raw chicken breast protein per 100 grams

Raw chicken breast nutrition looks different on paper because the meat still holds its water. USDA FoodData Central lists raw boneless, skinless breast at 112 calories, 22.5 grams of protein and 1.93 grams of fat per 100 grams. Cooking drives water out, so the same piece reads denser afterward.

Skin and breading change chicken thigh nutritional value more than the cut

What's wrapped around the meat matters more than which part of the bird it came from. A 196-gram breast with skin has 386 calories, about 102 more than the same breast skinless. A thigh fried in batter climbs to 238 calories, against 208 roasted without skin.

Fast-food style is another universe. MedicineNet lists KFC-style fried chicken with skin and breading at 384 calories per 100 grams, more than double a plain roasted breast. Oil soaks into coatings too, which is why fats deserve their own line in your log, as we showed in how olive oil and butter hide calories.

Peeling the skin off one roasted breast saves about 102 calories. Swapping 100 grams of skinless breast for skinless thigh adds just 14.

Where the extra fat in thighs comes from

Chicken thigh meat nutrition leans on fat for flavor. Healthline estimates fat supplies about 45% of a skinless thigh's calories, compared with roughly 20% for breast. That's no reason to avoid thighs; it just means a thigh dinner leaves a little less room for added oil or cheese.

What the swap means for a week of dinners

Say you eat 150 grams of cooked chicken five nights a week. Breast totals about 1,238 calories and 233 grams of protein. Thigh comes to about 1,343 calories and 186 grams of protein.

That's roughly 105 calories a week, or 15 a day. On a modest deficit, it barely registers. The protein gap of about 47 grams a week matters more if you're cutting and trying to hold on to muscle, and that's when breast earns its reputation. If you rotate proteins, our guides to protein in steak cuts and Greek yogurt run the same per-calorie maths.

When chicken breast protein makes more sense

When thighs are the better pick

Price per pound and what the grocery bill says

Money pushes plenty of people toward dark meat. In September 2026, the U.S. city average for boneless chicken breast was $4.20 per pound, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data published on FRED. Bone-in chicken legs averaged $1.74 per pound that same month.

It isn't a perfect comparison, since you pay for bone with legs and none with boneless breast. Still, if cheaper dark meat means more home-cooked dinners and fewer takeout nights, that's a far bigger outcome for your calorie budget than 14 calories per 100 grams.

A pound of raw boneless breast at the September 2026 average of $4.20 holds about 102 grams of protein, close to 4 cents per gram.

Logging chicken breast calories and thighs accurately

Most chicken logging errors come from mixing raw and cooked entries, not from picking the wrong cut. Weigh raw and log raw values, or weigh cooked and log cooked values. Our hand portion guide helps when there's no scale around.

Snap a photo on busy nights

Every kcal chicken breast figure you see on a pack or in an app refers to raw or cooked meat, and the gap is wide. MedicineNet puts 4 ounces raw at 126 calories and 4 ounces cooked at 186.

When weighing feels like a chore, photo-based calorie estimates get you close from a picture of your plate. A good estimate you actually log beats a perfect number you skip.

Quick answers on chicken breast protein and thighs

How many calories in 100g chicken breast?

Cooked, skinless chicken breast has about 165 calories per 100 grams, with 31 grams of protein. Raw, the same weight has about 112 calories and 22.5 grams of protein because it still holds its water.

Is chicken thigh worse for weight loss than breast?

Not by much. A skinless thigh has 14 more calories per 100 grams cooked, so portion size, skin and cooking oil matter more than the cut. If you have a specific health condition, check with a doctor or dietitian about how much fat suits you.

How much protein is in one chicken thigh?

A cooked, skinless, boneless thigh of 116 grams has about 28.8 grams of protein and 208 calories. Store-bought thighs vary in size, so weighing a couple once helps you calibrate your eye.

Breast or thigh, the numbers only help once they're in your log. Download CalMeal for free, snap a photo of your chicken dinner, and let AI-powered food recognition take the guesswork out of counting calories and protein. Get the app here: iOS or Android.