Calories in Chicken Breast (Cooked, Raw, Per 100g)
Cooked, skinless chicken breast has about 165 calories per 100g with ~31g of protein and almost no carbs (USDA FoodData Central). That protein-to-calorie ratio is why chicken breast is the default protein source for anyone tracking macros — it delivers a lot of the muscle-protecting, hunger-killing macro for very few calories.
Calories in chicken breast (USDA)
| Form | Calories | Protein | Fat | Carbs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cooked, skinless (100g) | ~165 | 31g | 3.6g | 0g |
| Raw, skinless (100g) | ~120 | 22.5g | 2.6g | 0g |
| Typical cooked breast (170g) | ~280 | 53g | 6g | 0g |
| With skin, cooked (100g) | ~197 | 30g | 7.8g | 0g |
Cooked vs raw — log the right one
This is the classic chicken tracking error. Raw breast is ~120 cal/100g; cooked is ~165 because cooking drives off water and concentrates the meat. A 200g raw breast becomes ~150g cooked — same calories, different weight. Weigh it in the state you’ll log it, and don’t mix the two.
Why it’s a tracking staple
At ~31g protein per 165 calories, chicken breast makes hitting a protein target (1.6-2.2 g/kg, Morton et al. 2018) easy without crowding your calorie budget. Skin and oil are where the calories climb — a tablespoon of cooking oil adds ~120 calories, often more than the chicken’s own fat.
Set your protein target with the protein calculator and balance the rest with the macro calculator. And since the cooked-vs-raw weight gap fools so many people, photographing the finished plate to estimate the portion sidesteps the error entirely.
Frequently asked questions
- How many calories in a chicken breast?
- A typical cooked, skinless chicken breast (about 170g) has roughly 280 calories and 53g of protein. Per 100g, cooked skinless breast is about 165 calories (USDA FoodData Central).
- How much protein is in chicken breast?
- About 31g of protein per 100g of cooked skinless breast — one of the highest protein-to-calorie ratios of any whole food, which is why it's a staple for muscle preservation and satiety.
- Why does cooked chicken have more calories than raw per 100g?
- Cooking removes water, concentrating the meat. Raw breast is ~120 cal per 100g; cooked is ~165 because the same protein is packed into less weight. Weigh chicken in the same state (cooked or raw) you'll log it in.