How Much Protein Is In Chicken?

Every cut compared

All figures are for cooked meat without skin unless stated.

Raw versus cooked — the number that confuses everyone

Raw chicken breast is about 23g of protein per 100g. Cooked, it is about 31g. Nothing was added — the meat lost roughly a quarter of its weight as water, which concentrates the protein.

So a 200g raw breast becomes roughly 150g cooked and still delivers around 46g of protein either way. Always check whether a label refers to raw or cooked weight before comparing.

Common portions

• One medium cooked breast (~170g): about 53g protein.
• One thigh, no skin (~90g cooked): about 23g protein.
• Two drumsticks (~120g cooked): about 29g protein.
• Six wings (~150g cooked): about 40g protein, with far more fat.
• Half a rotisserie chicken, meat only (~250g): about 68g protein.

Is chicken a complete protein?

Yes. Chicken contains all nine essential amino acids in useful amounts, with a high leucine content, which is the amino acid most closely linked to muscle protein synthesis.