Know2eat

Chicken breast

Gallus gallus domesticus

Also known as Skinless chicken breast, Chicken fillet, Pechuga

SaveCompare

The pectoral muscle of the chicken, made up largely of fast-twitch fibres, which is why it is pale and low in fat compared with the leg. It is the leanest widely eaten cut of poultry.

Muscle & Physical PerformanceWeight Management

Potential health benefits

Best supported: Moderate

Ordered by how well the human research supports them — strongest first. A rating describes the state of the evidence, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Muscle protein synthesis

Muscle & Physical Performance
Moderate evidence

May support muscle protein synthesis and lean mass gains when combined with resistance training. Chicken breast is a concentrated source of complete protein, and trials substituting it for lower-protein foods report improvements in lean mass.

Moderate evidence. Several human studies point the same way, with real caveats.

2 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Body composition

Weight Management
Limited evidence

Evidence is limited for chicken specifically affecting body composition. Higher-protein diets have been studied for fat mass and waist outcomes, but the trials test protein amount rather than poultry as a food.

Limited evidence. Early human work, or mostly lab and animal research.

2 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Satiety and appetite

Weight Management
Limited evidence

Some trials report that meals built around lean poultry produce more fullness per calorie than lower-protein meals. Findings come mostly from short appetite studies rather than long-term intake data.

Limited evidence. Early human work, or mostly lab and animal research.

3 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Ask about Chicken breast

Ask about Chicken breast

Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.

AI explanations are not switched on for this site, so there is nothing to ask here. Everything above is read straight from the database and does not need them.

Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
NutrientAmount% DV
Macronutrients
Calories165 kcal8%
Protein31 g62%
Total fat3.57 g5%
Carbohydrate0 g0%
Fibre0 g0%
Total sugars0 g—
Water65.3 g—
Fats
Saturated fat1.01 g5%
Monounsaturated fat1.24 g—
Polyunsaturated fat0.77 g—
Cholesterol85 mg28%
EPA (omega-3)0.01 g—
DHA (omega-3)0.02 g—
DPA (omega-3)0.01 g—
Linoleic acid (omega-6)0.59 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A6 µg1%
Vitamin C0 mg0%
Vitamin D0.1 µg1%
Vitamin E0.27 mg2%
Vitamin K0.3 µg0%
Thiamin (B1)0.07 mg6%
Riboflavin (B2)0.114 mg9%
Niacin (B3)13.7 mg86%
Pantothenic acid (B5)0.965 mg19%
Vitamin B60.6 mg35%
Folate4 µg1%
Vitamin B120.34 µg14%
Choline85.3 mg16%
Minerals
Calcium15 mg1%
Iron1.04 mg6%
Magnesium29 mg7%
Phosphorus228 mg18%
Potassium256 mg5%
Sodium74 mg3%
Zinc1 mg9%
Copper0.049 mg5%
Manganese0.017 mg1%
Selenium27.6 µg50%
Other measured compounds
Beta-carotene0 µg—
Alpha-carotene0 µg—
Lycopene0 µg—
Lutein + zeaxanthin0 µg—
Caffeine0 mg—
Ash1.06 g—

Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

Source record: Chicken, broilers or fryers, breast, meat only, cooked, roasted (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 171477).

% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.

Bioactive compounds

Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

How preparation changes things

Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.

  • friedIncreases heterocyclic amines

    Grilling and pan-frying poultry to a well-browned surface forms heterocyclic amines, with the highest concentrations measured in charred and barbecued poultry.

Things to know

Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.

  • Worth knowing

    Campylobacter and Salmonella

    Raw poultry is the leading retail source of Campylobacter in many surveillance systems. Washing raw chicken spreads bacteria around the kitchen rather than removing them; cooking through is the control step.

  • Allergy

    Chicken meat allergy

    Uncommon but documented, sometimes linked to bird-egg syndrome in people already sensitised to egg or bird feathers.

  • Too much

    Sodium in enhanced and brined product

    Much supermarket chicken breast is injected with a salt solution to retain moisture, which can multiply the sodium content several-fold over the plain USDA entry named here. The label discloses this as added solution.