An average chicken contains 54 grams or protein which is 31 grams per 100g. Incredibly, the average chicken breast packs all this protein and only is 284 calories, making it one of the most popular protein based food you can consume today.
The meats that are most commonly consumed throughout the world chicken include chicken. Being a great source of protein, chickens are popular among fitness freaks because they can achieve their goals of fitness and health. They can lose fat as well as build and maintain muscles with high-protein foods. However, every part of chicken including thighs, breasts, drumsticks, and wings can provide different amounts of protein, calories, and fat. So they can be consumed for different reasons. The information provided here under will help you to know the amount of protein in chicken breast, thigh, wings, and drumsticks of chicken.
Protein in chicken breast
The breast of chicken contains a lot of protein but low fat. So, it can be the best choice for you if you want to eat low-fat food. The breast is the most valuable part of the chicken because it is believed that its white meat is more delicious than meat found in the other parts of the chicken. Along with protein, the meat of chicken breast is also good for teeth and bones as it is also rich in phosphorus. It can also fulfill the amount of vitamin B3 your body needs every day to reduce fatigue and tiredness.
The breast is the most popularly consumed part of a chicken. The amount of protein found in a skinless cooked chicken is 54 Grams. On average every 100 gm of cooked chicken breast includes 31 grams of protein. Along with providing a high amount of protein chicken breast also provides 284 calories 20% of which comes from fat whereas 80% from protein. One 100 gram of cooked chicken breast provides 165 calories.
Due to its nutritional value chicken breast is popular among bodybuilders and people as a weight-loss food. It can help in losing weight due to its low calorie and high protein content. Chicken breasts can be cooked in different ways including in a skillet, on the grill, in a pot instantly, or in the oven. However, it can stick to the surface of pans and grills because it is low in fat. So, to avoid sticking on pans and grill you will have to add more fat while cooking the chicken breast in a pan or on the grill.
Protein in chicken thigh
After breast, the other most popular part of the chicken is its thighs. Though chicken thighs contain less protein and more fat than its breasts still they are equally important from the point of nutritional values. If you are anemic or deficient of iron, then chicken thighs are the best option for you. It is good for the health of your hair, nails, and skin because of the higher amount of zinc in them.
Chicken thighs are popular among people due to their inexpensiveness than chicken breasts. The boneless and skinless cooked thighs of a chicken weighing 52 grams include 13.5 grams of protein or every 100 grams of chicken thighs contain 26 grams of protein.
Along with protein chicken thighs also provide 109 calories or every 100 grams of chicken thighs provide up to 209 calories 47% of which comes from fat and 53% from protein. The color of chicken thighs is darker than its breasts because of the higher amount of myoglobin molecules in them and being more active. Chicken thighs are redder than their breasts due to the oxygen provided by myoglobin molecules to them. Many people like to eat chicken thighs due to their juicy taste and darker color.
Chicken thighs are better than chicken breasts while cooking as they do not stick readily to the grill or pan. Chicken thighs are available with or without skin and bone like chicken breasts. While choosing from them you should compare their benefits to you.
Protein in chicken drumstick
The legs of a chicken consist of two parts – thighs and drumsticks. The upper part of its legs is known as thighs and the lower part is known as the calves or drumsticks. 44 grams of the skin of boneless drumsticks of a chicken includes nearly 12.4 grams of protein or 100 grams of bone or skinless drumsticks will provide up to 28.3 grams of protein.
Along with protein drumsticks of a chicken can also provide 76 calories which equal 173 calories for every 100 grams of drumsticks. 30% of the calories provided by drumsticks come from fat in them whereas 70% from its protein.
People usually like to eat chicken drumsticks with skin which provides nearly 112 calories, 47% of which comes from the fat in the drumsticks and 53% from protein in them. Overall, the drumsticks of a chicken provide 12.4 grams of protein and 173 calories 30% of which comes from the fat in them and 70% from the protein in them.
Protein in chicken wings
The wings of a chicken can be divided into three parts including the drumette, wingette, and the tip of the wings. Usually, chicken wings are consumed as bar food or snacks. One bone and skinless wing of a chicken weighing up to 21 grams provide nearly 6.4 grams of protein which is equal to almost 30.5 grams per 100 grams of chicken wings.
Along with 6.4 grams of protein, wings of a chicken provide 42 calories energy which is equal to 203 grams per 100 grams of chicken wings. 36% of these calories come from the fat in the wings and 64% from their protein.
Most people eat chicken drumsticks with the skin along with drumsticks. The calories in the chicken wings with skin are equal to 99, 61% of which comes from the fat in them and 39% from their protein.
Overall, protein in the wing of a chicken is 6.4 gram or 100 grams of wings will provide 30.5 grams of protein. It also provides 42 calories 46% of which comes from the fat in it and 64% from its protein.
Which part of the chicken can provide you the maximum benefit?
You can choose from the parts of the chicken to eat based on the goals for your fitness and health. Some of the parts of a chicken can provide a lot of protein whereas some a bit less. Similarly, you can get more fats in the thighs, wings, and drumsticks of the chicken but lesser in the breasts.
If you want to lose weight, then chicken breasts can be the best option for you because it includes most of the protein and the lowest number of calories found in a chicken. It makes breasts the leanest part of the chicken. For instance, for bodybuilders, the breast is the ideal cut of the chicken because of the lowest number of calories in it. While participating in a contest or reducing the fat in the body the bodybuilders must be careful about the intake of calories.
The cuts of the chicken that can provide more fat to the consumers can be the best for the people following the diet plan of keto diets or low carb diets as these diet plans need more fat to keep your weight under control.
You should eat the parts of the chicken that can provide you more calories than burnt by your body every day if you aim to gain weight or build muscles. So, to meet their need for high calories they should eat the parts of the chicken that can provide them with more amount of fat.
Similarly, the breast of a chicken can be the best option for the people who want to recover fast or maintain the mass of their muscles. The most important factor for such people is to eat the part of chicken containing high levels of protein by weight.
On the whole, it can be summed up as the breast of a chicken can be the best for you if you want to maintain your muscle mass, improve recovery or lose weight because it is lean with most of the protein by weight. But if you want to build muscles, gain weight, or at a low-carb diet or keto diet chicken cuts with more fat can be more beneficial.
Protein Takeway:
protein in chicken
Chicken is one of the great sources of protein in the meat. Its different cuts are popularly eaten with or without skin and bone due to their nutritional values. The protein in chicken can be evaluated with the protein found in different cooked skinless and boneless parts of chicken:
- In one breast of chicken 54 grams of protein or 100 grams of chicken breast gives 32 grams of protein.
- In one thigh of chicken 13.5 grams of protein or 100 grams of chicken thigh provides 26 grams of protein.
- In one drumstick of chicken 12.4-grams of protein or 100 grams of chicken drumstick provides 28.3-grams of protein.
- In one wing of chicken 6.4 grams of protein or 100 grams of the chicken wing provides 30.5 grams of protein.
You can choose from different cuts of chicken to eat according to your goals for health and fitness. The breast of chicken can be the best for losing weight, improving recovery, and maintaining muscles. Chicken drumstick, wings, and thigh can be the best for gaining weight and building muscles as well as for people on keto or low-carb diets because they provide more calories.
So, you can add chicken in your diet as per your fitness and health goals.
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