How Many Calories In Chicken? Breast, Thigh, Wing And More

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Evidence BasedHow Many Calories in Chicken? Breast, Thigh, Wing, and More

Medically reviewed by Marie Lorraine Johnson MS, RD, CPT — Written by Melissa Groves — Updated on February 27, 2024

Breast
Thigh
Wing
Drumstick
Other cuts
Skin
Cooking methods
Takeaway

The number of calories in chicken can vary based on the specific cut, along with the way that it’s prepared. However, most popular varieties contain 155–203 calories per 3.5-ounce (oz.), or 100-gram (g), serving.

Chicken is a popular option for lean protein, as it packs a considerable amount into a single serving without much fat.

Plus, it’s easy to cook at home and available in most restaurants. Chicken dishes can be found on just about any menu, no matter what type of cuisine you’re eating.

But you may wonder exactly how many calories are in that chicken on your plate.

Chicken has many cuts, including breasts, thighs, wings, and drumsticks. Each cut contains a different number of calories and a different proportion of protein to fat.

Here are the calorie counts for the most popular cuts of chicken.

Chicken breast: 284 calories

Chicken breast is one of the most popular cuts of chicken. It’s high in protein and low in fat, making it an excellent choice for people trying to lose weight.

One skinless, boneless, cooked chicken breast (172 g) has the following nutrition breakdown:

Calories: 284
Protein: 53.4 g
Carbs: 0 g
Fat: 6.2 g

A 3.5-oz. (100-g) serving of chicken breast provides 165 calories, 31 g of protein, and 3.6 g of fat. That means that approximately 80% of the calories in chicken breast come from protein, and 20% come from fat.

Remember that these amounts refer to a plain chicken breast with no added ingredients. Once you start cooking it in oil or adding marinades or sauces, you increase the total amount of calories, carbs, and fat.

Chicken thigh: 208 calories

Chicken thigh is slightly more tender and flavorful than chicken breast due to its higher fat content.

One skinless, boneless, cooked chicken thigh (116 g) contains:

Calories: 208
Protein: 28.8 g
Carbs: 0 g
Fat: 9.5 g

A 3.5-oz. (100-g) serving of chicken thigh provides 179 calories, 24.8 g of protein, and 8.2 g of fat. Thus, 55% of the calories come from protein, while 45% come from fat.

Chicken wing: 43 calories

When you think about healthy cuts of chicken, chicken wings probably don’t come to mind. However, if they’re not covered in breading or sauce and deep-fried, they can easily fit into a healthy diet.

One skinless, boneless chicken wing (21 g) contains:

Calories: 43
Protein: 6.4 g
Carbs: 0 g
Fat: 1.7 g

Per 3.5 oz. (100 g), chicken wings provide 203 calories, 30.5 g of protein, and 8.1 g of fat. This means that 64% of the calories come from protein and 36% from fat.

Chicken drumstick: 149 calories

Chicken legs have two parts — the thigh and the drumstick. The drumstick is the lower portion of the leg.

One skinless, boneless chicken drumstick (96 g) contains:

Calories: 149
Protein: 23.2 g
Carbs: 0 g
Fat: 5.5 g

Per 3.5 oz. (100 g), chicken drumsticks have 155 calories, 24.2 g of protein, and 5.7 g of fat. Regarding calorie count, about 65% comes from protein, while 35% comes from fat.

Other cuts of chicken

Though breast, thighs, wings, and drumsticks are the most popular cuts of chicken, there are several others to choose from.

Here are the calories in some other cuts of chicken:

Chicken tenderloins: 89 calories per 3.5 oz. (100 g)
Back: 239 calories per 3.5 oz. (100 g)
Dark meat: 178 calories per 3.5 oz. (100 g)
Light meat: 153 calories per 3.5 oz. (100 g)

Chicken skin adds calories

While a skinless chicken breast is 284 calories with 80% protein and 20% fat, those numbers dramatically shift when you include the skin.

One boneless, cooked chicken breast with skin (196 g) contains:

Calories: 386
Protein: 58.4 g
Fat: 15.2 g

In a chicken breast with skin, 61% of the calories come from protein, while 39% come from fat. Additionally, eating the skin adds nearly 102 calories.

Similarly, one chicken wing with skin (34 g) has 86 calories, compared to 43 calories in a skinless wing (21 g). Thus, 60% of the calories in chicken wings with skin come from fat, compared to 36% in a wing without skin.

So, if you’re trying to lose weight or reduce your fat intake, it may be best to opt for chicken without the skin to minimize calories and fat.

How you cook your chicken matters

Chicken meat alone is relatively low in calories and fat compared to other meats. But once you start adding oil, sauce, batter, and breading, the calories can add up.

For example, a skinless, boneless, cooked chicken thigh (116 g) contains 208 calories and 9.5 g of fat.

But a chicken thigh fried in batter contains even more — 238 calories and 14.2 g of fat.

Similarly, one boneless, skinless chicken wing (21 g) has 43 calories and 1.7 g of fat.

However, a chicken wing glazed in barbecue sauce provides 61 calories and 3.7 g of fat. That’s comparable to a wing fried in a flour coating, which has 103 calories and 7.1 g of fat.

Therefore, cooking methods that add little fat, such as poaching, roasting, grilling, and steaming, are your best bet for keeping the calorie count low.

The bottom line

Chicken is a popular meat, and most cuts are low in calories and fat while providing ample protein.

Here are the calorie counts of the most common cuts of boneless, skinless chicken per 3.5 oz. (100-g) serving:

Chicken breast: 165 calories
Chicken thigh: 179 calories
Chicken wing: 203 calories
Chicken drumstick: 155 calories

Note that eating the skin or using high fat cooking methods adds calories.

How we reviewed this article:

SourcesHistoryHealthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We only use quality, credible sources to ensure content accuracy and integrity. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

Chicken breast tenderloins. (2021).https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/2125496/nutrients
Chicken, broilers or fryers, back, meat only, cooked, roasted. (2019).https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/171472/nutrients
Chicken, broilers or fryers, breast, meat and skin, cooked, roasted. (2019).https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/171075/nutrients
Chicken, broilers or fryers, breast, meat only, cooked, roasted. (2019).https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/171477/nutrients
Chicken, broilers or fryers, dark meat, drumstick, meat only, cooked, roasted. (2019).https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/172376/nutrients
Chicken, broilers or fryers, thigh, meat and skin, cooked, fried, batter. (2019).https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/172386/nutrients
Chicken, broilers or fryers, thigh, meat only, cooked, roasted. (2019).https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/172388/nutrients
Chicken, broilers or fryers, wing, meat and skin, cooked, fried, flour. (2019).https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/173629/nutrients
Chicken, broilers or fryers, wing, meat and skin, cooked, roasted. (2019).https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/173630/nutrients
Chicken, broilers or fryers, wing, meat only, cooked, roasted. (2019).https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/172392/nutrients
Chicken, roasting, dark meat, meat only, cooked, roasted. (2019).https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/173639/nutrients
Chicken, roasting, light meat, meat only, cooked, roasted. (2019).https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/173637/nutrients
Chicken, wing, frozen, glazed, barbecue flavored. (2019).https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/171111/nutrients

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Evidence Based

This article is based on scientific evidence, written by experts and fact checked by experts.

Our team of licensed nutritionists and dietitians strive to be objective, unbiased, honest and to present both sides of the argument.

This article contains scientific references. The numbers in the parentheses (1, 2, 3) are clickable links to peer-reviewed scientific papers.

Medically reviewed by Marie Lorraine Johnson MS, RD, CPT — Written by Melissa Groves — Updated on February 27, 2024

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Nutrition

Nutrition

Chicken breast: 284 calories

Chicken thigh: 208 calories

Chicken wing: 43 calories

Chicken drumstick: 149 calories

Other cuts of chicken

Chicken skin adds calories

How you cook your chicken matters

The bottom line

How we reviewed this article:

Evidence Based

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