Chicken breast: raw vs cooked calories and protein
Quick answer: per 100 g, skinless chicken breast has about 120 calories and 22.5 g of protein raw, and about 165 calories and 31 g of protein cooked. It is the same meat. Cooking drives out water, so 100 g of cooked chicken holds more chicken than 100 g of raw.
Raw vs cooked, side by side
| Per 100 g (skinless breast) | Raw | Roasted |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 120 | 165 |
| Protein | 22.5 g | 31.0 g |
| Fat | 2.6 g | 3.6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 0 g | 0 g |
Why the cooked number is higher
Chicken breast is roughly three quarters water. When you cook it, some of that water leaves and the meat loses about a quarter of its weight. The protein and fat do not disappear, so they are packed into fewer grams.
For example, 200 g of raw breast ends up around 145 g cooked. Both weights describe the same food:
- 200 g raw: about 240 calories and 45 g of protein
- 145 g cooked: about 240 calories and 45 g of protein
Which value should you use?
Use the one that matches how you weigh the food.
- Weigh it raw and use the raw values. This is the most consistent method, because raw weight does not change with how long you cook.
- Weigh it cooked and use the cooked values. This is the practical choice when you are eating leftovers or a meal someone else cooked.
Mixing them up is the most common counting mistake. If you weigh cooked chicken but use the raw figure, you will under-count by about a third.
Typical portions
- A 150 g cooked breast: about 248 calories and 46 g of protein
- A 100 g cooked portion (about the size of a deck of cards): about 165 calories and 31 g of protein
Does skin change the numbers?
Yes. Chicken with the skin on has noticeably more fat and calories than skinless breast, so the figures above apply only to skinless breast meat.
Compare with other sources in high-protein foods per 100 g, or look up a cut in our nutrition facts. The same raw-vs-cooked logic applies to rice.