Chicken Breast Calories and Macros (2026)

Chicken breast is the food calorie counters log most, and the easiest to get wrong. Package weight is raw; your plate is cooked and about 25% lighter. Skin, bone, and cooking method each move the number. Here's the full reference, organised so you can find what's actually in front of you.

The short version

• Raw, boneless, skinless: about 120 cal and 22g protein per 100g.
• Cooked: about 165 cal and 31g protein per 100g: chicken loses 20–30% of its weight cooking, so the per-gram numbers rise.
• The biggest logging mistake: weighing the cooked portion but logging it as raw, which undercounts both calories and protein.
• Cooking-method swing: grilled is about 187 cal per 4 oz; breaded and deep-fried is 340.

Baseline: Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast

Raw, per 100g: 120 cal, 22g protein, 0g carbs, 2.6g fat

Raw, per 4 oz (113g): 136 cal, 25g protein, 0g carbs, 3g fat

Raw, per 6 oz (170g): 204 cal, 38g protein, 0g carbs, 4.4g fat

Raw, per 8 oz (227g): 272 cal, 50g protein, 0g carbs, 5.9g fat

These are the numbers on the package label. They become more interesting once cooked.

Cooked Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast

Chicken loses 20–30% of its weight during cooking, mostly water. The calories and protein stay roughly the same in absolute terms, but the per-gram numbers go up.

Cooked (grilled or baked), per 100g: 165 cal, 31g protein, 0g carbs, 3.6g fat

Cooked, per 3 oz (85g): 140 cal, 26g protein, 0g carbs, 3g fat

Cooked, per 4 oz (113g): 187 cal, 35g protein, 0g carbs, 4g fat

Cooked, per 6 oz (170g): 280 cal, 53g protein, 0g carbs, 6g fat

The most common logging mistake: weighing the cooked portion but logging it as raw. A 6 oz cooked portion logged as raw would read 204 cal/38g protein when the real numbers are 280 cal/53g protein: you're eating more, and getting more protein, than the app thinks.

Skin-On Chicken Breast

Leaving the skin on adds meaningful fat and calories.

Cooked with skin, per 100g: 197 cal, 30g protein, 0g carbs, 7.8g fat

Cooked with skin, per 4 oz (113g): 222 cal, 34g protein, 0g carbs, 8.8g fat

Roughly 30 extra calories per 100g vs skinless.

Bone-In Chicken Breast

The bone doesn't add calories, but the listed weight on a bone-in breast includes the bone, which is typically 15–20% of the total weight. A 12 oz bone-in breast yields about 10 oz of meat after the bone is removed.

Bone-in raw, "as purchased" weight per 100g: about 144 cal of actual meat

Best practice: weigh the meat after deboning if you're logging precisely.

Cooking Method Comparison (per 4 oz cooked)

Grilled or baked, no oil: 187 cal, 35g protein, 4g fat

Pan-seared in 1 tsp oil: 227 cal, 35g protein, 8g fat

Air-fried, lightly oiled: 200 cal, 35g protein, 5g fat

Breaded and pan-fried: 290 cal, 30g protein, 12g fat (and 12g carbs from the breading)

Deep-fried (no breading): 280 cal, 34g protein, 14g fat

Breaded and deep-fried: 340 cal, 28g protein, 17g fat, 14g carbs

The difference between grilled (187 cal) and breaded-and-fried (340 cal) is enough to wreck a calorie deficit if it's a daily default rather than a weekend treat.

Restaurant Chicken Breast

Restaurant chicken breast is almost never just chicken. Marinades, butter brushes, brining solutions, and finishing oils mean a "grilled chicken breast" at a chain restaurant typically lands at 220–280 cal per 4 oz portion, not 187.

Use 220 cal per 4 oz as a working estimate for restaurant grilled chicken if you don't have menu data.

Quick Logging Reference

• Raw, skinless, boneless: 1.2 cal/g, 0.22g protein/g
• Cooked, skinless, boneless: 1.65 cal/g, 0.31g protein/g
• Cooked, skin-on: 2.0 cal/g, 0.30g protein/g
• Restaurant grilled estimate: 1.95 cal/g cooked

The bottom line

Most people won't weigh chicken at every meal, so keep a couple of visual anchors: a deck-of-cards portion is roughly 3 oz cooked (140 cal, 26g protein), and a whole breast served on its own runs 5–7 oz cooked (220–320 cal, 41–58g protein). If you'd rather skip the raw-versus-cooked maths, you can just say "6 oz grilled chicken breast" in Bento Bunny, or snap the plate, and it estimates the portion and macros, editable afterwards if you know the exact weight. Use our calculator to see how much chicken you should actually be eating per day given your goals.