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  1. Calories in everyday food/

Same-portion calorie comparison

How many calories are in chicken breast?

Plain chicken stays lean until thick breading retains frying oil and a rich sauce is added. Record the coating, method and sauce in Calk.

Chicken breast: lower- and higher-calorie Calk versions side by side

Same 250 g portion, different choices: cut of poultry, skin, coating, sauce, cooking method.

How breading and frying change chicken calories

In these two examples, the changes are: coating — added: fast food coating, sauce — added: ranch dressing, cooking method — grilled → deep-fried.

Lower calorie 379 kcal 250 g 152 kcal per 100 g
higher vs lower calorie +139%
Higher calorie 907 kcal 250 g 363 kcal per 100 g
Lower calorie Calk card for Poultry: 152 kcal per 100 g, protein/fat/carbs 82/18/0 Higher calorie Calk card for Poultry: 363 kcal per 100 g, protein/fat/carbs 18/56/26
  • Thick breading retains frying oil, taking the chicken from 165 kcal per 100 g grilled to more than 240 when heavily breaded and fried.
  • A tablespoon of ranch adds mostly fat even though it sits beside the chicken.
  • Grilling without breading or added fat keeps the chicken close to the calorie density of the plain breast.

Grilled, roasted and breaded chicken calories

Calculate calories and macros for grilled breast, roast chicken, lightly or heavily breaded chicken and fried chicken with sauce.

PoultryFried breadedHeavy breadedLight breadedGrilled chicken breastDouble chicken breastBavarian roast chickenSpit roasted chickenGeneral Tso chickenBBQ sauceChicken breastChicken drumstick

More calorie comparisons for chicken and poultry

Learn more

Questions about calories in chicken and poultry

How many calories are in grilled chicken breast compared with fried breaded chicken?
The two versions shown in Calk contain 379 and 907 kcal per 250 g. Plain chicken stays lean until thick breading retains frying oil and a rich sauce is added.
Why is heavily breaded chicken with ranch higher in calories than grilled chicken breast?
Thick breading retains frying oil, taking the chicken from 165 kcal per 100 g grilled to more than 240 when heavily breaded and fried. A tablespoon of ranch adds mostly fat even though it sits beside the chicken.
How do I calculate my own chicken serving?
Open Poultry in Calk and choose the cut, skin, coating, cooking method, oil and sauce, then enter the cooked portion weight.

Calculate your own chicken serving in Calk

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