When shopping for chicken, calories are one of the most important things to look out for. You need to know how many calories you’ll be infusing into your diet.
Your average store-bought chicken contains about 1100 calories.
Follow me in this article as I go into detail on all you need to know about the different parts of chicken and their calories.
How many calories are in a store bought chicken breast?
Chicken is a good source of protein. It is a lean meat that offers an excellent blend of low calories and fat per serving. It is greatly preferred as it has a low percentage of cholesterol and is a healthy option for those already experiencing cholesterol buildup. This is due to the low fat to protein ratio it has.
Chicken has the ability to fit into numerous dishes. As a result of this, you will find that all over the world, chefs make use of chicken to create wonderful delicacies. It can be seasoned and prepared in various ways, each having its own unique taste. You can prepare chicken by grilling, roasting, or even frying. Whichever method you choose, you are still sure of getting good value.
Now you might be wondering what really is the calorie make-up of chicken. You have probably bought chicken from the store and want to know how many calories that will add to your diet. Read along in this article to find out.
Chicken has different parts, and these parts give you different levels of calories per serving. These different parts of raw chicken also have varying protein to fat proportions. I will be giving a breakdown of what the popular parts of chicken are.
This will include their different calorie counts. Another thing to note in this breakdown is that it is just for plain cooked chicken without any added seasoning. When you add seasoning to chicken, it can increase the calorie count.
Chicken breast: Chicken breast can be either boneless and skinless, or it can still be bought with the bones still in and the skin on top. These two variants will have varying calorie counts.
- Skinless and boneless: A skinless and boneless chicken breast weighing about 172 grams will have a total of 287 calories. The other nutritional breakdown is as follows:
- Proteins – 53.4 grams
- Carbohydrates – 0 grams
- Fat – 6.2 grams
A 100 gram (3.5 oz) piece of boneless and skinless chicken breast gives 165 calories. The breakdown is 31 grams of protein and 3.6 grams of fat. About 89% of the calories come from protein and the remaining 11% from fat.
- Bone in and skin on: Sometimes when you purchase chicken from stores, you might get the chicken with its skin and bones still on. This naturally increases the calorie count. The fat content doubles as a result. A 100 gram cut gives 197 calories. The nutritional breakdown is as follows:
- Protein – 30grams
- Fat – 7.8 grams
- Sodium – 71 mg
- Iron – 1 mg.
Drumstick: A drumstick is the lower part of the chicken leg that is connected to the thigh. It is a fitter and firmer cut of meat, when compared to chicken breasts. It is usually referred to as “dark meat”. It is sold with the bone in. However, you can decide to get one with skin on or off.
When the skin is off, you expect it to have fewer calories. A 100 gram cut of drumsticks gives 175 calories. The breakdown of nutrients is 27 grams of protein and 5.7 grams of fat.
On the other hand, when the skin is on, the calorie content rises to 216. It will contain 27 grams of protein and about 11.2 grams of fat. Sodium and iron weigh in at 90 mg and 1.3 mg, respectively.
Wing: Wings offer the most calories out of all the cuts. However, they have the highest fat-to-protein ratio. Eating wings with the skin on has 290 calories. This is on a 100g cut. The nutritional breakdown is:
- Protein – 27 g
- Fat – 19.5 g
- Sodium – 82 mg.
- Iron – 1.3 mg.
The skinless version gives you 203 calories. You will now be consuming 30 grams of protein and 8.1 grams of fat.
Thigh: The thigh is also referred to as “dark meat”. It is the upper portion of the chicken leg. Due to their higher fat content, the thighs have more flavor than the chicken breasts. A 100 gram cut of thighs with the skin on gives 229 calories, 25 grams of protein, and 15.5 grams of fat. If the skin is removed, you get 209 calories with the fat reduced to 10 grams.
In this, the protein content is 53%, while the fat content is 47%.
How many calories are in a grocery store roasted chicken?
Roasted chicken or rotisserie chicken is an excellent way to prepare chicken. It provides a good source of protein. When compared to fried chicken, it offers lower sodium, which makes it a healthier option.
A roasted chicken has about 1100 calories, and this comes from 340 grams (12 oz) of light meat and 226 grams (8 oz) of dark meat. A full serving of roasted chicken weighing 600 grams contains 165 grams of protein and 49 grams of fat. The saturated fat content is 13 grams.
An 85 gram (3 oz) cut contains about 180 calories, 19 grams of protein, 12 grams of fat, and 479 mg of sodium.
Is store-bought chicken healthy?
When shopping from the stores, one thing that you are assured of, is a quality roast. So while you are leaving for home, anticipating that appetizing cut, there are things to know about your roast chicken.
When you buy something from a store, you don’t really know what has been used on it. Tom Super, the senior vice president of communications for the National Chicken Council, emphasized that basically all roasted chickens are injected with a solution to keep them moist and tasty.
This injected solution could be a red flag, as it will contain some processed ingredients. Most of these injections can have high levels of sodium, which is a problem. The processed ingredients, such as the natural flavors, which are not really natural, could pose another problem.
The best way to prepare roasted chicken is at home. This way, you are not worried about any artificial additives. You can simply make use of your own seasonings, such as salt and pepper.
Can I lose weight eating chicken?
Chicken can help in a weight loss program. The reason for this is due to the fact that chicken is high in protein but low in saturated fat. This is why it is called lean meat, due to its high protein to fat ratio.
However, it must still be done in moderation. If one is to eat chicken, you should eat it without the skin, as this is where the fat content is raised. Stripping your chicken of its skin gives you leaner meat and eliminates most of the cholesterol.
Another thing that eating chicken does is this. Chicken is protein, and as a result, when you eat it, it stays longer in your stomach. This is because proteins don’t digest as fast as carbohydrates.
It also means that you don’t go hungry as fast, hence eliminating the need to eat more. This way, you can easily lose weight as there is a longer time between meals.
Are frozen bagged chicken breasts healthy?
Yes, it is. Consuming frozen bagged chicken is okay. It wouldn’t cause an issue as long as you consumed it within a reasonable timeframe. Some people say that freezing chicken can make it lose nutrients.
However, such nutrient loss is quite negligible. You shouldn’t be consuming chicken that has lasted more than a year regardless.
Is it good to eat chicken at night?
Chicken has an amino acid called tryptophan. This amino acid promotes sleep. However, you shouldn’t consume too much protein at night. This is because it takes time to digest and can make keeping track more difficult.
Does chicken increase belly fat?
Chicken is lean meat. This means that it has a low fat content. This means consuming chicken wouldn’t contribute to belly fat, especially when taken in moderation.
Is eating half a chicken too much?
Too much of everything isn’t good. Experts recommend that eating more than 550 grams of chicken is too much. The recommended amount of chicken that you can eat per serving is 3-5 ounces.
What happens if I eat chicken every day?
Eating chicken every day in moderation can have some health benefits. Chicken is quite rich in leucine, which is an amino acid that plays a major role in muscle building. It can also help you lose weight, as it is low in fat and high in protein.
What is the healthiest type of chicken to buy?
The best kind of chicken to buy is organic, free range chicken. This gives you the best quality in terms of meat and tenderness. Also, it cooks better and has a better flavor.