Chicken breast is one of the most popular lean proteins. It’s versatile, easy to prepare, and a great source of protein. But when watching your calories, it’s important to know exactly how many are in a serving. In this article, we’ll break down the calories and other nutrition facts for 4 ounces of boneless, skinless chicken breast.
An Overview of Chicken Breast Nutrition
Chicken breast is well-known for being low in fat and calories while still providing a good amount of protein. Some key nutrition facts for 4 ounces of boneless skinless chicken breast include
- 123 calories
- 25.86 grams of protein – over half of the recommended daily intake for most adults
- 1.39 grams of fat
- 0 grams of carbs
Chicken breast is not a significant source of fiber, vitamins or minerals. But it provides high-quality complete protein with all the essential amino acids your body needs.
It’s also naturally low in sodium and sugar. The minimal fat content is another plus for keeping calories in check.
Removing the skin slashes the fat and calories even more. A boneless, skinless 4 ounce serving only contains around 2% of the daily value for total fat and saturated fat each.
Determining Calories in 4 Ounces Cooked Chicken Breast
The exact number of calories in chicken breast depends on a few factors
- Cooking method – Frying adds more fat and calories vs baking, grilling, roasting, etc.
- With or without skin – The skin contains about 50% of chicken’s fat.
- With or without bone – Boneless cuts are leaner.
- Raw or cooked – Cooking reduces water content, concentrating calories.
To get an accurate calorie count, it’s best to look at the nutrition information for cooked, boneless, skinless chicken breast.
The USDA reports the following calories for 4 ounces of cooked chicken breast with no skin or bone:
- 123 calories
Private organizations like FatSecret and Nutritionix also provide calorie counts for boneless, skinless cooked chicken breast:
- FatSecret: 123 calories
- Nutritionix: 120 calories
So the consensus is around 120-125 calories in 4 ounces of cooked chicken breast without skin or bones.
This calorie count is for chicken breast cooked by relatively low-calorie methods like baking, grilling, roasting or poaching without any added fat or oil.
Frying or breading the chicken or eating the skin would increase the calories.
Calories from Protein, Fat and Carbs
To understand where the calories come from, here is the macronutrient calorie breakdown for 4 ounces of cooked, boneless, skinless chicken breast:
- Protein: 25.86 grams (104 calories)
- Fat: 1.39 grams (12 calories)
- Carbs: 0 grams (0 calories)
As you can see, over 80% of the calories come from protein, with minimal calories from fat and no calories from carbohydrates.
This macronutrient profile contributes to chicken being very filling and satisfying despite being low calorie overall.
Comparing 100 Grams and Other Serving Sizes
Looking at other common serving sizes can also be helpful:
- 100 grams (3.5 ounces): 110 calories
- 1 ounce: 31 calories
- 1/2 breast: 130 calories
- 1 cup diced: 148 calories
No matter what the serving size, boneless, skinless chicken breast is low in calories yet high in lean protein.
It can fit into just about any diet plan, including low-carb, Paleo, intermittent fasting, and of course, calorie reduction for weight loss.
Chicken Breast for Weight Loss
Chicken breast deserves its reputation as a weight loss friendly food. With generous protein and minimal fat, it’s very satiating for relatively few calories.
Replacing higher calorie meats like fatty cuts of beef or pork with lean chicken breast can promote fat burning. Adding it to salads and other veggie-based meals provides a protein boost to help you stay full.
Pound for pound, chicken breast offers more protein than most other meats or vegetarian protein sources. Depending on your daily calorie needs, 4-8 ounces of chicken breast can often fit into a weight loss meal plan.
Health Benefits Beyond Calories and Protein
Beyond its stellar protein and lean nutrition stats, chicken breast offers several additional health benefits:
- Rich source of niacin – helps convert food into energy
- Good selenium levels – supports immune function and thyroid hormones
- Source of B6 – plays a role in over 100 enzyme reactions in the body
- Contains phosphorus and zinc – supports bone health
- Low in mercury – less contamination risk compared to some fish
Chicken also provides antioxidants like glutathione and carnosine. And cooking chicken with the bone provides even more minerals like calcium, magnesium and potassium.
Choosing and Preparing Chicken Breast
To enjoy chicken breast as part of a healthy diet, be mindful in choosing and preparing it:
- Select skinless – the skin accounts for about half the fat calories.
- Watch the cooking method – bake, roast, grill or poach instead of frying in oil.
- Flavor with herbs and spices – use garlic, rosemary, paprika and other herbs instead of buttery sauces.
- Remove visible fat – trim off any excess visible fat before cooking.
- Weigh it cooked – get the most accurate calorie count by weighing chicken after cooking.
- Enjoy 2-3 times per week – for the health benefits of lean protein without too much mercury exposure.
Chicken Breast Calories in Summary
So how many calories in chicken breast? Four ounces of boneless, skinless chicken breast cooked with minimal added fat provides about 120-125 calories. It also serves up an impressive 26 grams of protein for satiety along with important nutrients.
Chicken breast can be a smart choice as part of calorie-conscious way of eating for fat loss and overall good health.
How “Marry Me” Chicken Got Its Name
Many of you have probably heard of Ina Gartens “Engagement Roast Chicken” before, but this, if I may say, is so much tastier. When I created this dish in 2016, I was trying to develop recipes that would fire people up to get in the kitchen. I had produced one of Delishs first truly viral recipes, Tuscan Chicken Pasta (my baby, if we’re being honest), and was hungry for a skillet version that had similar ingredients but was even saucier. With that in mind, I developed a “Sicilian Chicken Skillet”, but wasnt sold on the name…until a stroke of genius hit on video shoot day. After we spooned the sauce over the chicken for the last shot, our videographer Chelsea grabbed a fork to try the final result. Once she took a bite, she blurted out, “Id marry you for that chicken!” and the now-famous name was born. This is a chicken dinner so good, you just might get a proposal by the last bite.
How To Make Marry Me Chicken
• Chicken: This is one my favorite ways to use up boneless, skinless chicken breasts, which can be notoriously bland and boring, yet are ideal to cook up on a busy weeknight. Still, this sauce is so good, you can pair it with pretty much any protein. Serve with chicken thighs, pork, even pasta. • Garlic: I always lean toward the camp of the more garlic, the better, but in my opinion, two large-ish cloves finely chopped or grated provided a great base but didn’t overpower the sauce. Feel free to add more to taste depending on the size of your cloves. • Thyme: The peppery, woodsy bite of fresh thyme is why I went with this particular herb, but you can sub in more basil if you don’t have any on hand. • Crushed red pepper flakes: Any dish with cream should have a little bit of heat, but if you’re extremely spice-averse (or serving this to anyone who is), you don’t have to include it (but I highly suggest even a pinch if possible). • Chicken broth: If you’re making a vegetarian dish—like serving the sauce over pasta—any vegan or vegetable store-bought or homemade stock won’t take anything away from the final result. Just make sure it’s low-sodium, as I always want to be able to control the seasonings as much as I can. • Sun-dried tomatoes: This is the secret weapon to this recipe, as it gives such a complex, sweet and tangy addition to the sauce without having to use speciality ingredients you have to hunt down at the store. Plus, you can make it all year-round with sun-dried tomatoes, as using fresh tomatoes, depending on the season, will affect the quality of the dish. • Heavy cream: Yes, including cream was inevitable to get the desired consistency for the sauce. I found in testing that only 1/2 cup is all you need, so you wont feel overstuffed at the end of the meal. • Parmesan: This also helps bring out depth to the sauce and melts right into it. I go for the block or wedge and grate myself, which I’d always encourage a home cook to do if they have the time. It truly makes such a difference in the end.
There’s a reason I call for searing the chicken before letting it finish in the oven. You get a beautiful golden brown crust, and it helps keep the chicken super-moist and flavorful. Plus, the base of the sauce is any chicken fat that has rendered out during this initial sear. It may seem like an unnecessary extra step, but trust me, it makes a huge difference.
On to the sauce: Using whatever schmaltz is left in the pan, a combination of garlic, fresh thyme, and a touch of red pepper flakes for just a hint of heat get a quick toast; this brings out the aromatics’ fragrance and color.
Stir in the heavy cream, broth, sun-dried tomatoes, and Parmesan, then let the sauce reduce a bit to meld and thicken. Its as easy as that!
Finally, return the seared chicken to the skillet and let it roast in the oven until the chicken cooks totally through.
Once the chicken is cooked through, transfer to a plate, and spoon plenty of the sauce on top along with fresh basil.
The full list of ingredients and directions can be found in the recipe below.
How Many Calories Are in Chicken Breast
FAQ
How many calories in 4 oz of cooked boneless skinless chicken breast?
How many calories are in a 4 oz chicken breast? A 4 oz. boneless, skinless, raw chicken breast has approximately 126 calories. The same chicken breast, when cooked, will provide 186 calories per 4 oz.
How many calories are in 4oz grilled chicken breast?
Is 4 ounces of chicken breast a lot?
No, 4 ounces of chicken breast is generally considered a standard serving size, not a large amount.
How many calories in a grilled boneless skinless chicken breast?
Chicken breast: 284 calories
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.