Food & Fit
Chicken breast has more protein per USDA household serving: 26.7 g in ½ breast, bone and skin removed (86 g), against 18.8 g in 3 oz (85 g) of salmon. It also carries more protein per 100 kcal: 18.8 g against 10.7 g.
Serving sizes, side by side
| Measure | Chicken breast | Salmon |
|---|---|---|
| Serving | ½ breast, bone and skin removed (86 g) | 3 oz (85 g) |
| Calories | 142 kcal | 175 kcal |
| Protein | 26.7 g | 18.8 g |
| Fiber | 0 g | 0 g |
| Carbohydrate | 0 g | 0 g |
| Fat | 3.1 g | 10.5 g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 18.8 g | 10.7 g |
Read the numbers quickly
Each column keeps the food’s listed USDA household serving intact.
A chicken breast serving lists 26.7 g protein, compared with 18.8 g for 3 oz of salmon; both listed servings have 0 g fiber.
How the servings stack up
Chicken breast
Its listed serving is ½ breast, bone and skin removed (86 g), the larger of the two. At 18.8 g protein per 100 kcal, it provides more protein within the same calorie amount than salmon.
Salmon
Its listed serving is 3 oz (85 g), the smaller of the two. At 10.7 g protein per 100 kcal, it provides less protein within the same calorie amount than chicken breast.
Explore each food
Chicken breast nutrition reference Salmon nutrition reference
Where these numbers come from
USDA descriptions: Chicken, broilers or fryers, breast, meat only, cooked, roasted (FDC ID 171477); Fish, salmon, Atlantic, farmed, cooked, dry heat (FDC ID 175168). Dataset: USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, April 2018 release, published 2019-04-01. Food records published 4/1/2019 and 4/1/2019; dataset retrieved 20 September 2026.
These USDA values give both foods a shared starting point; your own plate can be different.
- Written by
- Dr. Loredana Gavrilovici, Founder of Food & Fit
- Published