A skinless, boneless chicken breast contains about 3.6 grams of fat per 100-gram (3.5-ounce) cooked serving. That makes it one of the leanest protein sources available, with the vast majority of its calories coming from protein rather than fat. A typical whole cooked chicken breast weighing around 172 grams has roughly 6.2 grams of total fat.
Fat Content by Serving Size
Most nutrition labels and databases report chicken breast values per 100 grams, but actual portions vary. A standard cooked chicken breast from the grocery store usually weighs between 150 and 200 grams, so the fat you actually eat depends on portion size.
For a cooked, skinless, boneless breast:
- 3.5 oz (100 g): 3.6 g fat, 165 calories, 31 g protein
- One whole breast (172 g): 6.2 g fat, 284 calories, 53.4 g protein
Chicken breast has zero carbohydrates, so virtually all of its calorie content comes from protein and a small amount of fat. At roughly 3.6 grams of fat per 100 grams, fat accounts for less than 20% of the total calories in a serving.
Types of Fat in Chicken Breast
Not all fat is the same, and the fat in chicken breast is relatively balanced across the three main types. Per 100 grams of raw, skinless chicken breast:
- Saturated fat: 0.48 g
- Monounsaturated fat: 0.59 g
- Polyunsaturated fat: 0.36 g
The saturated fat content is notably low. For context, dietary guidelines generally recommend keeping saturated fat under about 13 grams per day on a 2,000-calorie diet. A full chicken breast barely registers against that limit. The monounsaturated fat, the same type found in olive oil and avocados, makes up the largest share.
Chicken breast does contain both omega-6 and omega-3 polyunsaturated fats, though the ratio skews heavily toward omega-6. Conventionally raised chicken typically has an omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of nearly 30:1. Pasture-raised birds tend to have a more favorable ratio, closer to 8:1, because their diet includes more greens and insects. If omega-3 intake matters to you, chicken breast is not a significant source compared to fatty fish like salmon.
How Skin Changes the Numbers
The numbers above are for skinless chicken breast. Leaving the skin on changes things significantly because chicken skin is mostly fat. A skin-on chicken breast can contain roughly double the fat of a skinless one, pushing a full breast toward 10 to 13 grams of fat depending on size. Most of the added fat is saturated.
One useful trick: cooking chicken breast with the skin on helps keep the meat moist, and then removing the skin before eating gives you most of the moisture benefit without the extra fat and calories. If you’re tracking your intake closely, skinless is the way to go. If you’re less concerned about a few extra grams of fat, skin-on adds flavor and helps prevent the dry texture that chicken breast is notorious for.
Cholesterol in Chicken Breast
A 100-gram serving of raw, skinless chicken breast contains about 73 milligrams of dietary cholesterol. Interestingly, skin-on breast actually has slightly less cholesterol per 100 grams (around 64 mg), because the skin adds weight and fat without adding much cholesterol, diluting the per-gram amount. Either way, a serving falls well within the general range most people can consume without concern, since current dietary guidelines no longer set a strict daily cholesterol cap for most adults.
Chicken Breast vs. Thigh
Chicken thighs are the most common comparison point. Thigh meat is darker, more flavorful, and contains noticeably more fat. A cooked, skinless chicken thigh typically has around 10 grams of fat per 100 grams, nearly three times as much as breast meat. That extra fat is why thighs taste richer and stay juicier during cooking.
For people focused on keeping fat and calories low while maximizing protein, breast is the clear winner. For general cooking where flavor and texture matter more than hitting exact macros, thighs are often the better choice. Both are solid protein sources, and the fat difference between them, while real, amounts to a relatively small number of calories in the context of a full day of eating.
Cooking Methods and Fat Content
How you cook chicken breast can add more fat than the meat itself contains. Grilling, baking, or poaching keeps the fat content close to its baseline. Pan-frying in a tablespoon of oil adds roughly 14 grams of fat to the pan, though not all of it gets absorbed. Breading and deep-frying can triple the total fat of a serving.
Poached or baked chicken breast with minimal added oil will stay in the 3 to 4 gram range per 100 grams. If you’re using chicken breast specifically because it’s lean, the cooking method matters as much as the cut itself. A grilled chicken breast with a light spray of oil keeps total fat under 5 grams per serving, while a breaded, fried chicken breast sandwich from a fast-food restaurant can top 20 grams.