A typical serving of meat delivers between 22 and 32 grams of protein per 100 grams, depending on the type and cut. Leaner cuts pack more protein per calorie, while fattier cuts trade some of that protein density for flavor and tenderness. Here’s a detailed breakdown across the most common types of meat.
Chicken Has the Highest Protein Density
Among all common meats, skinless chicken breast sits at the top for protein per gram. A cooked skinless chicken breast provides about 32 grams of protein per 100 grams. A single breast (around 174 grams) delivers roughly 56 grams of protein total, which is enough to cover most of your needs for the day in one sitting.
Chicken thighs are slightly lower at about 25 grams of protein per 100 grams when cooked and skinless. That’s still a strong number. The difference comes down to thighs carrying more fat, which dilutes the protein concentration by weight. One cooked, skinless thigh (about 111 grams) gives you around 27 grams of protein. If you prefer the richer taste of dark meat, you’re not giving up much on the protein front.
Beef Protein Varies by Cut and Fat Content
Beef is one of the most protein-dense meats available, but the numbers shift quite a bit depending on the cut and how much fat you’re eating. A cooked top sirloin steak, trimmed and with only the lean portion eaten, delivers 29 to 30 grams of protein per 100 grams. If you eat both the lean and fat portions, that drops to about 27 grams per 100 grams, because the fat adds weight without adding protein.
Ribeye tells a similar story. A cooked ribeye with fat trimmed away provides around 28 to 31 grams of protein per 100 grams of lean meat. Eat it with the fat cap intact, and you’re looking at 25 to 27 grams per 100 grams. The pattern is consistent across cuts: the leaner you eat, the more protein you get per bite.
Raw beef of any cut tends to sit around 19 to 21 grams of protein per 100 grams. Cooking drives off water, which concentrates the protein. So when you see a raw steak labeled at 20 grams of protein per 100 grams, expect the cooked version to land closer to 27 to 30 grams for the same weight.
Pork and Lamb Are Comparable to Beef
Pork tenderloin, one of the leanest pork cuts, provides about 22 grams of protein in a 3-ounce (85-gram) cooked serving. That translates to roughly 26 grams per 100 grams. Pork tenderloin is often called “the other white meat” for a reason: its fat content is low enough that its protein density rivals chicken thighs.
Lamb chops are slightly higher, coming in at about 27 grams of protein per 3-ounce cooked serving, or roughly 32 grams per 100 grams. Lamb is often overlooked as a protein source, but broiled lamb chops compete with chicken breast gram for gram.
Quick Comparison Across Meats
All values below are for cooked portions per 100 grams:
- Chicken breast (skinless): 32g protein
- Lamb chop (broiled): ~32g protein
- Top sirloin (lean only): 29–30g protein
- Ribeye (lean only): 28–31g protein
- Pork tenderloin (roasted): ~26g protein
- Chicken thigh (skinless): 25g protein
- Ribeye or sirloin (with fat): 25–27g protein
Processed Meats: More Protein per Ounce, More Caveats
Dried and cured meats like beef jerky concentrate protein by removing water. A typical serving of jerky or meat sticks contains 8 to 12 grams of protein in a relatively small portion (usually about 28 grams, or one ounce). That’s a high protein-to-weight ratio, comparable to cooked chicken breast on a per-gram basis. The tradeoff is sodium. Most jerky products contain significant amounts of salt, and many include added sugars, preservatives, or nitrates.
Deli meats like sliced turkey or ham generally fall in the range of 15 to 20 grams of protein per 100 grams, lower than fresh-cooked cuts because they contain added water, binders, and flavorings that dilute the protein content. They’re convenient, but not the most efficient way to hit a protein target.
How Much Protein You Actually Need
The standard Recommended Dietary Allowance for protein is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight, which works out to about 0.36 grams per pound. For a 150-pound person, that’s roughly 54 grams per day, an amount easily covered by two chicken thighs or a single large chicken breast.
That said, the RDA represents the minimum to prevent deficiency, not necessarily the optimal amount. People who exercise regularly, are trying to build or preserve muscle, or are older often benefit from higher intake. Spacing protein across meals rather than eating most of it at dinner also appears to make it more effective for muscle maintenance, since your body can only use so much at once for building and repair.
A 6-ounce sirloin steak at dinner gives you about 50 grams of protein in one meal. Pairing a chicken thigh at lunch with some pork tenderloin at dinner spreads roughly the same amount across two sittings, which your body may use more efficiently.
Cooking Method Changes the Numbers
The protein content listed on a raw package will always be lower per 100 grams than what you get after cooking. This isn’t because cooking adds protein. It’s because heat drives moisture out of the meat, making it lighter. A 200-gram raw chicken breast might weigh 150 grams after cooking, but it contains essentially the same total protein. The concentration per gram goes up because the water weight is gone.
This matters when you’re tracking intake. If you weigh your meat raw, use the raw nutrition values. If you weigh it cooked, use cooked values. Mixing the two up can throw your count off by 20 to 30 percent in either direction.