Ground chicken and ground turkey are nutritionally very similar, and neither one is clearly healthier than the other. The differences between them come down to small variations in fat, calories, and a handful of micronutrients that only matter if one of these meats is a major part of your diet. What affects your health far more than the choice between them is the lean-to-fat ratio printed on the package.
Calories and Protein Are Nearly Identical
A 3-ounce serving of ground turkey and ground chicken at the same fat percentage delivers roughly the same amount of protein (around 20 to 22 grams) and a similar calorie count. When both are 93% lean, you’re looking at about 150 to 170 calories per cooked serving. The gap between them is small enough that swapping one for the other won’t meaningfully change your daily intake.
The lean-to-fat ratio matters far more than the species. Ground turkey sold as 85/15 (85% lean, 15% fat) has noticeably more calories and saturated fat than 93/7 ground chicken, or vice versa. If you’re comparing the two at the grocery store, check that number first. A package labeled simply “ground turkey” or “ground chicken” with no ratio listed often includes skin and darker meat, which pushes the fat content higher.
Fat and Saturated Fat Differences
At the same lean percentage, ground turkey tends to have slightly more total fat and saturated fat than ground chicken. Ground chicken breast, specifically, is one of the leanest options available, sometimes coming in under 3 grams of total fat per serving. Ground turkey breast is comparably lean, but standard ground turkey (which includes dark meat and skin) runs higher in fat than standard ground chicken.
That said, both are considerably lower in saturated fat than ground beef at the same lean-to-fat ratio. If you’re choosing between chicken and turkey for heart health reasons, you’re already making a solid choice either way. A meta-analysis published in the American Heart Association’s journal Circulation found that swapping red meat for poultry didn’t produce significant differences in blood lipid levels, and that the biggest cardiovascular benefit came from replacing red meat with plant-based protein sources. In other words, the chicken-versus-turkey decision is a fine-tuning move, not a game-changer.
Where Turkey Has a Slight Edge
Ground turkey generally provides more iron, zinc, and vitamin B12 than ground chicken. In a 3-ounce serving, 93/7 ground turkey delivers about 1.3 mg of iron, 3.2 mg of zinc, and 1.6 micrograms of B12. Those numbers don’t sound dramatic, but they’re meaningfully higher than what ground chicken offers at the same serving size. Iron supports oxygen transport in your blood, zinc plays a role in immune function, and B12 is essential for nerve health and energy.
Turkey also contains slightly more selenium, a mineral that supports thyroid function and acts as an antioxidant. If you don’t eat red meat and rely on poultry as your primary source of these minerals, ground turkey gives you a bit more nutritional return per serving.
Where Chicken Has a Slight Edge
Ground chicken, particularly ground chicken breast, is typically the leaner option when you’re comparing products without a labeled lean ratio. It also tends to have a milder flavor, which makes it more versatile in dishes where you want the seasoning to dominate. From a pure calorie-cutting standpoint, ground chicken breast is hard to beat among poultry options.
Ground chicken also provides a good amount of B vitamins involved in energy metabolism, including niacin and B6. The differences here are modest compared to turkey, but chicken holds its own as a source of these nutrients.
Sodium and What’s Actually in the Package
One thing worth watching with both meats is added sodium. Some brands inject a salt solution into ground poultry during processing to improve moisture and flavor. A “natural” or “minimally processed” label doesn’t always mean low sodium. Flip the package over and check the nutrition panel. Unseasoned ground chicken or turkey should have somewhere around 60 to 80 mg of sodium per serving. If you see numbers above 300 mg, the product likely contains added salt or broth.
Pre-seasoned or flavored varieties of either meat can contain significantly more sodium, along with added sugars and preservatives. Your best bet is plain ground meat with a short ingredient list: turkey (or chicken) and nothing else, or at most a note about natural flavoring.
Which One Should You Buy
If you’re trying to minimize calories and fat, go with ground chicken breast or ground turkey breast. Both are extremely lean, and the difference between them is negligible. If you want slightly more minerals per serving, especially iron and zinc, ground turkey is the better pick. If you eat a varied diet with plenty of other protein sources, the distinction between these two meats is unlikely to affect your overall nutrition in any measurable way.
The most impactful choice isn’t chicken versus turkey. It’s choosing a high lean percentage, avoiding products with added sodium, and pairing your protein with vegetables, whole grains, or legumes that round out the nutrients neither meat provides in abundance, like fiber, vitamin C, and potassium.