Chicken breast and turkey breast top the list at about 24 grams of protein per 3-ounce serving, but they’re far from the only high-protein options. Most meat delivers between 20 and 30 grams of protein per serving, so the best choice depends on how much fat you want alongside that protein, what’s available where you shop, and how you plan to cook it.
Chicken and Turkey Breast
Roasted chicken breast and roasted turkey breast both deliver 24 grams of protein in a 3-ounce (84-gram) serving, according to USDA nutrition data. That makes poultry breast the benchmark most people measure other meats against. Both are naturally low in fat when eaten without the skin, which means a higher percentage of their calories come from protein alone.
Dark meat from thighs and drumsticks still provides solid protein, just with more fat per bite. If you’re choosing between the two birds, the nutritional difference is negligible. Pick whichever you prefer to eat regularly, because consistency matters more than a gram here or there.
Lean Beef Cuts
Not all beef is created equal when it comes to the protein-to-fat tradeoff. The Mayo Clinic identifies five cuts that qualify as the leanest options: eye of round, round tip, top round, bottom round, and top sirloin. These cuts deliver roughly 22 to 26 grams of protein per 3-ounce cooked serving while keeping saturated fat noticeably lower than rib-eye or ground chuck.
A good rule of thumb: cuts with “round” or “loin” in the name tend to be leaner. When shopping for ground beef, look for 90% lean or higher. The trade-off is that leaner cuts can dry out faster during cooking, so they benefit from marinades, slower cooking methods, or being pulled off the heat a bit earlier than you might with fattier steaks.
Pork Tenderloin
Pork tenderloin is one of the most underrated protein sources. A 3-ounce roasted serving provides 22 grams of protein with only 3.5 grams of total fat. That fat-to-protein ratio puts it in the same category as skinless chicken breast, yet it costs less per pound in most grocery stores.
Other pork cuts vary widely. A pork chop from the loin stays relatively lean, while ribs and shoulder carry significantly more fat. If you’re specifically after protein density, stick with the tenderloin or center-cut loin chops.
Wild Game: Venison, Bison, and Elk
Wild and grass-fed game meats pack protein tightly with very little fat. Per 100 grams (about 3.5 ounces), mule deer delivers 23.7% protein, elk comes in at 22.8%, and bison sits at 21.7%, according to data from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. These numbers are competitive with any domestic meat, and game tends to carry far less total fat and fewer calories per serving.
Bison is the easiest of the three to find at regular supermarkets, often sold as ground meat or steaks. Venison and elk are more commonly available through specialty butchers, online retailers, or hunters. Because game meat is so lean, it cooks faster than beef and becomes tough if overdone. Medium-rare to medium is the sweet spot for steaks, and adding some fat (olive oil, bacon, butter) helps when making burgers or meatballs from ground game.
Goose and Other Waterfowl
Skinless goose meat offers 22.8 grams of protein per 100 grams, making it comparable to lean beef and pork tenderloin. Duck is similarly protein-rich, though both birds carry more fat than chicken or turkey, especially in and under the skin. Removing the skin before eating drops the fat content substantially while preserving all the protein.
Waterfowl isn’t an everyday protein for most people, but it’s worth knowing about if you hunt, shop at farmers’ markets, or just want variety in your diet.
Rabbit
Rabbit meat contains roughly 25 to 30 grams of protein per 100 grams, putting it at or near the top of any meat protein ranking. It also contains all the essential amino acids your body needs, including leucine, which plays a key role in muscle repair and growth. Rabbit is common in European and Latin American cuisines but harder to find in American grocery stores. Specialty butchers and online meat suppliers are your best bet.
Organ Meats
Beef liver provides about 20 grams of protein per 100 grams, which is slightly below muscle meat but still a strong source. The real advantage of organ meats is their extraordinary density of vitamins and minerals alongside that protein. Liver, heart, and kidney are all rich in iron, B vitamins, and other micronutrients that muscle cuts don’t match.
The flavor is polarizing. If you’re new to organ meats, mixing small amounts of finely chopped liver into ground beef for burgers or meatloaf is a practical way to get the nutritional benefits without the full organ-meat taste.
Beef Jerky and Dried Meats
Because the water has been removed, dried meats concentrate protein into a much smaller package. One cup (90 grams) of beef jerky pieces contains about 30 grams of protein. That makes jerky one of the most portable, shelf-stable protein sources available.
The catch is sodium. Most commercial jerky is heavily salted for preservation and flavor, so it works better as an occasional high-protein snack than a daily staple. If sodium is a concern, look for low-sodium varieties or consider making your own with a food dehydrator.
How Much Protein You Actually Need
The 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults consume 1.2 to 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. That’s 50 to 100 percent more than the old minimum recommendation many people still reference. For a 155-pound (70 kg) person, that works out to 84 to 112 grams of protein daily.
Three servings of any of the meats above gets you most of the way there. The rest can come from eggs, dairy, legumes, or whatever else you eat throughout the day. Spacing protein across meals rather than loading it all into dinner helps your body use it more efficiently for muscle maintenance and repair.
Quick Comparison
- Rabbit: 25 to 30 g per 100 g
- Chicken breast: 24 g per 3 oz (84 g)
- Turkey breast: 24 g per 3 oz (84 g)
- Venison (mule deer): 23.7 g per 100 g
- Elk: 22.8 g per 100 g
- Goose (skinless): 22.8 g per 100 g
- Pork tenderloin: 22 g per 3 oz (84 g)
- Bison: 21.7 g per 100 g
- Beef liver: 20.4 g per 100 g
- Beef jerky: 30 g per 90 g (dried weight)