6 piece Chicken McNuggets calories come to 287 for a 95 g box, which works out to 302 per 100 g. These are USDA fast-food values for McDonald's Chicken McNuggets. The number to notice is fat: it supplies 59% of the calories, while protein, at 15 g per box, accounts for only 21%.
287kcal
1 6 piece order · 95 g, fast food
21%protein
15 gProtein
14 gCarbs
18.8 gFat
How to burn off 287 kcal
—Walking, brisk
—Jogging
—Cycling, moderate
—Swimming
Skip the math. BodyPal counts these calories from your steps and workouts automatically.
Nutrition facts
Fast food · per 95 g
Calories
287 kcal
Protein
15 g
Carbohydrate
14.3 g
Fat
18.8 g
Saturated fat
3.1 g
Cholesterol
42 mg
Sodium
538 mg
Potassium
239 mg
Iron
0.8 mg
Source: USDA FoodData Central
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Verified nutrition data
Numbers on this page come from USDA FoodData Central, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s food composition database, and from manufacturer labels where a branded product is named. Last verified September 2026. How we verify our data →
6 piece Chicken McNuggets: calories, protein and sodium by serving
Percent of daily value uses the FDA reference of 2,000 kcal a day.
Serving
kcal
Protein
Carbs
Fat
Sodium
% DV kcal
6 pieces (95 g)
287
15 g
14.3 g
18.8 g
538 mg
14%
4 pieces (64 g)
193
10.1 g
9.7 g
12.7 g
362 mg
10%
10 pieces (159 g)
480
25.1 g
24 g
31.5 g
900 mg
24%
100 g
302
15.8 g
15.1 g
19.8 g
566 mg
15%
3 × 6 pieces (95 g)
861
45 g
1,613 mg
5 × 6 pieces (95 g)
1,435
75 g
2,689 mg
Six pieces is 287 calories, ten is 480
The box size does most of the work on your total. A 4-piece order (64 g) lands at 193 calories, the 6-piece (95 g) at 287, and the 10-piece (159 g) at 480. Against the daily value, that is 10%, 14% and 24% of the calorie budget.
Sharing boxes is where totals jump without anyone noticing. Two 6-piece boxes, 190 g of chicken, come to 574 calories. Three boxes reach 861, and five boxes add up to 1,435 calories and 2,689 mg of sodium. If you are picking from a shared spread, counting pieces is the only way to know where you landed.
The 4-piece is the easy downshift. You drop roughly a third of the calories and still get 10.1 g of protein. The 10-piece is the one to think twice about: 480 calories and 31.5 g of fat before a single fry or sauce joins the tray.
Fat supplies 59% of the calories
McNuggets read like a protein food, but the calorie split says otherwise. Fat brings 59% of the energy, protein 21% and carbs 20%. Per 100 g that is 19.8 g of fat, 15.8 g of protein and 15.1 g of carbs. The breaded, fried coating is what tilts the balance toward fat.
In a 6-piece box you get 18.8 g of fat, 15 g of protein and 14.3 g of carbs. That protein covers 30% of the daily value, which is useful, but you pay 287 calories for it. Sugar is close to zero at 0.1 g, so the carbs come from the coating, not from anything sweet.
Saturated fat is moderate at 3.3 g per 100 g, and cholesterol sits at 44 mg per 100 g. Neither is the headline. The headline is that most of the calories ride in on fat, which is why the totals climb quickly as the piece count goes up.
Sodium is the row to watch
A 6-piece box carries 538 mg of sodium, 23% of the daily value, before any dipping sauce. That is a bigger slice of the day than the 14% the box takes from calories, so salt runs ahead of energy here. The 10-piece reaches 900 mg, or 39% of the daily value, while the 4-piece holds it to 362 mg, or 16%.
Per 100 g, McNuggets have 566 mg of sodium. That is a typical figure for breaded fast-food chicken rather than an outlier, but it adds up fast because nuggets are easy to eat in quantity.
If you watch sodium, the portion is the lever you control. Two 6-piece boxes already reach 1,075 mg, and sauces stack more on top of the numbers shown here. Choosing the smaller box and a less salty side keeps the rest of the day open.
A small main that needs a lighter side
At 287 calories and 15 g of protein, a 6-piece box works as a small main or a hefty snack. What it lacks is volume: 95 g of food disappears in a few bites, and nothing in it is a vegetable or fruit.
Pairing the box with a side salad, apple slices or a plain vegetable side adds bulk for few calories. Water or an unsweetened drink keeps the meal close to the box's own total. Fries and a regular soda are the classic add-ons, and together they can easily outweigh the nuggets themselves in calories.
Sauces count too. The figures on this page are for the nuggets alone, so log any dip as its own item. BodyPal can log the box from a photo, which makes it simple to see how much the sides and sauces move the meal total.
How does 6 piece Chicken McNuggets compare?
Here is how 6 piece Chicken McNuggets stack up against Raising Cane's chicken fingers, a McDonald's hamburger and a chicken burger, per 100 g and per usual serving.
Verdict: For the leanest pick go with the chicken burger: 234 calories per 100 g with 20 g of protein and only 7.7 g of fat, the best protein-for-calories deal of the four. For a small fixed portion the McDonald's hamburger at 251 calories is the lighter fast-food buy, while Raising Cane's fingers at 325 per 100 g are the densest option here.
6 piece Chicken McNuggets FAQs
How many calories are in a 6 piece Chicken McNuggets?
A 6 piece order weighs 95 g and has 287 calories, with 15 g protein and 18.8 g fat.
Are Chicken McNuggets good for weight loss?
A 6 piece order takes 287 calories out of the day and gives 15 g protein; the 10 piece order is 480 calories and the 4 piece 193.
How many calories are in 10 piece McNuggets vs 6 piece?
The 10 piece order (159 g) is 480 calories, about 193 more than the 287 calories in a 6 piece order.
How much protein is in 6 Chicken McNuggets?
A 6 piece order has 15 g protein, which works out to 15.8 g per 100 g.
Is 287 kcal the same as 287 calories for 6 McNuggets?
Yes. The calories on US menus and on this page are kilocalories, so 6 McNuggets give 287 kcal, or 302 kcal per 100 g, based on USDA fast-food values for McDonald's Chicken McNuggets.
What share of a day's calories do 6 McNuggets use?
A 6-piece box uses 14% of the daily value for calories, at 287 calories. The 4-piece takes 10% and the 10-piece 24%, so the box size changes your share more than anything else.
How many calories are in 4 McNuggets compared with 6?
Four McNuggets (64 g) have 193 calories, against 287 for six (95 g). The smaller box also trims fat to 12.7 g from 18.8 g and still delivers 10.1 g of protein.
How many calories are in two 6-piece orders of McNuggets?
Two 6-piece boxes, 190 g in total, come to 574 calories with 30 g of protein. Sodium climbs to 1,075 mg before any dipping sauce is added.
How much sodium is in 6 McNuggets?
Six McNuggets carry 538 mg of sodium, 23% of the daily value. Per 100 g the figure is 566 mg, and dipping sauces add more on top of that.
