Chicken skin calories come to 129 for a 1 oz (28 g) serving of roasted skin and 462 per 100 g. The number to notice is the split: fat supplies 86% of those calories and protein only 14%, so every extra ounce on your plate adds energy much faster than it adds protein.
129kcal
1 ounce · 28 g, roasted, skin only
14%protein
4.6 gProtein
0 gCarbs
12.3 gFat
How to burn off 129 kcal
—Walking, brisk
—Jogging
—Cycling, moderate
—Swimming
Skip the math. BodyPal counts these calories from your steps and workouts automatically.
Nutrition facts
Roasted, skin only · per 28 g
Calories
129 kcal
Protein
4.6 g
Carbohydrate
0 g
Fat
12.3 g
Saturated fat
3.4 g
Cholesterol
37 mg
Sodium
24 mg
Potassium
51 mg
Iron
0.3 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 →
Chicken skin: 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
1 oz (28 g)
129
4.6 g
0 g
12.3 g
24 mg
6%
3 oz portion (85 g)
393
14.1 g
0 g
37.4 g
72 mg
20%
From half a chicken (55 g)
248
11.1 g
0 g
22.2 g
213 mg
12%
100 g
462
16.6 g
0 g
44 g
85 mg
23%
3 × 1 oz (28 g)
388
13.9 g
71 mg
5 × 1 oz (28 g)
647
23.2 g
119 mg
A 3 oz portion of skin is a 393-calorie side
The standard 1 oz (28 g) serving of roasted skin carries 129 calories, which is 6% of a 2000-calorie daily value. That looks modest on paper. The catch is that skin is easy to pile up, and few people stop at one piece.
A 3 oz portion (85 g) lands at 393 calories, or 20% of the daily value, with 37.4 g of fat and 14.1 g of protein. That is a side-dish amount carrying a fifth of a day's calories. Counting by the ounce makes the climb plain: two 1 oz pieces (56 g) come to 259 calories, three (84 g) to 388, and five (140 g) to 647. Every extra ounce adds roughly another 129 calories, and only a small slice of that comes from protein.
The USDA also lists the skin from half a roasted chicken: 55 g, 248 calories, 22.2 g of fat and 11.1 g of protein. That row is a separate entry and shows 213 mg of sodium, 9% of the daily value, well above the plain roasted skin. If you eat all the skin from a half bird, that is the figure to log.
Fat supplies 86% of every calorie
Per 100 g, roasted chicken skin holds 44 g of fat, 16.6 g of protein and 0 g of carbohydrate, sugar or fiber. Run that through the calorie math and fat accounts for 86% of the energy, protein for 14%, carbs for none. That puts skin closer to a cooking fat than to a cut of meat.
The protein is real. 100 g gives 16.6 g, which is 33% of the daily value, and a 1 oz serving gives 4.6 g, or 9%. But it arrives with more than twice as much fat by weight. You cannot treat skin as a protein source the way you would treat the meat underneath it.
Zero carbs means skin adds nothing to a carb count. If you track carbs only, it looks free. If you track calories, it is the densest part of the bird you are likely to eat, at 462 per 100 g, and it deserves a real entry in your log rather than a shrug.
Saturated fat and cholesterol are the rows to watch
Of the 44 g of fat in 100 g of skin, 12.1 g is saturated. Against a daily value of 20 g, that is more than half a day's saturated fat in a single 100 g serving. Few foods on a dinner plate pack that much into so small a weight.
Cholesterol is the other high row: 132 mg per 100 g, set against a daily value of 300 mg. That is a bit under half the daily figure. If you watch either number, weigh the skin rather than guessing, because the gap between one piece and a handful is large.
Sodium, by contrast, is low in plain roasted skin: 85 mg per 100 g, 4% of the daily value, and 24 mg per 1 oz, just 1%. Salt mostly arrives with whatever goes on the bird, which is why the half-chicken row shows 213 mg. Packaged snacks such as Wallace's Fried Chicken Skins, Spicy are fried and seasoned, so read their label instead of borrowing the roasted figures here.
Use skin as a garnish, not the main protein
Because skin is mostly fat, a small amount goes a long way for flavor. One crisp 1 oz piece adds 129 calories and plenty of crunch to a salad, a grain bowl or a plate of roasted vegetables. Treated that way, it seasons the meal instead of becoming it.
For the protein, lean on the meat the skin came off. Build the plate around that, add vegetables for volume and the fiber skin lacks, and let the skin sit on top. If you love it, keep the portion honest instead of skipping it and then eating half the tray later.
Weighing is the most accurate way to log skin, since pieces vary a lot in size and a few extra bites move the total quickly. If you would rather not weigh, BodyPal can log the food from a photo of your plate.
How does chicken skin compare?
Here is roasted chicken skin next to salmon skin, chicken wing and boiled chicken, per 100 g and per usual serving.
Verdict: For fewer calories pick salmon skin, at 206 per 100 g against 462 for chicken skin, about 0.4 times the energy. For protein pick boiled chicken, which gives 30.4 g per 100 g at 237 calories while the skin gives 16.6 g at 462.
Most popular chicken skin brands in the United States
Ranked by popularity in the BodyPal database
# Productkcal / 100 g
1Wallace's Fried Chicken Skins, Spicy1 oz · 28 g643 kcal
Packaged snack skins are fried and dried, so their label numbers run well above roasted skin. Source: manufacturer labels / USDA FoodData Central.
Chicken skin FAQs
How many calories are in crispy chicken skin?
One ounce of roasted chicken skin is about 129 calories, and 100 g is 462 calories.
Is chicken skin good for weight loss?
It is one of the densest parts of the bird at 462 calories and 44 g fat per 100 g, so even a 1 oz piece adds 129 calories.
Chicken skin vs chicken wing: which has more calories?
Chicken skin has 462 calories per 100 g against 252 for chicken wing, because the skin is almost all fat.
How much fat is in chicken skin?
100 g of roasted chicken skin has 44 g fat, 12.1 g of it saturated, plus 16.6 g protein. A 1 oz piece has 12.3 g fat.
Does chicken skin have protein?
Yes. Roasted chicken skin has 16.6 g of protein per 100 g, 33% of the daily value, and 4.6 g per 1 oz serving. Protein still supplies only 14% of its calories.
Is chicken skin mostly fat or protein?
Mostly fat. Fat supplies 86% of its calories and protein 14%. By weight, 100 g holds 44 g of fat and 16.6 g of protein, with 0 g of carbs.
How much saturated fat is in chicken skin?
There is 12.1 g of saturated fat in 100 g of roasted chicken skin. Against a daily value of 20 g, that is more than half a day's saturated fat in one 100 g serving.
How many calories are in 100 grams of chicken skin?
100 g of roasted chicken skin has 462 calories, 23% of a 2000-calorie daily value. It also brings 44 g of fat, 16.6 g of protein and 85 mg of sodium.
Does chicken skin have more calories than chicken meat?
Yes, by a wide margin. Roasted skin has 462 calories per 100 g, while boiled chicken has 237, so the meat carries about 0.5 times the energy of the skin, with more protein.
