How many calories are in a chicken strip?
A five-piece serving of breaded chicken strips weighs 173 g and carries 505 calories. Per 100 g they run 292 calories, so one 36 g strip is 105 calories. Most of the load is coating and fryer oil rather than chicken: 26.4 g of fat and 35.4 g of carbohydrate in that serving.
You'd need to walk about 101 minutes to burn the 505 calories in a 5-piece serving (173 g).
How long does it take to burn off 505 kcal of chicken strip?
A 5-piece serving (173 g) is 505 kcal. Enter your weight and the amount you ate to see how long it takes you to burn that off:
lb
| Activity | Time to burn 505 kcal |
|---|---|
| Walking, brisk | 1 hr 41 min |
| Cycling, moderate | 1 hr 3 min |
| Swimming, moderate | 1 hr 12 min |
| Jogging | 59 min |
| Weight training, moderate | 1 hr 52 min |
Times are for a 155 lb adult at a steady pace; change the weight to see yours. The amount is set to the portion in the text (173 g); change it to what you actually ate. BodyPal works this out from your steps automatically.
On this page
- Chicken strip quick facts
- US servings from one strip to a five piece basket
- How the chains differ
- Frozen strips from the grocery aisle
- Sodium runs out before protein does
- How do chicken strips compare
- Most popular chicken strips brands
- FAQ
Chicken strip quick facts
The numbers here sit on SR Legacy record 170731, "BURGER KING, Chicken Strips". It sits at the heavier end of the category on both calories and breading, and it is the one strip record that carries two USDA measures — a single strip and a five-piece serving. That means the two figures people actually need come from the same analysis instead of being stitched together from different sources.
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | Per 5-piece serving (173 g) | % Daily Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 292 | 505 | — |
| Total fat | 15.25 g | 26.4 g | 34% |
| Saturated fat | 2.7 g | 4.7 g | 23% |
| Carbohydrate | 20.49 g | 35.4 g | 13% |
| Dietary fiber | 1.3 g | 2.2 g | 8% |
| Total sugars | 0 g | 0 g | — |
| Protein | 18.2 g | 31.5 g | 63% |
| Sodium | 859 mg | 1486 mg | 65% |
% Daily Value is based on a 2,000-calorie diet.
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 →
There is no added sugars row above because the SR Legacy edition never measured that value for this record, and the strips test at 0 g of total sugars anyway. Two more rows are worth naming: the serving holds 76 mg of cholesterol, 25% of the daily value, and 545 mg of potassium, 12%. The fiber that shows up — 2.2 g in five pieces — comes from the flour in the crust, not from the meat.
US servings from one strip to a five piece basket
| Serving | Weight | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| 1 oz | 28.35 g | 83 kcal |
| One strip | 36 g | 105 kcal |
| Three strips, kids-basket size | 108 g | 315 kcal |
| One serving, 5 pieces | 173 g | 505 kcal |
| Ten strips, as on the plate above | 360 g | 1051 kcal |
| Per 100 g | 100 g | 292 kcal |
Two of these rows are USDA household measures: the single 36 g strip and the five-piece, 173 g serving. The rest — the ounce, the three-strip basket and the ten-strip platter — are our own arithmetic from the USDA 100 g figure, not USDA servings. They are here because that is how strips actually leave a kitchen.
The trap in this food is the count, not the calorie density. A basket of three and a basket of five differ by 190 calories, and nobody logs "173 grams" — they log "some tenders." If you log by piece, the number you need is 105, and it moves with the chain.
How the chains differ
| Version | Per 100 g | Typical piece | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burger King chicken strips | 292 kcal | one strip, 36 g | 105 kcal |
| KFC crispy chicken strips | 274 kcal | one strip, 47 g | 129 kcal |
| Popeyes mild chicken strips | 271 kcal | one strip, 54 g | 146 kcal |
| Popeyes spicy chicken strips | 253 kcal | one strip, 53 g | 134 kcal |
| Denny's chicken strips | 295 kcal | one serving, 194 g | 572 kcal |
Here is the part the calorie-per-100-g tables hide: size beats composition. A Popeyes mild strip is 21 calories lighter per 100 g than a Burger King strip, and still costs you 41 more calories, because it weighs 54 g against 36 g. Two strips from one chain weigh as much as three from another.
The breading explains most of the rest. KFC's thinner coating shows up as 13.66 g of carbohydrate per 100 g against 20.49 g for Burger King — nearly 7 g of flour per 100 g of food. Popeyes uses a different frying fat, which is why its mild strips carry 5.44 g of saturated fat per 100 g, roughly double the 2.7 g in the main record. Denny's plates a restaurant-sized 194 g serving, so one order is 572 calories before fries.
Frozen strips from the grocery aisle
Store-bought breaded strips are consistently lighter than chain strips, by about 66 calories per 100 g. Tyson Crispy Chicken Strips are 226 calories per 100 g, so the labeled 3 oz (84 g) portion is 190 calories. The same 85 g of chain strips works out to 248 calories by our own arithmetic from the USDA 100 g figure. Over a five-piece dinner that gap is worth about 115 calories.
The freezer aisle is tightly clustered. Tyson's buffalo style and honey BBQ strips also sit at 226 calories per 100 g, 190 per 3 oz portion; NatureRaised Farms southern style strips are 238 and 200; Paradise Kitchens breaded strips are 232 per 100 g, or 260 for a 4 oz (112 g) portion. The heaviest of the group, at 250 per 100 g and 210 per portion, is another Tyson crispy line. Read the box, but expect the difference between brands to be smaller than the difference between three pieces and five.
Sodium runs out before protein does
Chicken strips are usually filed as a protein food, and by the MyPlate protein group definition they belong there: 31.5 g in a five-piece serving, 63% of the daily value. But the salt gets there first. The same serving carries 1,486 mg of sodium — 65% of the FDA daily value of 2,300 mg, and about two-thirds of a teaspoon of table salt.
That ordering is the useful fact. If you are tracking sodium, the strips hit your ceiling before they finish paying you back in protein, and dipping sauce has not been added yet. The saltiest record in this set is Popeyes spicy at 997 mg per 100 g; the lowest is Denny's at 798 mg. None of them is a low-sodium food.
Saturated fat behaves better than you would expect from a deep-fried food: 4.7 g in the serving, 23% of the daily value, because the coating soaks up mostly unsaturated frying oil. If you want the fat number down, the lever is the crust, and the fastest version of that lever is a smaller piece count.
How do chicken strips compare
| Food | Per 100 g | US serving | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken strips | 292 kcal | 1 oz, 28.35 g | 83 kcal |
| Fried chicken drumstick with breading | 293 kcal | 1 oz, 28.35 g | 83 kcal |
| Chicken quesadilla | 294 kcal | 1 oz, 28.35 g | 83 kcal |
| Pan-crust pepperoni pizza | 291 kcal | 1 oz, 28.35 g | 82 kcal |
Our take: by weight these four are the same food. All of them land within 3 calories per 100 g of each other, which means the choice between a tender basket, a fried drumstick, a quesadilla and a slice of pan pizza is decided by how much lands on the plate, not by what it is. Where the strips beat the pizza is protein — 18.2 g per 100 g against 11.47 g — and on fat they tie the quesadilla at 15.25 g, with only the pizza lower. Pick strips for the protein, then control the count, because five pieces is 505 calories and three is 315.
Most popular chicken strips brands in the United States
Ranked by how widely each product appears among foods sold in the United States, from the BodyPal food database of over 3.3 million products. Calories are the figures printed on each Nutrition Facts label, checked against USDA FoodData Central.
| Product | Calories (per 100 g) |
|---|---|
| Tyson Crispy Chicken Strips | 226 cal |
| Tyson Crispy Chicken Strips (Crispy Chicken) | 250 cal |
| NatureRaised Farms Southern Style Crispy Chicken Strips | 238 cal |
| Tyson Buffalo Style Chicken Strips | 226 cal |
| Tyson Honey BBQ Chicken Strips | 226 cal |
| Paradise Kitchens Breaded Chicken Strips | 232 cal |
Brand popularity: BodyPal food database. Nutrition: manufacturer labels / USDA FoodData Central.
Chicken strip FAQs
How many calories are in one chicken strip?
One strip is 105 calories at the 36 g size Burger King lists, or 292 calories per 100 g. Strips are not standardized: a KFC strip weighs 47 g and runs 129 calories, and a Popeyes mild strip at 54 g reaches 146. Weigh yours once and the guessing stops.
How many calories in 3 chicken strips?
Three strips come to 315 calories at 108 g, which is our own arithmetic from the USDA 100 g figure rather than a listed serving. The same three carry 19.7 g of protein and 928 mg of sodium, 40% of the FDA daily value, before any dipping sauce joins the plate.
How many calories in 5 chicken strips?
Five pieces is 505 calories for 173 g, and this one is a listed USDA serving rather than our math. It brings 31.5 g of protein, 26.4 g of fat and 1,486 mg of sodium. The sodium is what runs out first, at 65% of a day from a single basket.
Are chicken strips the same as chicken tenders?
In USDA's data they are one food at 292 calories per 100 g. Tender technically names the small muscle under the breast, but menus and freezer bags use strip, tender and finger for the same breaded piece. The weight on the box tells you far more than the word on it does.
How much protein is in a chicken strip?
One 36 g strip gives 6.6 g of protein, and 100 g of strips gives 18.2 g. A five-piece serving reaches 31.5 g, which is 63% of the daily value in a single basket. MyPlate counts breaded strips in the protein foods group, alongside the crust they arrive in.
How much sodium is in chicken strips?
A five-piece serving carries 1,486 mg of sodium, 65% of the 2,300 mg daily value and about two-thirds of a teaspoon of table salt. Per 100 g the figure is 859 mg. Popeyes spicy strips are the saltiest record in this set at 997 mg per 100 g.
Are frozen chicken strips lower in calories than fast food ones?
Yes, by roughly 66 calories per 100 g. Tyson crispy strips are 226 calories per 100 g, so a labeled 3 oz (84 g) portion is 190 calories, while 85 g of chain strips works out to 248 by our own arithmetic. Thinner coating and less oil do most of that.
How many carbs are in breaded chicken strips?
A five-piece serving has 35.4 g of carbohydrate, 13% of a day, and it is almost entirely breading at 20.49 g per 100 g. KFC's thinner coating drops that to 13.66 g per 100 g. Chicken itself has none, so the carb count tracks the crust, not the meat.
Similar foods
- Ribeye Steak — 495 cal per 8 oz steak
- Burger — 418 cal per hamburger
- Hush puppies — 521 cal for 8 hush puppies
- Mozzarella — 334 cal per cup, shredded
- Chuck Roast — 257 cal per 3 oz
- Fish taco — 275 cal per taco
Count it without the math
Point the camera at the basket and BodyPal counts the strips for you, breading and all.
