Fried chicken calories come to 213 for one 85 g piece and 251 per 100 g, with skin and coating eaten. The detail to notice is which part you grab: a medium breast is 438 calories, a thigh 305 and a wing 162, so the cut moves your total more than anything else.
213kcal
1 piece · 85 g, fried, coated, skin eaten
35%protein
18.5 gProtein
6 gCarbs
12.8 gFat
How to burn off 213 kcal
—Walking, brisk
—Jogging
—Cycling, moderate
—Swimming
Skip the math. BodyPal counts these calories from your steps and workouts automatically.
Nutrition facts
Fried, coated, skin eaten · per 85 g
Calories
213 kcal
Protein
18.5 g
Carbohydrate
6.1 g
Fat
12.8 g
Saturated fat
3.4 g
Cholesterol
85 mg
Sodium
570 mg
Potassium
224 mg
Iron
0.7 mg
Source: USDA FoodData Central
🛡️
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 October 2026. How we verify our data →
Fried chicken: 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 piece (85 g)
213
18.5 g
6.1 g
12.8 g
570 mg
11%
Medium breast (175 g)
438
36 g
12.6 g
25.9 g
579 mg
22%
Medium thigh (110 g)
305
20.1 g
7.9 g
20.9 g
510 mg
15%
1 wing (55 g)
162
10.2 g
3.9 g
11.3 g
254 mg
8%
3 × 1 piece (85 g)
640
55.5 g
1,711 mg
5 × 1 piece (85 g)
1,067
92.4 g
2,852 mg
A breast is a 438-calorie plate on its own
A generic 85 g piece of fried chicken lands at 213 calories, which is 11% of a 2,000-calorie day. That sounds modest until you look at the real pieces in a bucket. A medium breast at 175 g carries 438 calories, about twice a generic piece, and 22% of the daily value. A medium thigh at 110 g comes in at 305 calories, and a single 55 g wing at 162.
Nobody eats one piece, so the multiples tell the real story. Two pieces add up to 427 calories, three reach 640, and five climb to 1,067. That last plate is more than half a 2,000-calorie day before any sides show up. Count the pieces, not the meals.
Wings look like the light choice, and per piece they are. The catch is that wings are small, so they get eaten in handfuls. The thigh is the sneaky one: it is smaller than the breast but nearly as rich, because a larger share of its weight is fat.
More than half the calories come from fat
Fat supplies 54% of the calories in fried chicken, protein 35% and carbs only 11%. Per 100 g that works out to 15 g of fat, 21.8 g of protein and 7.1 g of carbs. The carbs come from the coating; sugars sit at 0 and fiber at 0.2 g.
The protein is real and substantial. One 85 g piece gives 18.5 g, which is 37% of the daily value, and a medium breast delivers 36 g, or 72%. The thigh shows the other side of the coin: 20.1 g of protein against 20.9 g of fat, so fat edges out protein by weight.
Saturated fat runs 4 g per 100 g, against a daily value of 20 g. If you are tracking fat closely, the breast gives you the most protein for its fat, and the thigh and wing give you the least.
Sodium is the row to watch
Fried chicken carries 671 mg of sodium per 100 g, mostly from the seasoned breading and brine. One 85 g piece has 570 mg, a full 25% of the daily value. A medium breast is in the same range at 579 mg, also 25%, and a thigh has 510 mg, or 22%.
The multiples are where it adds up fast. Two pieces bring 1,141 mg, three bring 1,711 mg, and five reach 2,852 mg, which is past the entire daily value in a single sitting. A wing is the lightest at 254 mg, or 11%, but several wings close that gap quickly.
Cholesterol is the other notable row at 100 mg per 100 g, about a third of the 300 mg daily value. If you watch sodium, the easiest move is to keep the rest of the meal low in salt: skip the extra seasoning and go easy on salty sides and dipping sauces.
Pair the protein with plants, not more fried food
Fried chicken already brings plenty of fat and salt, plus a solid dose of protein. What it lacks is fiber, with just 0.2 g per 100 g, and potassium is modest at 264 mg. That points to the obvious partners: a green salad, slaw with a light dressing, green beans, corn or fruit.
The usual sides pull the other way. Fries, biscuits and creamy mac and cheese stack more fat and sodium onto a plate that has plenty of both. If you want the full comfort meal, one piece with a big vegetable side gives you most of the experience for a fraction of what a combo costs in calories.
Frozen versions from brands like Tyson, Stouffer's and Banquet vary by product, so check the package for the exact serving. If you eat it out, BodyPal can log your plate from a photo, which helps when the pieces are mixed sizes.
How does fried chicken compare?
Here is how fried chicken stacks up against plain chicken and rotisserie chicken, per 100 g and per usual serving.
Verdict: For the fewest calories pick rotisserie chicken, at 167 per 85 g serving versus 213 for a fried piece, with 25.1 g of protein per 100 g against 21.8 g. For the least sodium pick plain chicken, which has 82 mg per 100 g compared with 671 mg in fried chicken.
Most popular fried chicken brands in the United States
Ranked by popularity in the BodyPal database
# Productkcal / 100 g
1Tyson Air Fried Chicken Breast Fillets1 piece · 113 g159 kcal
2Tyson Air Fried Chicken Breast Nuggets5 pieces · 85 g188 kcal
Air-fried products carry less oil and frozen meals include sides, so their label numbers read lower than deep-fried pieces. Source: manufacturer labels / USDA FoodData Central.
Fried chicken FAQs
How many calories are in one piece of fried chicken?
About 213 calories for an 85 g piece eaten with skin and coating. A medium breast is 438 calories and a medium thigh 305.
Is fried chicken good for weight loss?
Per 100 g it has 251 calories and 15.0 g of fat. Fried chicken meat without skin or coating has 219 calories per 100 g.
Fried chicken vs roast chicken: which has more calories?
Fried chicken has 251 calories per 100 g and roast chicken 239. The coating adds 7.1 g of carbs per 100 g.
How much protein is in fried chicken?
An 85 g piece has 18.5 g of protein, or 21.8 g per 100 g, along with 6.1 g of carbs from the coating.
How many calories are in 100 g of fried chicken?
There are 251 calories in 100 g of coated fried chicken with the skin eaten. That 100 g holds 21.8 g of protein, 15 g of fat, 7.1 g of carbs and 671 mg of sodium.
How many calories are in a fried chicken wing?
One fried chicken wing (55 g) has 162 calories, with 10.2 g of protein, 11.3 g of fat and 254 mg of sodium. Wings are small, so a handful of them adds up quickly.
How many calories are in a fried chicken breast?
A medium fried chicken breast (175 g) has 438 calories, 22% of a 2,000-calorie day. It also delivers 36 g of protein, 25.9 g of fat and 579 mg of sodium.
How many calories are in a fried chicken thigh?
A medium fried chicken thigh (110 g) has 305 calories. It carries 20.1 g of protein and 20.9 g of fat, so fat slightly outweighs protein, plus 510 mg of sodium.
Is fried chicken high in carbs?
No. Fried chicken has 7.1 g of carbs per 100 g, and carbs supply only 11% of its calories. Sugars are 0, and the carbs come mainly from the coating.
