Ground chicken calories come to 214 for 4 oz cooked (113 g) and 189 per 100 g, pan-browned. The figure to notice is the split: 49% of those calories come from protein and 51% from fat. That makes it less lean than many people assume, even with zero carbs and 26.3 g of protein per serving.
214kcal
1 4 oz cooked portion · 113 g, cooked, pan-browned
49%protein
26 gProtein
0 gCarbs
12.3 gFat
How to burn off 214 kcal
—Walking, brisk
—Jogging
—Cycling, moderate
—Swimming
Skip the math. BodyPal counts these calories from your steps and workouts automatically.
Nutrition facts
Cooked, pan-browned · per 113 g
Calories
214 kcal
Protein
26 g
Carbohydrate
0 g
Fat
12.3 g
Saturated fat
3.5 g
Cholesterol
121 mg
Sodium
85 mg
Potassium
765 mg
Iron
1.1 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 →
Ground 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
4 oz cooked (113 g)
214
26.3 g
0 g
12.3 g
85 mg
11%
3 oz cooked (85 g)
161
19.8 g
0 g
9.3 g
64 mg
8%
4 oz raw (113 g)
162
19.7 g
0 g
9.2 g
68 mg
8%
100 g
189
23.3 g
0 g
10.9 g
75 mg
9%
3 × 4 oz cooked (113 g)
641
78.9 g
254 mg
5 × 4 oz cooked (113 g)
1,068
131.5 g
424 mg
Raw or cooked decides what 4 oz is worth
The same 4 oz on your scale means two different numbers. Weighed raw, 4 oz (113 g) of ground chicken is 162 calories with 19.7 g of protein. Weighed after pan-browning, 4 oz cooked is 214 calories with 26.3 g of protein. Cooking drives off water, so every cooked ounce holds more meat, and more energy.
Pick one method and stick with it. If you weigh the raw package before cooking, log the raw row. If you portion from the finished pan, log the cooked row. Mixing them is the easiest way to undercount by a quarter without noticing.
Smaller plates shift the total fast. A 3 oz cooked portion (85 g) is 161 calories and still gives 19.8 g of protein, which is 40% of the daily value. Scale up and the totals stack quickly: 2 × 4 oz cooked is 427 calories, 3 × 4 oz is 641, and a 5 × 4 oz batch (565 g) for meal prep reaches 1,068 calories with 131.5 g of protein.
Fat supplies half the calories
Per 100 g cooked, ground chicken carries 23.3 g of protein and 10.9 g of fat, with 0 g of carbs, sugar and fiber. Because fat holds more than twice the energy of protein per gram, those 10.9 g end up supplying 51% of the calories, against 49% from protein.
That surprises people who picture chicken breast. Standard ground chicken usually blends in darker, fattier meat, which is why the fat row looks closer to ground beef territory than to a plain grilled breast. Saturated fat sits at 3.1 g per 100 g, a modest share of the 20 g daily value used on this page.
The protein is still the headline. One 4 oz cooked serving covers 53% of the daily value for protein for 11% of the daily calories. If you want the protein without as much fat, look for packages labeled ground chicken breast or extra lean, such as Perdue Ground Chicken Breast or Pine Manor Farms Extra Lean Ground Chicken, and check the label.
Sodium is low until you season it
Plain ground chicken is a low-sodium meat. A 4 oz cooked serving has 85 mg, just 4% of the daily value, and 100 g has 75 mg. Even the 5 × 4 oz batch totals only 424 mg. Almost all the sodium in a ground chicken dish arrives with the taco seasoning, soy sauce, broth or cheese you add.
Cholesterol is the row that runs higher. Per 100 g there are 107 mg, measured against a daily value of 300 mg. If you track cholesterol, that is the number to log carefully, especially in larger portions.
Potassium is a quiet plus. The card lists 677 mg per 100 g, against a daily value of 4700 mg. It will not cover your day on its own, but it is a useful contribution from a food most people eat for protein.
Zero carbs means the sides decide the meal
Ground chicken brings protein and fat but no fiber and no carbs, so what you cook it with shapes the whole plate. Lettuce wraps, stir-fried vegetables or a big pile of peppers and onions keep the total close to the meat's own 214 calories while adding volume and fiber.
Rice, tortillas, pasta and sauces are where a lean-looking dinner gets heavy. Measure those the same way you measure the chicken, and watch the oil in the pan, since browning in added fat brings calories on top of what the meat already holds.
For quick logging, BodyPal can record a ground chicken bowl from a photo, then you can adjust the portion to match the cooked or raw weight you actually used.
How does ground chicken compare?
Here is how ground chicken stacks up against ground turkey and chicken drumstick, per 100 g and per usual serving.
Verdict: For the fewest calories, ground chicken edges out at 189 per 100 g versus 203 for ground turkey, while turkey wins on protein with 27.4 g. Drumstick lands nearly level at 190 calories but carries 353 mg of sodium against ground chicken's 75 mg, so pick ground chicken if you watch salt.
Most popular ground chicken brands in the United States
Package labels are per raw weight and many are lean breast blends, so they read lower than the pan-browned numbers above. Source: manufacturer labels / USDA FoodData Central.
Ground chicken FAQs
How many calories are in 4 oz of ground chicken?
About 214 calories for 4 oz cooked (113 g). The same 4 oz raw is 162 calories, and 3 oz cooked is 161.
Is ground chicken good for weight loss?
A 4 oz cooked portion is 214 calories with 26.3 g protein, 12.3 g fat and no carbs. Lean ground chicken breast is lighter, around 98 to 116 calories per 100 g raw.
Ground chicken vs ground turkey: which has fewer calories?
Ground chicken is 189 calories per 100 g cooked, ground turkey 203, so chicken is about 14 calories lower per 100 g.
How much protein is in ground chicken?
23.3 g of protein per 100 g cooked, which is 26.3 g in a 4 oz cooked portion (113 g). Raw ground chicken has 17.4 g per 100 g.
How much fat is in ground chicken?
Cooked ground chicken has 10.9 g of fat per 100 g, including 3.1 g saturated. A 4 oz cooked serving has 12.3 g. Fat supplies 51% of its calories, slightly more than protein's 49%.
How many calories are in 100g of ground chicken?
100 g of cooked, pan-browned ground chicken has 189 calories, with 23.3 g of protein, 10.9 g of fat and 0 g of carbs. That is 9% of a 2000-calorie daily value.
Should I count 4 oz of ground chicken raw or cooked?
It depends on when you weigh it: 4 oz raw is 162 calories, while 4 oz cooked is 214. Cooking removes water, so a cooked ounce is denser. Use the row that matches your scale.
How many calories are in a double portion of ground chicken?
Two 4 oz cooked portions (226 g) come to 427 calories, with 52.6 g of protein and 170 mg of sodium. Three portions (339 g) reach 641 calories.
What are the full nutrition facts for ground chicken?
Per 100 g cooked: 189 calories, 23.3 g protein, 10.9 g fat, 3.1 g saturated fat, 0 g carbs, 75 mg sodium, 107 mg cholesterol and 677 mg potassium. Values follow the USDA row for pan-browned crumbles.
