If you weighed your chicken after boiling, use a cooked chicken reference rather than a raw one.
Boiled chicken is different from grilled or baked chicken because it cooks surrounded by liquid (plain water, salted water, or broth). That means there is no need to add cooking oil, but the finished nutrition can still vary depending on moisture retention, whether the liquid contains salt, whether broth is used, and whether you consume the cooking liquid.
USDA FoodData Central includes moist-heat cooked chicken-breast foods. On ChickenBreastNutrition.com, we use the closest exact USDA moist-heat record and show its real source description instead of simply relabeling another cooked value as boiled.
What This Nutrition Reference Describes
If the underlying USDA record uses "braised/stewed" for moist heat rather than "boiled", we show that distinction clearly for transparency.
Boiled Chicken Breast Nutrition at a Glance
For plain boiled, boneless, skinless chicken breast cooked in water, the baseline reference values are:
Plain skinless breast cooked in water provides complete lean protein with zero carbohydrate and no added fats. If you consume the cooking broth or add sauces, calculate those ingredients as part of the meal.
Calculate Nutrition for Your Boiled Chicken Breast
Enter the cooked drained chicken weight you measured on your scale:
Calculated Portion: 180 g boiled chicken breast
Data type: Calculated value scaled mathematically from USDA FoodData Central moist-heat reference (FDC ID 171534).
Boiled Chicken Breast Nutrition Facts per 100g
Below is the reference nutrition profile for chicken breast cooked with moist heat:
| Nutrient | Amount per 100 g | % Daily Value | Data Classification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 165 kcal | - | verified |
| Protein | 31 g | 62% | verified |
| Total fat | 3.6 g | 5% | verified |
| Saturated fat | 1 g | 5% | verified |
| Carbohydrate | 0 g | 0% | verified |
| Dietary fiber | 0 g | 0% | verified |
| Sugars | 0 g | 0% | verified |
| Cholesterol | 85 mg | 28% | verified |
| Sodium | 74 mg | 3% | verified |
| Potassium | 256 mg | 5% | verified |
| Phosphorus | 228 mg | 18% | verified |
| Selenium | 27.6 mcg | 50% | verified |
| Niacin (Vitamin B3) | 13.7 mg | 86% | verified |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.6 mg | 35% | verified |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.34 mcg | 14% | verified |
| Iron | 0.43 mg | 2% | verified |
| Zinc | 0.8 mg | 7% | verified |
Boiled Chicken Breast Nutrition by Weight
Quick lookup table mathematically scaled from the USDA moist-heat reference:
| Cooked Boiled Portion | Calories | Protein | Total Fat |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 oz / 28 g | 46 kcal | 8.7 g | 1.0 g |
| 3 oz / 85 g | 140 kcal | 26.3 g | 3.1 g |
| 4 oz / 113 g | 186 kcal | 35.0 g | 4.1 g |
| 5 oz / 142 g | 234 kcal | 44.0 g | 5.1 g |
| 6 oz / 170 g | 281 kcal | 52.7 g | 6.1 g |
| 8 oz / 227 g | 375 kcal | 70.4 g | 8.2 g |
| 100 g | 165 kcal | 31.0 g | 3.6 g |
| 150 g | 248 kcal | 46.5 g | 5.4 g |
| 200 g | 330 kcal | 62.0 g | 7.2 g |
| 250 g | 413 kcal | 77.5 g | 9.0 g |
Values describe plain cooked chicken meat drained after boiling, rounded for practical logging.
Why Is Boiled Chicken Different From Raw Chicken?
Cooking changes the water balance and final weight of the chicken. Raw chicken contains roughly 74% water. During moist-heat cooking, the muscle fibers contract and expel water into the pot.
Even though the chicken is surrounded by water, the finished cooked meat contains less water per gram than the raw piece did. That is why 100 grams of boiled chicken provides ~31g protein compared to ~22.5g in raw breast meat. Cooking did not create new protein; the nutrients simply became more concentrated by weight.
Does Boiling Chicken Reduce Its Protein or Nutrients?
Boiling does not wash the protein out of the meat; the muscle retains its complete amino acid profile. While some water-soluble minerals and B-vitamins can partially migrate into the cooking liquid, most nutrients remain inside the meat.
Water, Broth, and Salt in Boiling Water
If you discard the broth, do not assume all the pot's salt and broth calories entered the chicken.
If you add a teaspoon of salt to 2 liters of boiling water and throw the liquid away after draining the chicken, only a fraction of that sodium transfers into the meat. If strict sodium tracking is required, boil chicken in plain unsalted water.
Calculate Your Boiled Chicken Yield
Use your kitchen scale to measure actual cooking yield for your batch:
Boiled vs Poached, Grilled, and Baked Chicken Breast
Direct comparison of cooking methods per 100 grams edible portion:
| Metric (per 100g) | Plain Boiled | Plain Grilled | Plain Baked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 165 kcal | 151 kcal | 165 kcal |
| Protein | 31.0 g | 30.5 g | 31.0 g |
| Total fat | 3.6 g | 3.2 g | 3.6 g |
| Carbohydrate | 0.0 g | 0.0 g | 0.0 g |
| Sodium | 74 mg | 74 mg | 74 mg |
Boiling vs Poaching: Both use liquid, but boiling involves vigorous bubble movement, whereas poaching cooks the chicken in gentle hot liquid below a boil.
What About Shredded Boiled Chicken and Soups?
Shredding boiled chicken does not alter its macronutrient profile; 200 grams of boiled chicken breast is still 200 grams of cooked meat after pulling. If the chicken is made into soup with vegetables, noodles, and broth, track the finished soup as a recipe.
Cook Boiled Chicken Safely
USDA FSIS Safe Minimum Temperature: 165°F / 73.9°C
Don't assume chicken is safe simply because the water was boiling. Always insert a digital food thermometer into the thickest part of the breast to confirm it has reached at least 165°F / 73.9°C.
How We Source Boiled Chicken Nutrition
Our hierarchy for moist-heat chicken data:
- Generic plain boiled chicken: USDA FoodData Central moist-heat reference (FDC ID 171534 baseline).
- Commercial prepared boiled/shredded chicken: Manufacturer Nutrition Facts panel.
- Broth-cooked dishes & soups: Calculated from individual ingredient inputs.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many calories are in 100g of boiled chicken breast?
The exact figure on this page comes from the specific USDA moist-heat chicken-breast record (approximately 165 calories per 100 grams for plain cooked meat). We do not substitute a grilled or roasted value and call it boiled chicken.
How much protein is in 100g of boiled chicken breast?
Cooked skinless breast commonly provides roughly 31 to 32 grams of protein per 100 grams, and our boiled value uses the exact selected moist-heat USDA record (31.0 g per 100 g).
Does boiling chicken remove protein?
Boiled chicken remains a protein-rich food. Cooking changes water balance and can affect nutrients, but we do not assume that protein simply leaches out in a fixed percentage.
Do nutrients go into the boiling water?
Some compounds can move between the chicken and cooking liquid, but the amount depends on preparation. If you consume the broth, the liquid is part of your overall meal.
Does boiled chicken have carbs?
Plain chicken breast boiled in water contains essentially no meaningful carbohydrate. Broth, sauces or other recipe ingredients can change the meal.
Does boiling add calories?
Plain water adds no calories. Broth, sauces and other ingredients can change the finished dish.
Does salt in the boiling water count?
Some sodium may transfer to the chicken, but it is not accurate to assume all salt added to the pot was absorbed. If sodium matters, calculate the recipe carefully and avoid using an unsupported fixed absorption percentage.
Is boiled chicken the same as poached chicken?
No. Both use moist heat, but poaching uses gentler liquid temperatures while boiling is more vigorous.
Should I weigh boiled chicken raw or cooked?
Either can work. Match raw weight with raw nutrition and cooked weight with an appropriate moist-heat cooked reference.
What temperature should boiled chicken breast reach?
USDA FSIS recommends at least 165°F / 73.9°C, measured with a food thermometer in the thickest part of the breast.
Continue Reading
Poached Chicken Breast Nutrition →
Understand gentler moist-heat cooking.
Cooked Chicken Breast Nutrition →
Use the broader cooked reference.
Raw Chicken Breast Nutrition →
Understand why cooked and raw weights differ.
Chicken Breast Nutrition Calculator →
Calculate yield from your own measurements.