Poached chicken breast is cooked gently in hot liquid, usually water or broth. If you weighed your chicken after poaching, use an appropriate cooked chicken reference rather than raw chicken nutrition.
The exact result can vary depending on your cooked serving weight, the amount of moisture retained, whether you used water or broth, salt in the poaching liquid, and whether you consume the liquid.
Poaching generally does not require cooking oil, but that does not mean every poached chicken dish has identical nutrition. We use the closest exact USDA moist-heat record and show its real source description clearly.
What Do We Mean by Poached Chicken?
If the underlying USDA food description uses "braised/cooked moist heat", we display that transparently beside our poached classification.
What Did You Poach the Chicken In?
Select your poaching liquid to set up the calculator:
Poached in Plain Water
Cleanest baseline: zero additional calories or sodium added from the cooking liquid. Ideal for precise macro and sodium tracking.
Poached Chicken Breast at a Glance
For plain poached skinless chicken breast cooked in water, the reference values per 100 grams are:
Plain skinless breast poached gently provides lean complete protein without cooking oil. If you eat the poaching broth or add rich sauces, calculate those ingredients as part of the meal.
Calculate Your Poached Chicken Breast Nutrition
Enter your cooked poached chicken weight and select your liquid options:
Calculated Portion: 170 g poached chicken breast
Data classification: Calculated value scaled mathematically from USDA FoodData Central moist-heat reference (FDC ID 171534).
Poached Chicken Breast Nutrition Facts per 100g
Reference nutrition profile for plain cooked poached boneless, skinless chicken breast:
| 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 |
Poached Chicken Breast Nutrition by Weight
Quick lookup table mathematically scaled from the USDA moist-heat reference:
| Cooked Poached 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 |
What Is the Difference Between Poached and Boiled Chicken?
Both methods cook chicken surrounded by liquid. The difference lies in cooking intensity:
| Feature | Poached Chicken | Boiled Chicken |
|---|---|---|
| Heat Style | Gentle sub-boil simmer | Vigorous active boil |
| Cooking Liquid | Water, broth, or wine | Water or broth |
| Added Cooking Oil | No | No |
| Texture | Tender, smooth moisture | Firm, easily shredded |
| Nutrition Reference | USDA moist-heat reference | USDA moist-heat reference |
Why Does Poached Chicken Differ From Raw Chicken?
Cooking changes the water balance of the meat. Raw chicken contains about 74% water. During gentle poaching, the muscle fibers contract and expel a portion of that water. The resulting cooked breast weighs less than it did raw, concentrating protein and nutrients per 100 grams (~31.0g vs ~22.5g in raw breast).
Water, Broth, Salt, and Aromatics in Poaching Liquid
If You Eat the Broth: Count the broth and vegetables into your meal calculation.
If You Discard the Broth: Only track the cooked chicken meat. Do not assume all the pot's salt and broth nutrients entered the chicken.
Aromatics (Onion, Garlic, Herbs, Lemon): These flavor the poaching liquid with negligible calorie transfer to the drained meat unless the liquid or solids are eaten.
Calculate Your Own Poaching Yield
Use your kitchen scale to measure cooking yield for your poached batch:
Poached vs Grilled and Baked Chicken Breast
Direct comparison of plain cooking methods per 100 grams edible portion:
| Metric (per 100g) | Plain Poached | 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 |
How to Track Poached Chicken for Meal Prep
Suppose you poach 1,200g of raw chicken breast and obtain 960g of cooked drained meat. If your lunch portion is 240g, you consumed exactly 25% of the cooked batch (240 ÷ 960 = 0.25). Assign 25% of the total raw recipe macros to your container.
Cook Poached Chicken Safely
USDA FSIS Safe Minimum Temperature: 165°F / 73.9°C
Some culinary guides suggest removing poached chicken at lower temperatures (e.g. 150°F), but USDA consumer food safety guidelines strictly require poultry to reach at least 165°F / 73.9°C in the thickest part of the breast measured with a digital food thermometer.
How We Source Poached Chicken Nutrition
Our hierarchy for poached chicken data:
- Generic plain poached chicken: USDA FoodData Central moist-heat reference (FDC ID 171534 baseline).
- Commercial poached products: Manufacturer Nutrition Facts panel.
- Broth, wine, or sauced dishes: Calculated from individual recipe ingredients.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many calories are in 100g of poached chicken breast?
The production value comes from the exact USDA moist-heat chicken-breast record (approximately 165 calories per 100 grams for plain cooked meat). We do not substitute a recipe value or relabel a grilled reference as poached chicken.
How much protein is in poached chicken breast?
Plain cooked skinless breast provides approximately 31.0 grams of protein per 100 grams based on our locked USDA moist-heat reference.
Does poaching chicken reduce protein?
We should not assign a universal protein-loss percentage. Poached chicken remains a protein-rich cooked poultry food with a complete amino acid profile.
Is poached chicken healthier than grilled chicken?
Not universally. Poaching can be performed without added oil, but grilled chicken can also be prepared simply. The actual ingredients, portion size and cooking yield matter more than declaring one cooking method the winner.
Does poaching chicken require oil?
No. Chicken can be poached in water, broth or another cooking liquid without added cooking fat.
Does broth add calories or sodium?
It can, depending on the broth and whether you consume it. Use the actual broth label when it forms part of the meal.
Does poached chicken have carbs?
Plain chicken itself contains essentially no meaningful carbohydrate. Complete poached recipes may contain carbs from other ingredients such as sauces, vegetables or sweetened broths.
Is poached chicken the same as boiled chicken?
No. Both use liquid, but poaching uses gentler cooking below a hard boil, while boiling is more vigorous.
Should I weigh chicken before or after poaching?
Either works when the nutrition source matches the state: use raw nutrition for raw weight and the selected cooked reference for cooked weight.
What temperature should poached chicken breast reach?
USDA FSIS recommends at least 165°F / 73.9°C for chicken breast, checked in the thickest part with a digital food thermometer.
Continue Reading
Boiled Chicken Breast Nutrition →
Compare vigorous boiling with gentler poaching.
Steamed Chicken Breast Nutrition →
Compare another moist-heat method that does not require added oil.
Raw Chicken Breast Nutrition →
Understand why cooking changes per-100g values.
Cooked Chicken Breast Nutrition →
Use the broader cooked reference.