The nutritional content of chicken can vary greatly depending on the type of meat and cooking method you choose. Fried chicken is high in fat, even if you use a lower fat cut of chicken. Roasted or grilled chicken, on the other hand, is lower in fat. Removing the skin also lowers the fat content and white meat is lower in fat than dark meat.
Calories
The main difference between roasted white meat chicken, such as breast meat, and roasted dark meat chicken, such as thigh meat, is the percentage of calories that come from fat. A 3 oz. serving of white meat chicken, such as breast meat, contains 140 calories, which are made up of approximately 80 percent protein and 20 percent fat. One serving of dark meat, such as thigh meat, contains 178 calories, made up of approximately 53 percent protein and 47 percent fat.
Fat
While the calorie difference between the two types of meat is only 38 calories, a serving of dark meat contains 57 more fat calories than a serving of white meat. One serving of white meat contains 3 g of fat, which provides 27 calories. One serving of dark meat contains 9.3 g of fat, which provides 84 g of fat. One serving of dark meat contains almost as much saturated fat (2.6 g) as there is total fat in a serving of white meat. A serving of white meat contains less than 1 g of saturated fat.
Cholesterol
White meat chicken is also lower in cholesterol than dark meat, with 72 mg per serving as opposed to 81 mg. The Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion recommends consuming less than 300 mg of cholesterol per day. (See reference 1) Both types of chicken provide more than 20 percent of this amount.
Protein
White meat chicken contains more protein than dark meat chicken. One serving of white meat contains 26.4 g while one serving of dark meat contains 22 g. Both types of meat provide more than 45 percent of the recommended dietary allowance, or RDA, for women and more than 35 percent for men.
Minerals
One serving of either white or dark meat provides more than 20 percent of the RDA for phosphorus and more than 40 percent for selenium. However, dark meat is higher in zinc, with one serving providing 20 percent of the RDA as opposed to only 8 percent for white meat. Zinc is essential for proper immune system function.
Vitamins
White meat is higher in both vitamin B-6 and niacin. One serving of white meat provides 39 percent of the RDA for B-6 and 73 percent for niacin, while one serving of dark meat provides 23 percent of B-6 and 35 percent of niacin. Both B-6 and niacin are important for metabolism. Both types of meat contain more than 10 percent of the RDA for choline, B-12 and pantothenic acid.
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