Cheese vs. Chicken Breast
Nutrition comparison of Cheese and Cooked Chicken Breast
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
cheese
versus
cooked
chicken breast
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in cheese and chicken breast:
- Both cheese and chicken breast are high in calories and protein.
- Cheese is an excellent source of Vitamin A and calcium.
- Chicken breast has more thiamin, niacin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6, however, cheese contains more riboflavin, folate and Vitamin B12.
- Chicken breast is a great source of potassium.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Cheese (Cheese, Mexican blend) and Chicken Breast (Chicken, broilers or fryers, breast, meat only, cooked, roasted) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Both cheese and chicken breast are high in calories. Cheese has 133% more calories than chicken breast - cheese has 384 calories per 100 grams and chicken breast has 165 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, cheese is much lighter in protein, much heavier in fat and similar to chicken breast for carbs. Cheese has a macronutrient ratio of 25:0:75 and for chicken breast, 79:0:21 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Cheese | Chicken Breast | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 25% | 79% |
| Carbohydrates | ~ | ~ |
| Fat | 75% | 21% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Both cheese and chicken breast are low in carbohydrates - cheese has 0.13g of total carbs per 100 grams and chicken breast does not contain significant amounts.
Protein
protein
Both cheese and chicken breast are high in protein. Chicken breast has 32% more protein than cheese - cheese has 23.5g of protein per 100 grams and chicken breast has 31g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Cheese is high in saturated fat and chicken breast has 94% less saturated fat than cheese - cheese has 16.1g of saturated fat per 100 grams and chicken breast has 1g of saturated fat.
cholesterol
Cheese and chicken breast contain similar amounts of cholesterol - cheese has 95mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and chicken breast has 85mg of cholesterol.
Vitamins
Vitamin A
Cheese is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has 28 times more Vitamin A than chicken breast - cheese has 174ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and chicken breast has 6ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin D
Cheese has 320% more Vitamin D than chicken breast - cheese has 21iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and chicken breast has 5iu of Vitamin D.
Vitamin E
Cheese and chicken breast contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - cheese has 0.25mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and chicken breast has 0.27mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Cheese and chicken breast contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - cheese has 2.5ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and chicken breast has 0.3ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Chicken breast has more thiamin, niacin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6, however, cheese contains more riboflavin, folate and Vitamin B12.
| Cheese | Chicken Breast | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.023 MG | 0.07 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.318 MG | 0.114 MG |
| Niacin | 0.114 MG | 13.712 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.249 MG | 0.965 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.061 MG | 0.6 MG |
| Folate | 13 UG | 4 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | 1.23 UG | 0.34 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Cheese is an excellent source of calcium and it has 42 times more calcium than chicken breast - cheese has 659mg of calcium per 100 grams and chicken breast has 15mg of calcium.
iron
Chicken breast has 76% more iron than cheese - cheese has 0.59mg of iron per 100 grams and chicken breast has 1mg of iron.
potassium
Chicken breast is a great source of potassium and it has 201% more potassium than cheese - cheese has 85mg of potassium per 100 grams and chicken breast has 256mg of potassium.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, cheese has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than chicken breast per 100 grams, however, chicken breast contains more dha than cheese per 100 grams.
| Cheese | Chicken Breast | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.332 G | 0.03 G |
| DHA | ~ | 0.02 G |
| EPA | ~ | 0.01 G |
| DPA | ~ | 0.01 G |
| Total | 0.332 G | 0.07 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both cheese and chicken breast contain significant amounts of linoleic acid.
| Cheese | Chicken Breast | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.532 G | 0.59 G |
| other omega 6 | ~ | 0.06 G |
| Total | 0.532 G | 0.65 G |
Customize your serving size
The comparison below is by common portions, e.g. cups, packages. You can also see a more concrete comparison by weight at equal weight (by grams) comparison.
Note: The specific food items compared are: Cheese (Cheese, Mexican blend) and Chicken Breast (Chicken, broilers or fryers, breast, meat only, cooked, roasted) .
Cheese g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Cooked Chicken Breast g
()
|
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KCAL % |
|
5% | calories | 5% |
|
KCAL % | |
| G % |
|
5% | carbohydrates | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G % |
|
5% | dietary fiber | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G | 5% | sugar | 5% | G | |||
| G % |
|
5% | total fat | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G % |
|
5% | saturated fat | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G | 5% | monounsaturated fat | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | polyunsaturated fat | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | trans fat | 5% | G | |||
| MG | 5% | cholesterol | 5% | MG | |||
| MG % |
|
5% | sodium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| 5% | Vitamins and Minerals | 5% | |||||
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin A | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin C | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| IU % |
|
5% | Vitamin D | 5% |
|
IU % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | calcium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | iron | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | magnesium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | potassium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | thiamin (Vit B1) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | riboflavin (Vit B2) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | niacin (Vit B3) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin B6 | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | pantothenic acid (Vit B5) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | folate (Vit B9) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin B12 | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin E | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin K | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| G % |
|
5% | protein | 5% |
|
G % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | biotin (Vit B7) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | choline | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | chlorine | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | chromium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | copper | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | fluoride | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | iodine | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | manganese | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | molybdenum | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | phosphorus | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | selenium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | zinc | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| G | 5% | Water | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | Starch | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | Alcohol | 5% | G | |||
FAQ
Does cheese or chicken breast contain more calories in 100 grams?Both cheese and chicken breast are high in calories. Cheese has 130% more calories than chicken breast - cheese has 384 calories in 100g and chicken breast has 165 calories.
Is cheese or chicken breast better for protein?
Both cheese and chicken breast are high in protein. Chicken breast has 30% more protein than cheese - cheese has 23.5g of protein per 100 grams and chicken breast has 31g of protein.
Does cheese or chicken breast contain more calcium?
Cheese is a rich source of calcium and it has 42 times more calcium than chicken breast - cheese has 659mg of calcium in 100 grams and chicken breast has 15mg of calcium.