Brown Rice vs. Chicken Breast
Nutrition comparison of Cooked Brown Rice 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
cooked
brown rice
versus
cooked
chicken breast
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in brown rice and chicken breast:
- Both brown rice and chicken breast are high in calories.
- Brown rice has more thiamin, however, chicken breast contains more niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12.
- Brown rice has signficantly more dietary fiber than chicken breast.
- Chicken breast has signficantly less carbohydrates than brown rice.
- Chicken breast is a great source of potassium.
- Chicken breast is an excellent source of protein.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Brown Rice (Rice, brown, long-grain, cooked (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program)) 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 brown rice and chicken breast are high in calories. Chicken breast has 34% more calories than brown rice - brown rice has 123 calories per 100 grams and chicken breast has 165 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, brown rice is much lighter in protein, much heavier in carbs and lighter in fat compared to chicken breast per calorie. Brown rice has a macronutrient ratio of 9:84:7 and for chicken breast, 79:0:21 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Brown Rice | Chicken Breast | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 9% | 79% |
| Carbohydrates | 84% | ~ |
| Fat | 7% | 21% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Chicken breast has signficantly less carbohydrates than brown rice - brown rice has 25.6g of total carbs per 100 grams and chicken breast does not contain significant amounts.
dietary fiber
Brown rice has signficantly more dietary fiber than chicken breast - brown rice has 1.6g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and chicken breast does not contain significant amounts.
sugar
Brown rice and chicken breast contain similar amounts of sugar - brown rice has 0.24g of sugar per 100 grams and chicken breast does not contain significant amounts.
Protein
protein
Chicken breast is an excellent source of protein and it has 10 times more protein than brown rice - brown rice has 2.7g of protein per 100 grams and chicken breast has 31g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Brown rice and chicken breast contain similar amounts of saturated fat - brown rice has 0.26g of saturated fat per 100 grams and chicken breast has 1g of saturated fat.
cholesterol
Brown rice has less cholesterol than chicken breast - chicken breast has 85mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and brown rice does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamins
Vitamin A
Chicken breast has more Vitamin A than brown rice - chicken breast has 6ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and brown rice does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin D
Chicken breast has more Vitamin D than brown rice - chicken breast has 5iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and brown rice does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Brown rice and chicken breast contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - brown rice has 0.17mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and chicken breast has 0.27mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Brown rice and chicken breast contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - brown rice has 0.2ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and chicken breast has 0.3ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Brown rice has more thiamin, however, chicken breast contains more niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12. Both brown rice and chicken breast contain significant amounts of riboflavin and folate.
| Brown Rice | Chicken Breast | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.178 MG | 0.07 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.069 MG | 0.114 MG |
| Niacin | 2.561 MG | 13.712 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.38 MG | 0.965 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.123 MG | 0.6 MG |
| Folate | 9 UG | 4 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | ~ | 0.34 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Chicken breast has 400% more calcium than brown rice - brown rice has 3mg of calcium per 100 grams and chicken breast has 15mg of calcium.
iron
Chicken breast has 86% more iron than brown rice - brown rice has 0.56mg of iron per 100 grams and chicken breast has 1mg of iron.
potassium
Chicken breast is a great source of potassium and it has 198% more potassium than brown rice - brown rice has 86mg of potassium per 100 grams and chicken breast has 256mg of potassium.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, chicken breast has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) and DHA than brown rice per 100 grams.
| Brown Rice | Chicken Breast | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.011 G | 0.03 G |
| DHA | ~ | 0.02 G |
| EPA | ~ | 0.01 G |
| DPA | ~ | 0.01 G |
| Total | 0.011 G | 0.07 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both brown rice and chicken breast contain significant amounts of linoleic acid.
| Brown Rice | Chicken Breast | |
|---|---|---|
| other omega 6 | ~ | 0.06 G |
| linoleic acid | 0.355 G | 0.59 G |
| Total | 0.355 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: Brown Rice (Rice, brown, long-grain, cooked (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program)) and Chicken Breast (Chicken, broilers or fryers, breast, meat only, cooked, roasted) .
Cooked Brown Rice 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 brown rice or chicken breast contain more calories in 100 grams?Both brown rice and chicken breast are high in calories. Chicken breast has 30% more calories than brown rice - brown rice has 123 calories in 100g and chicken breast has 165 calories.
Is brown rice or chicken breast better for protein?
Chicken breast is a fantastic source of protein and it has 10 times more protein than brown rice - brown rice has 2.7g of protein per 100 grams and chicken breast has 31g of protein.
Does brown rice or chicken breast have more carbohydrates?
By weight, chicken breast has signficantly fewer carbohydrates than brown rice - brown rice has 25.6g of carbs for 100g and chicken breast has no carbs..