Filet O Fish vs. Chicken Leg

Nutrition comparison of Filet O Fish and Chicken Leg

Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?

We compared the nutritional contents of filet o fish versus chicken leg (100g each) below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].

For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in filet o fish and chicken leg:

  • Both filet o fish and chicken leg are high in calories, potassium and protein.
  • Chicken leg has signficantly less carbohydrates than filet o fish.
  • Filet o fish has 66% less cholesterol than chicken leg.
  • Filet o fish has more thiamin and folate, however, chicken leg contains more niacin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6.
  • Filet o fish is an excellent source of calcium.
Detailed nutritional comparison of filet o fish and chicken leg is analyzed below. You can also visualize the nutritional comparison for a custom portion or serving size and see how the nutrition compares.

USDA sources for nutritional information: Filet O Fish (McDONALD'S, FILET-O-FISH) and Chicken Leg (Chicken, broilers or fryers, leg, meat and skin, raw) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.

Calories and Carbs

calories

Both filet o fish and chicken leg are high in calories. Filet o fish has 32% more calories than chicken leg - filet o fish has 282 calories per 100 grams and chicken leg has 214 calories.

For macronutrient ratios, filet o fish is lighter in protein, much heavier in carbs and much lighter in fat compared to chicken leg per calorie. Filet o fish has a macronutrient ratio of 16:37:47 and for chicken leg, 31:0:69 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.

Macro Ratios from Calories:

Filet O Fish Chicken Leg
Protein 16% 31%
Carbohydrates 37% ~
Fat 47% 69%
Alcohol ~ ~

carbohydrates

Chicken leg has signficantly less carbohydrates than filet o fish - filet o fish has 26.4g of total carbs per 100 grams and chicken leg has 0.17g of carbohydrates.

dietary fiber

Filet o fish has more dietary fiber than chicken leg - filet o fish has 1.4g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and chicken leg does not contain significant amounts.

sugar

Chicken leg has less sugar than filet o fish - filet o fish has 3.7g of sugar per 100 grams and chicken leg does not contain significant amounts.

Protein

protein

Both filet o fish and chicken leg are high in protein. Chicken leg has 45% more protein than filet o fish - filet o fish has 11.3g of protein per 100 grams and chicken leg has 16.4g of protein.

Fat

saturated fat

Filet o fish has 35% less saturated fat than chicken leg - filet o fish has 2.8g of saturated fat per 100 grams and chicken leg has 4.4g of saturated fat.

trans fat

Both filet o fish and chicken leg are low in trans fat - filet o fish has 0.13g of trans fat per 100 grams and chicken leg has 0.06g of trans fat.

cholesterol

Filet o fish has 66% less cholesterol than chicken leg - filet o fish has 32mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and chicken leg has 93mg of cholesterol.

Vitamins

Vitamin C

Filet o fish and chicken leg contain similar amounts of Vitamin C - filet o fish has 0.3mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and chicken leg has 0.2mg of Vitamin C.

Vitamin A

Chicken leg has more Vitamin A than filet o fish - chicken leg has 28ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and filet o fish does not contain significant amounts.

Vitamin D

Chicken leg and filet o fish contain similar amounts of Vitamin D - chicken leg has 2iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and filet o fish does not contain significant amounts.

Vitamin E

Filet o fish and chicken leg contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - filet o fish has 1.2mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and chicken leg has 0.22mg of Vitamin E.

Vitamin K

Filet o fish and chicken leg contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - filet o fish has 4.9ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and chicken leg has 2.3ug of Vitamin K.

The B Vitamins

Filet o fish has more thiamin and folate, however, chicken leg contains more niacin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6. Both filet o fish and chicken leg contain significant amounts of riboflavin and Vitamin B12.

Filet O Fish Chicken Leg
Thiamin 0.211 MG 0.073 MG
Riboflavin 0.13 MG 0.141 MG
Niacin 2.22 MG 4.733 MG
Pantothenic acid ~ 0.994 MG
Vitamin B6 ~ 0.318 MG
Folate 21 UG 4 UG
Vitamin B12 1.08 UG 0.56 UG

Minerals

calcium

Filet o fish is an excellent source of calcium and it has 12 times more calcium than chicken leg - filet o fish has 120mg of calcium per 100 grams and chicken leg has 9mg of calcium.

iron

Filet o fish has 126% more iron than chicken leg - filet o fish has 1.6mg of iron per 100 grams and chicken leg has 0.69mg of iron.

potassium

Both filet o fish and chicken leg are high in potassium. Filet o fish has a little more potassium (8%) than chicken leg by weight - filet o fish has 220mg of potassium per 100 grams and chicken leg has 203mg of potassium.

Omega-3 and Omega-6

omega 3s

For omega-3 fatty acids, filet o fish has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA), dha and epa than chicken leg per 100 grams, however, chicken leg contains more dpa than filet o fish per 100 grams.

Filet O Fish Chicken Leg
alpha linoleic acid 0.639 G 0.155 G
DHA 0.061 G 0.01 G
EPA 0.03 G 0.004 G
DPA 0.005 G 0.012 G
Total 0.735 G 0.181 G

omega 6s

Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both filet o fish and chicken leg contain significant amounts of linoleic acid.

Filet O Fish Chicken Leg
other omega 6 0.007 G 0.016 G
linoleic acid 5.187 G 2.987 G
Total 5.194 G 3.003 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: Filet O Fish (McDONALD'S, FILET-O-FISH) and Chicken Leg (Chicken, broilers or fryers, leg, meat and skin, raw) .

Filet O Fish 134g

( sandwich )
Daily Values (%)

Chicken Leg 344g

( drumstick+thigh+back, with skin )
378KCAL 19%
calories 95%
736KCAL 37%
35G 14%
>999% carbohydrates
0.58G 0.2%
1.9G 8%
>999% dietary fiber
4.9G >999% sugar
20G 31%
total fat 175%
55G 86%
3.8G 21%
saturated fat 295%
15G 83%
5.4G monounsaturated fat 326% 23G
8G polyunsaturated fat 50% 12G
0.17G trans fat 24% 0.21G
43MG cholesterol 644% 320MG
582MG 39%
101% sodium
289MG 19%
Vitamins and Minerals
Vitamin A >999%
96UG 14%
0.4MG 1%
Vitamin C 72%
0.69MG 1%
Vitamin D >999%
6.9IU 1%
161MG 16%
419% calcium
31MG 3%
2.1MG 12%
iron 14%
2.4MG 13%
36MG 12%
magnesium 81%
65MG 21%
295MG 13%
potassium 137%
698MG 30%
0.28MG 26%
12% thiamin (Vit B1)
0.25MG 23%
0.17MG 16%
riboflavin (Vit B2) 188%
0.49MG 44%
3MG 21%
niacin (Vit B3) 433%
16MG 116%
Vitamin B6 >999%
1.1MG 84%
pantothenic acid (Vit B5) >999%
3.4MG 68%
28UG 7%
100% folate (Vit B9)
14UG 3%
1.4UG 60%
Vitamin B12 36%
1.9UG 80%
1.6MG 11%
111% Vitamin E
0.76MG 5%
6.6UG 7%
Vitamin K 20%
7.9UG 9%
15G 30%
protein 273%
56G 113%
choline >999%
143MG 34%
0.09MG 7%
copper 111%
0.19MG 16%
0.35MG 20%
483% manganese
0.06MG 3%
184MG 26%
phosphorus 190%
533MG 76%
34UG 62%
selenium 82%
62UG 113%
0.78MG 10%
zinc 554%
5.1MG 63%
61G Water 280% 232G


NO SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS (either food): Starch, Alcohol, chlorine, chromium, fluoride, iodine, molybdenum, biotin (Vit B7).

FAQ

Does filet o fish or chicken leg contain more calories in 100 grams?
Both filet o fish and chicken leg are high in calories. Filet o fish has 30% more calories than chicken leg - filet o fish has 282 calories in 100g and chicken leg has 214 calories.

Is filet o fish or chicken leg better for protein?
Both filet o fish and chicken leg are high in protein. Chicken leg has 50% more protein than filet o fish - filet o fish has 11.3g of protein per 100 grams and chicken leg has 16.4g of protein.

Does filet o fish or chicken leg have more carbohydrates?
By weight, chicken leg has signficantly fewer carbohydrates than filet o fish - filet o fish has 26.4g of carbs for 100g and chicken leg has 0.17g of carbohydrates.

Does filet o fish or chicken leg contain more calcium?
Filet o fish is a rich source of calcium and it has 12 times more calcium than chicken leg - filet o fish has 120mg of calcium in 100 grams and chicken leg has 9mg of calcium.

Does filet o fish or chicken leg contain more potassium?
Both filet o fish and chicken leg are high in potassium. Filet o fish has a little more potassium ( 10%) than chicken leg by weight - filet o fish has 220mg of potassium in 100 grams and chicken leg has 203mg of potassium.