Lamb vs. Chicken Breast

Nutrition comparison of Cooked Lamb 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 lamb versus cooked chicken breast (100g each) below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].

For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in lamb and chicken breast:

  • Both chicken breast and lamb are high in calories, potassium and protein.
  • Lamb has more riboflavin, folate and Vitamin B12, however, chicken breast contains more niacin and Vitamin B6.
Detailed nutritional comparison of lamb and chicken breast 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: Lamb (Lamb, ground, cooked, broiled) and Chicken Breast (Chicken, broilers or fryers, breast, meat only, cooked, roasted) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.


Image of Lamb src
Image of Chicken Breast src

Calories and Carbs

calories

Both chicken breast and lamb are high in calories. Lamb has 72% more calories than chicken breast - chicken breast has 165 calories per 100 grams and lamb has 283 calories.

For macronutrient ratios, lamb is much lighter in protein, much heavier in fat and similar to chicken breast for carbs. Lamb has a macronutrient ratio of 36:0:64 and for chicken breast, 79:0:21 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.

Macro Ratios from Calories:

Lamb Chicken Breast
Protein 36% 79%
Carbohydrates ~ ~
Fat 64% 21%
Alcohol ~ ~

Protein

protein

Both chicken breast and lamb are high in protein. Chicken breast has 25% more protein than lamb - chicken breast has 31g of protein per 100 grams and lamb has 24.8g of protein.

Fat

saturated fat

Lamb is high in saturated fat and chicken breast has 88% less saturated fat than lamb - chicken breast has 1g of saturated fat per 100 grams and lamb has 8.1g of saturated fat.

cholesterol

Chicken breast and lamb contain similar amounts of cholesterol - chicken breast has 85mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and lamb has 97mg of cholesterol.

Vitamins

Vitamin A

Chicken breast has more Vitamin A than lamb - chicken breast has 6ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and lamb does not contain significant amounts.

Vitamin D

Chicken breast and lamb contain similar amounts of Vitamin D - chicken breast has 5iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and lamb has 2iu of Vitamin D.

Vitamin E

Chicken breast and lamb contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - chicken breast has 0.27mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and lamb has 0.14mg of Vitamin E.

Vitamin K

Chicken breast and lamb contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - chicken breast has 0.3ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and lamb has 5.3ug of Vitamin K.

The B Vitamins

Lamb has more riboflavin, folate and Vitamin B12, however, chicken breast contains more niacin and Vitamin B6. Both lamb and chicken breast contain significant amounts of thiamin and pantothenic acid.

Lamb Chicken Breast
Thiamin 0.1 MG 0.07 MG
Riboflavin 0.25 MG 0.114 MG
Niacin 6.7 MG 13.712 MG
Pantothenic acid 0.66 MG 0.965 MG
Vitamin B6 0.14 MG 0.6 MG
Folate 19 UG 4 UG
Vitamin B12 2.61 UG 0.34 UG

Minerals

calcium

Chicken breast and lamb contain similar amounts of calcium - chicken breast has 15mg of calcium per 100 grams and lamb has 22mg of calcium.

iron

Lamb has 72% more iron than chicken breast - chicken breast has 1mg of iron per 100 grams and lamb has 1.8mg of iron.

potassium

Both chicken breast and lamb are high in potassium. Lamb has 32% more potassium than chicken breast - chicken breast has 256mg of potassium per 100 grams and lamb has 339mg of potassium.

Omega-3 and Omega-6

omega 3s

For omega-3 fatty acids, lamb has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than chicken breast per 100 grams, however, chicken breast contains more dha than lamb per 100 grams.

Lamb Chicken Breast
alpha linoleic acid 0.26 G 0.03 G
DHA ~ 0.02 G
EPA ~ 0.01 G
DPA ~ 0.01 G
Total 0.26 G 0.07 G

omega 6s

Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both lamb and chicken breast contain significant amounts of linoleic acid.

Lamb Chicken Breast
linoleic acid 1.07 G 0.59 G
other omega 6 0.07 G 0.06 G
Total 1.14 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: Lamb (Lamb, ground, cooked, broiled) and Chicken Breast (Chicken, broilers or fryers, breast, meat only, cooked, roasted) .

Cooked Lamb g

()
Daily Values (%)

Cooked Chicken Breast g

()
KCAL %
calories
KCAL %
G %
carbohydrates
G %
G %
dietary fiber
G %
G sugar G
G %
total fat
G %
G %
saturated fat
G %
G monounsaturated fat G
G polyunsaturated fat G
G trans fat G
MG cholesterol MG
MG %
sodium
MG %
Vitamins and Minerals
UG %
Vitamin A
UG %
MG %
Vitamin C
MG %
IU %
Vitamin D
IU %
MG %
calcium
MG %
MG %
iron
MG %
MG %
magnesium
MG %
MG %
potassium
MG %
MG %
thiamin (Vit B1)
MG %
MG %
riboflavin (Vit B2)
MG %
MG %
niacin (Vit B3)
MG %
MG %
Vitamin B6
MG %
MG %
pantothenic acid (Vit B5)
MG %
UG %
folate (Vit B9)
UG %
UG %
Vitamin B12
UG %
MG %
Vitamin E
MG %
UG %
Vitamin K
UG %
G %
protein
G %
UG %
biotin (Vit B7)
UG %
MG %
choline
MG %
MG %
chlorine
MG %
UG %
chromium
UG %
MG %
copper
MG %
UG %
fluoride
UG %
UG %
iodine
UG %
MG %
manganese
MG %
UG %
molybdenum
UG %
MG %
phosphorus
MG %
UG %
selenium
UG %
MG %
zinc
MG %
G Water G
G Starch G
G Alcohol G


FAQ

Does chicken breast or lamb contain more calories in 100 grams?
Both chicken breast and lamb are high in calories. Lamb has 70% more calories than chicken breast - chicken breast has 165 calories in 100g and lamb has 283 calories.

Is chicken breast or lamb better for protein?
Both chicken breast and lamb are high in protein. Chicken breast has 30% more protein than lamb - chicken breast has 31g of protein per 100 grams and lamb has 24.8g of protein.

Does chicken breast or lamb contain more potassium?
Both chicken breast and lamb are high in potassium. Lamb has 30% more potassium than chicken breast - chicken breast has 256mg of potassium in 100 grams and lamb has 339mg of potassium.