Pinto Beans vs. Chicken

Nutrition comparison of Pinto Beans and Cooked Chicken

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

We compared the nutritional contents of pinto beans versus cooked chicken (100g each) below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].

For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in pinto beans and chicken:

  • Both chicken and pinto beans are high in calories and potassium.
  • Chicken has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12, however, pinto bean contains more folate.
  • Chicken is an excellent source of protein.
  • For omega-3 fatty acids, chicken has more dha and dpa than pinto bean.
  • Pinto bean has 18.6 times less saturated fat than chicken.
  • Pinto bean has signficantly less cholesterol than chicken.
  • Pinto bean is an excellent source of calcium and dietary fiber.
Detailed nutritional comparison of pinto beans and chicken 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: Pinto Beans (Beans, pinto, canned, drained solids) and Chicken (Chicken, ground, crumbles, cooked, pan-browned) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.

Image of Pinto Beans src
Image of Chicken src

Calories and Carbs

calories

Both chicken and pinto beans are high in calories. Chicken has 66% more calories than pinto bean - chicken has 189 calories per 100 grams and pinto bean has 114 calories.

For macronutrient ratios, pinto beans is much lighter in protein, much heavier in carbs and much lighter in fat compared to chicken per calorie. Pinto beans has a macronutrient ratio of 24:69:7 and for chicken, 49:0:52 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.

Macro Ratios from Calories:

Pinto Beans Chicken
Protein 24% 49%
Carbohydrates 69% ~
Fat 7% 52%
Alcohol ~ ~

carbohydrates

Chicken has less carbohydrates than pinto bean - pinto bean has 20.2g of total carbs per 100 grams and chicken does not contain significant amounts.

dietary fiber

Pinto bean is an excellent source of dietary fiber and it has more dietary fiber than chicken - pinto bean has 5.5g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and chicken does not contain significant amounts.

sugar

Pinto beans and chicken contain similar amounts of sugar - pinto bean has 0.54g of sugar per 100 grams and chicken does not contain significant amounts.

Protein

protein

Chicken is an excellent source of protein and it has 233% more protein than pinto bean - chicken has 23.3g of protein per 100 grams and pinto bean has 7g of protein.

Fat

saturated fat

Pinto bean has 18.6 times less saturated fat than chicken - chicken has 3.1g of saturated fat per 100 grams and pinto bean has 0.16g of saturated fat.

trans fat

Both chicken and pinto beans are low in trans fat - chicken has 0.09g of trans fat per 100 grams and pinto bean does not contain significant amounts.

cholesterol

Pinto bean has signficantly less cholesterol than chicken - chicken has 107mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and pinto bean does not contain significant amounts.

Vitamins

Vitamin C

Pinto beans and chicken contain similar amounts of Vitamin C - pinto bean has 0.1mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and chicken does not contain significant amounts.

Vitamin E

Chicken has more Vitamin E than pinto bean - chicken has 0.39mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and pinto bean does not contain significant amounts.

Vitamin K

Chicken and pinto beans contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - chicken has 2.1ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and pinto bean does not contain significant amounts.

The B Vitamins

Chicken has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12, however, pinto bean contains more folate.

Pinto Beans Chicken
Thiamin 0.052 MG 0.121 MG
Riboflavin 0.019 MG 0.302 MG
Niacin 0.272 MG 7.107 MG
Pantothenic acid ~ 1.327 MG
Vitamin B6 ~ 0.538 MG
Folate 24 UG 2 UG
Vitamin B12 ~ 0.51 UG

Minerals

calcium

Pinto bean is an excellent source of calcium and it has 688% more calcium than chicken - chicken has 8mg of calcium per 100 grams and pinto bean has 63mg of calcium.

iron

Pinto bean has 43% more iron than chicken - chicken has 0.93mg of iron per 100 grams and pinto bean has 1.3mg of iron.

potassium

Both chicken and pinto beans are high in potassium. Chicken has 147% more potassium than pinto bean - chicken has 677mg of potassium per 100 grams and pinto bean has 274mg of potassium.

Omega-3 and Omega-6

omega 3s

For omega-3 fatty acids, chicken has more DHA and DPA than pinto bean per 100 grams. Both pinto beans and chicken contain significant amounts of alpha linoleic acid (ALA).

Pinto Beans Chicken
alpha linoleic acid 0.158 G 0.1 G
DHA ~ 0.031 G
EPA ~ 0.008 G
DPA ~ 0.016 G
Total 0.158 G 0.155 G

omega 6s

Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, chicken has more linoleic acid than pinto bean per 100 grams.

Pinto Beans Chicken
linoleic acid 0.115 G 1.818 G
other omega 6 ~ 0.02 G
Total 0.115 G 1.838 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: Pinto Beans (Beans, pinto, canned, drained solids) and Chicken (Chicken, ground, crumbles, cooked, pan-browned) .

Pinto Beans 171g

( cup )
Daily Values (%)

Cooked Chicken 149g

( cup )
195KCAL 10%
calories 44%
281KCAL 14%
35G 14%
>999% carbohydrates
9.4G 38%
>999% dietary fiber
0.92G >999% sugar
1.5G 2%
total fat 967%
16G 25%
0.27G 2%
saturated fat >999%
4.6G 26%
0.26G monounsaturated fat >999% 7.3G
0.47G polyunsaturated fat 559% 3.1G
trans fat >999% 0.13G
cholesterol >999% 159MG
409MG 27%
265% sodium
112MG 7%
Vitamins and Minerals
0.17MG 0.2%
>999% Vitamin C
108MG 11%
800% calcium
12MG 1%
2.3MG 13%
64% iron
1.4MG 8%
55MG 18%
31% magnesium
42MG 13%
469MG 20%
potassium 115%
1008MG 44%
0.09MG 8%
thiamin (Vit B1) 100%
0.18MG 16%
0.03MG 3%
riboflavin (Vit B2) >999%
0.45MG 41%
0.47MG 3%
niacin (Vit B3) >999%
11MG 76%
Vitamin B6 >999%
0.8MG 62%
pantothenic acid (Vit B5) >999%
2MG 40%
41UG 10%
>999% folate (Vit B9)
3UG 1%
Vitamin B12 >999%
0.76UG 32%
Vitamin E >999%
0.58MG 4%
Vitamin K >999%
3.1UG 4%
12G 24%
protein 192%
35G 69%
choline >999%
88MG 21%
0.44MG 37%
388% copper
0.09MG 8%
0.65MG 36%
>999% manganese
0.02MG 1%
173MG 25%
phosphorus 101%
348MG 50%
selenium >999%
21UG 39%
1MG 13%
zinc 190%
2.9MG 36%
121G 25% Water 97G
17G >999% Starch


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

FAQ

Does chicken or pinto beans contain more calories in 100 grams?
Both chicken and pinto beans are high in calories. Chicken has 70% more calories than pinto bean - chicken has 189 calories in 100g and pinto bean has 114 calories.

Is chicken or pinto beans better for protein?
Chicken is a fantastic source of protein and it has 230% more protein than pinto bean - chicken has 23.3g of protein per 100 grams and pinto bean has 7g of protein.

Does pinto beans or chicken have more carbohydrates?
By weight, chicken has fewer carbohydrates than pinto bean - pinto bean has 20.2g of carbs for 100g and chicken has no carbs..

Does chicken or pinto beans contain more calcium?
Pinto bean is a rich source of calcium and it has 690% more calcium than chicken - chicken has 8mg of calcium in 100 grams and pinto bean has 63mg of calcium.

Does chicken or pinto beans contain more potassium?
Both chicken and pinto beans are high in potassium. Chicken has 150% more potassium than pinto bean - chicken has 677mg of potassium in 100 grams and pinto bean has 274mg of potassium.