Chicken vs. Spinach
Nutrition comparison of Cooked Chicken and Spinach
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
cooked
chicken
versus
spinach
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in chicken and spinach:
- Both spinach and chicken are high in potassium.
- Chicken has more niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12, however, spinach contains more folate.
- Chicken is an excellent source of protein.
- For omega-3 fatty acids, chicken has more dha and dpa than spinach.
- Spinach has 48.3 times less saturated fat than chicken.
- Spinach has signficantly less cholesterol than chicken.
- Spinach is a great source of dietary fiber and iron.
- Spinach is an excellent source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K and calcium.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Chicken (Chicken, ground, crumbles, cooked, pan-browned) and Spinach (Spinach, raw) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Chicken is high in calories and spinach has 88% less calories than chicken - spinach has 23 calories per 100 grams and chicken has 189 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, chicken is heavier in protein, much lighter in carbs and much heavier in fat compared to spinach per calorie. Chicken has a macronutrient ratio of 49:0:52 and for spinach, 40:49:10 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Chicken | Spinach | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 49% | 40% |
| Carbohydrates | ~ | 49% |
| Fat | 52% | 10% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Both spinach and chicken are low in carbohydrates - spinach has 3.6g of total carbs per 100 grams and chicken does not contain significant amounts.
dietary fiber
Spinach is a great source of dietary fiber and it has more dietary fiber than chicken - spinach has 2.2g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and chicken does not contain significant amounts.
sugar
Spinach and chicken contain similar amounts of sugar - spinach has 0.42g of sugar per 100 grams and chicken does not contain significant amounts.
Protein
protein
Chicken is an excellent source of protein and it has 714% more protein than spinach - spinach has 2.9g of protein per 100 grams and chicken has 23.3g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Spinach has 48.3 times less saturated fat than chicken - spinach has 0.06g of saturated fat per 100 grams and chicken has 3.1g of saturated fat.
trans fat
Both chicken and spinach are low in trans fat - chicken has 0.09g of trans fat per 100 grams and spinach does not contain significant amounts.
cholesterol
Spinach has signficantly less cholesterol than chicken - chicken has 107mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and spinach does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Spinach is an excellent source of Vitamin C and it has more Vitamin C than chicken - spinach has 28.1mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and chicken does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin A
Spinach is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has more Vitamin A than chicken - spinach has 469ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and chicken does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Spinach has 421% more Vitamin E than chicken - spinach has 2mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and chicken has 0.39mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Spinach is an excellent source of Vitamin K and it has 228 times more Vitamin K than chicken - spinach has 482.9ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and chicken has 2.1ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Chicken has more niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12, however, spinach contains more folate. Both chicken and spinach contain significant amounts of thiamin and riboflavin.
| Chicken | Spinach | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.121 MG | 0.078 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.302 MG | 0.189 MG |
| Niacin | 7.107 MG | 0.724 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 1.327 MG | 0.065 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.538 MG | 0.195 MG |
| Folate | 2 UG | 194 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.51 UG | ~ |
Minerals
calcium
Spinach is an excellent source of calcium and it has 11 times more calcium than chicken - spinach has 99mg of calcium per 100 grams and chicken has 8mg of calcium.
iron
Spinach is a great source of iron and it has 191% more iron than chicken - spinach has 2.7mg of iron per 100 grams and chicken has 0.93mg of iron.
potassium
Both spinach and chicken are high in potassium. Chicken has 21% more potassium than spinach - spinach has 558mg of potassium per 100 grams and chicken has 677mg of potassium.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, chicken has more DHA and DPA than spinach per 100 grams. Both chicken and spinach contain significant amounts of alpha linoleic acid (ALA).
| Chicken | Spinach | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.1 G | 0.138 G |
| DHA | 0.031 G | ~ |
| EPA | 0.008 G | ~ |
| DPA | 0.016 G | ~ |
| Total | 0.155 G | 0.138 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, chicken has more linoleic acid than spinach per 100 grams.
| Chicken | Spinach | |
|---|---|---|
| other omega 6 | 0.02 G | ~ |
| linoleic acid | 1.818 G | 0.026 G |
| Total | 1.838 G | 0.026 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.
Cooked Chicken g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Spinach 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 spinach or chicken contain more calories in 100 grams?Chicken is high in calories and spinach has 90% less calories than chicken - spinach has 23 calories in 100g and chicken has 189 calories.
Is spinach or chicken better for protein?
Chicken is a fantastic source of protein and it has 710% more protein than spinach - spinach has 2.9g of protein per 100 grams and chicken has 23.3g of protein.
Does spinach or chicken have more carbohydrates?
By weight, both spinach and chicken are low in carbohydrates - spinach has 3.6g of carbs for 100g and chicken has no carbs..
Does spinach or chicken contain more calcium?
Spinach is a rich source of calcium and it has 11 times more calcium than chicken - spinach has 99mg of calcium in 100 grams and chicken has 8mg of calcium.
Does spinach or chicken contain more potassium?
Both spinach and chicken are high in potassium. Chicken has 20% more potassium than spinach - spinach has 558mg of potassium in 100 grams and chicken has 677mg of potassium.