Chicken vs. Sweet Potatoes
Nutrition comparison of Cooked Chicken and Sweet Potatoes
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
cooked
chicken
versus
sweet potatoes
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in chicken and sweet potatoes:
- Both sweet potatoes and chicken are high in potassium.
- Chicken has more riboflavin, niacin, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12, however, sweet potato contains more folate.
- Chicken is an excellent source of protein.
- Sweet potato has 171.7 times less saturated fat than chicken.
- Sweet potato has signficantly less cholesterol than chicken.
- Sweet potato is a great source of dietary fiber.
- Sweet potato is an excellent source of Vitamin A.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Chicken (Chicken, ground, crumbles, cooked, pan-browned) and Sweet Potatoes (Sweet potato, raw, unprepared) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Chicken is high in calories and sweet potato has 54% less calories than chicken - sweet potato has 86 calories per 100 grams and chicken has 189 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, chicken is much heavier in protein, much lighter in carbs and much heavier in fat compared to sweet potatoes per calorie. Chicken has a macronutrient ratio of 49:0:52 and for sweet potatoes, 7:92:1 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Chicken | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 49% | 7% |
| Carbohydrates | ~ | 92% |
| Fat | 52% | 1% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Chicken has less carbohydrates than sweet potato - sweet potato has 20.1g of total carbs per 100 grams and chicken does not contain significant amounts.
dietary fiber
Sweet potato is a great source of dietary fiber and it has more dietary fiber than chicken - sweet potato has 3g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and chicken does not contain significant amounts.
sugar
Chicken has less sugar than sweet potato - sweet potato has 4.2g of sugar per 100 grams and chicken does not contain significant amounts.
Protein
protein
Chicken is an excellent source of protein and it has 13 times more protein than sweet potato - sweet potato has 1.6g of protein per 100 grams and chicken has 23.3g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Sweet potato has 171.7 times less saturated fat than chicken - sweet potato has 0.02g of saturated fat per 100 grams and chicken has 3.1g of saturated fat.
trans fat
Both chicken and sweet potatoes are low in trans fat - chicken has 0.09g of trans fat per 100 grams and sweet potato does not contain significant amounts.
cholesterol
Sweet potato has signficantly less cholesterol than chicken - chicken has 107mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and sweet potato does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Sweet potato has more Vitamin C than chicken - sweet potato has 2.4mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and chicken does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin A
Sweet potato is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has more Vitamin A than chicken - sweet potato has 709ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and chicken does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Sweet potatoes and chicken contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - sweet potato has 0.26mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and chicken has 0.39mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Sweet potatoes and chicken contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - sweet potato has 1.8ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and chicken has 2.1ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Chicken has more riboflavin, niacin, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12, however, sweet potato contains more folate. Both chicken and sweet potatoes contain significant amounts of thiamin and pantothenic acid.
| Chicken | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.121 MG | 0.078 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.302 MG | 0.061 MG |
| Niacin | 7.107 MG | 0.557 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 1.327 MG | 0.8 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.538 MG | 0.209 MG |
| Folate | 2 UG | 11 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.51 UG | ~ |
Minerals
calcium
Sweet potato has 275% more calcium than chicken - sweet potato has 30mg of calcium per 100 grams and chicken has 8mg of calcium.
iron
Sweet potatoes and chicken contain similar amounts of iron - sweet potato has 0.61mg of iron per 100 grams and chicken has 0.93mg of iron.
potassium
Both sweet potatoes and chicken are high in potassium. Chicken has 101% more potassium than sweet potato - sweet potato has 337mg 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 alpha linoleic acid (ALA), DHA and DPA than sweet potato per 100 grams.
| Chicken | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.1 G | 0.001 G |
| DHA | 0.031 G | ~ |
| EPA | 0.008 G | ~ |
| DPA | 0.016 G | ~ |
| Total | 0.155 G | 0.001 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, chicken has more linoleic acid than sweet potato per 100 grams.
| Chicken | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| other omega 6 | 0.02 G | ~ |
| linoleic acid | 1.818 G | 0.013 G |
| Total | 1.838 G | 0.013 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: Chicken (Chicken, ground, crumbles, cooked, pan-browned) and Sweet Potatoes (Sweet potato, raw, unprepared) .
Cooked Chicken g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Sweet Potatoes 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 sweet potatoes or chicken contain more calories in 100 grams?Chicken is high in calories and sweet potato has 50% less calories than chicken - sweet potato has 86 calories in 100g and chicken has 189 calories.
Is sweet potatoes or chicken better for protein?
Chicken is a fantastic source of protein and it has 13 times more protein than sweet potato - sweet potato has 1.6g of protein per 100 grams and chicken has 23.3g of protein.
Does sweet potatoes or chicken have more carbohydrates?
By weight, chicken has fewer carbohydrates than sweet potato - sweet potato has 20.1g of carbs for 100g and chicken has no carbs..
Does sweet potatoes or chicken contain more potassium?
Both sweet potatoes and chicken are high in potassium. Chicken has 100% more potassium than sweet potato - sweet potato has 337mg of potassium in 100 grams and chicken has 677mg of potassium.