White Rice vs. Chicken

Nutrition comparison of Cooked White Rice and Cooked Chicken


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

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

For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in white rice and chicken:

  • Both white rice and chicken are high in calories.
  • Chicken has more riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12, however, white rice contains more folate.
  • Chicken has signficantly less carbohydrates than white rice.
  • Chicken is an excellent source of potassium and protein.
  • White rice has 53.5 times less saturated fat than chicken.
  • White rice has signficantly less cholesterol than chicken.
Detailed nutritional comparison of white rice 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: White Rice (Rice, white, medium-grain, enriched, cooked) and Chicken (Chicken, ground, crumbles, cooked, pan-browned) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.


Image of White Rice src
Image of Chicken src

Calories and Carbs

calories

Both white rice and chicken are high in calories. Chicken has 45% more calories than white rice - white rice has 130 calories per 100 grams and chicken has 189 calories.

For macronutrient ratios, white rice is much lighter in protein, much heavier in carbs and much lighter in fat compared to chicken per calorie. White rice has a macronutrient ratio of 8:91:2 and for chicken, 49:0:52 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.

Macro Ratios from Calories:

White Rice Chicken
Protein 8% 49%
Carbohydrates 91% ~
Fat 2% 52%
Alcohol ~ ~

carbohydrates

Chicken has signficantly less carbohydrates than white rice - white rice has 28.6g of total carbs per 100 grams and chicken does not contain significant amounts.

dietary fiber

White rice has more dietary fiber than chicken - white rice has 0.3g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and chicken does not contain significant amounts.

Protein

protein

Chicken is an excellent source of protein and it has 878% more protein than white rice - white rice has 2.4g of protein per 100 grams and chicken has 23.3g of protein.

Fat

saturated fat

White rice has 53.5 times less saturated fat than chicken - white rice has 0.06g of saturated fat per 100 grams and chicken has 3.1g of saturated fat.

trans fat

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

cholesterol

White rice has signficantly less cholesterol than chicken - chicken has 107mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and white rice does not contain significant amounts.

Vitamins

Vitamin E

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

Vitamin K

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

The B Vitamins

Chicken has more riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12, however, white rice contains more folate. Both white rice and chicken contain significant amounts of thiamin.

White Rice Chicken
Thiamin 0.167 MG 0.121 MG
Riboflavin 0.016 MG 0.302 MG
Niacin 1.835 MG 7.107 MG
Pantothenic acid 0.411 MG 1.327 MG
Vitamin B6 0.05 MG 0.538 MG
Folate 58 UG 2 UG
Vitamin B12 ~ 0.51 UG

Minerals

calcium

White rice and chicken contain similar amounts of calcium - white rice has 3mg of calcium per 100 grams and chicken has 8mg of calcium.

iron

White rice has 60% more iron than chicken - white rice has 1.5mg of iron per 100 grams and chicken has 0.93mg of iron.

potassium

Chicken is an excellent source of potassium and it has 22 times more potassium than white rice - white rice has 29mg 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 white rice per 100 grams.

White Rice Chicken
alpha linoleic acid 0.01 G 0.1 G
DHA ~ 0.031 G
EPA ~ 0.008 G
DPA ~ 0.016 G
Total 0.01 G 0.155 G

omega 6s

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

White Rice Chicken
linoleic acid 0.046 G 1.818 G
other omega 6 ~ 0.02 G
Total 0.046 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: White Rice (Rice, white, medium-grain, enriched, cooked) and Chicken (Chicken, ground, crumbles, cooked, pan-browned) .

Cooked White Rice g

()
Daily Values (%)

Cooked Chicken 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 white rice or chicken contain more calories in 100 grams?
Both white rice and chicken are high in calories. Chicken has 50% more calories than white rice - white rice has 130 calories in 100g and chicken has 189 calories.

Is white rice or chicken better for protein?
Chicken is a fantastic source of protein and it has 880% more protein than white rice - white rice has 2.4g of protein per 100 grams and chicken has 23.3g of protein.

Does white rice or chicken have more carbohydrates?
By weight, chicken has signficantly fewer carbohydrates than white rice - white rice has 28.6g of carbs for 100g and chicken has no carbs..

Does white rice or chicken contain more potassium?
Chicken is a rich source of potassium and it has 22 times more potassium than white rice - white rice has 29mg of potassium in 100 grams and chicken has 677mg of potassium.