Bacon vs. Chicken Breast
Nutrition comparison of Cooked Bacon 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
bacon
versus
cooked
chicken breast
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in bacon and chicken breast:
- Both bacon and chicken breast are high in calories.
- Chicken breast has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6, folate and Vitamin B12.
- Chicken breast is a great source of potassium.
- Chicken breast is an excellent source of protein.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Bacon (Pork, bacon, rendered fat, cooked) and Chicken Breast (Chicken, broilers or fryers, breast, meat only, cooked, roasted) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Both bacon and chicken breast are high in calories. Bacon has 444% more calories than chicken breast - bacon has 898 calories per 100 grams and chicken breast has 165 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, bacon is much lighter in protein, much heavier in fat and similar to chicken breast for carbs. Bacon has a macronutrient ratio of 0:0:100 and for chicken breast, 79:0:21 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Bacon | Chicken Breast | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | ~ | 79% |
| Carbohydrates | ~ | ~ |
| Fat | 100% | 21% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
Protein
protein
Chicken breast is an excellent source of protein and it has 442 times more protein than bacon - bacon has 0.07g of protein per 100 grams and chicken breast has 31g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Bacon is high in saturated fat and chicken breast has 97% less saturated fat than bacon - bacon has 32g of saturated fat per 100 grams and chicken breast has 1g of saturated fat.
cholesterol
Bacon and chicken breast contain similar amounts of cholesterol - bacon has 97mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and chicken breast has 85mg of cholesterol.
Vitamins
Vitamin A
Bacon and chicken breast contain similar amounts of Vitamin A - bacon has 11ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and chicken breast has 6ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin D
Chicken breast has more Vitamin D than bacon - chicken breast has 5iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and bacon does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Chicken breast and bacon contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - chicken breast has 0.27mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and bacon does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin K
Chicken breast and bacon contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - chicken breast has 0.3ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and bacon does not contain significant amounts.
The B Vitamins
Chicken breast has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6, folate and Vitamin B12.
| Bacon | Chicken Breast | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.004 MG | 0.07 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.015 MG | 0.114 MG |
| Niacin | 0.725 MG | 13.712 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.007 MG | 0.965 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.005 MG | 0.6 MG |
| Folate | ~ | 4 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.09 UG | 0.34 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Chicken breast has 14 times more calcium than bacon - bacon has 1mg of calcium per 100 grams and chicken breast has 15mg of calcium.
iron
Chicken breast has 700% more iron than bacon - bacon has 0.13mg of iron per 100 grams and chicken breast has 1mg of iron.
potassium
Chicken breast is a great source of potassium and it has 16 times more potassium than bacon - bacon has 15mg of potassium per 100 grams and chicken breast has 256mg of potassium.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, bacon has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than chicken breast per 100 grams, however, chicken breast contains more dha than bacon per 100 grams.
| Bacon | Chicken Breast | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.476 G | 0.03 G |
| DHA | ~ | 0.02 G |
| EPA | ~ | 0.01 G |
| DPA | ~ | 0.01 G |
| Total | 0.476 G | 0.07 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, bacon has more linoleic acid than chicken breast per 100 grams.
| Bacon | Chicken Breast | |
|---|---|---|
| other omega 6 | 0.191 G | 0.06 G |
| linoleic acid | 9.426 G | 0.59 G |
| Total | 9.617 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: Bacon (Pork, bacon, rendered fat, cooked) and Chicken Breast (Chicken, broilers or fryers, breast, meat only, cooked, roasted) .
Cooked Bacon g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Cooked Chicken Breast 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 bacon or chicken breast contain more calories in 100 grams?Both bacon and chicken breast are high in calories. Bacon has 440% more calories than chicken breast - bacon has 898 calories in 100g and chicken breast has 165 calories.
Is bacon or chicken breast better for protein?
Chicken breast is a fantastic source of protein and it has 442 times more protein than bacon - bacon has 0.07g of protein per 100 grams and chicken breast has 31g of protein.