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.
Detailed nutritional comparison of bacon and chicken breast 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: 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.


Image of Bacon src
Image of Chicken Breast src

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 weight, but sometimes 100g isn't that intuitive of a measurement for food. View a custom portion comparison (e.g. cups, oz, package).

You can try adding or subtracting the amount of either Bacon or Chicken Breast .

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) .

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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.