Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
cooked
boiled egg
versus
chicken leg
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in boiled egg and chicken leg:
Both chicken leg and boiled egg are high in calories. Chicken leg has 38% more calories than boiled egg - chicken leg has 214 calories per 100 grams and boiled egg has 155 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, boiled egg is lighter in fat and similar to chicken leg for protein and carbs. Boiled egg has a macronutrient ratio of 34:3:64 and for chicken leg, 31:0:69 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Boiled Egg | Chicken Leg | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 34% | 31% |
| Carbohydrates | 3% | ~ |
| Fat | 64% | 69% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
Both chicken leg and boiled egg are low in carbohydrates - chicken leg has 0.17g of total carbs per 100 grams and boiled egg has 1.1g of carbohydrates.
Chicken leg has less sugar than boiled egg - boiled egg has 1.1g of sugar per 100 grams and chicken leg does not contain significant amounts.
Both chicken leg and boiled egg are high in protein. Chicken leg has 30% more protein than boiled egg - chicken leg has 16.4g of protein per 100 grams and boiled egg has 12.6g of protein.
Boiled egg has 25% less saturated fat than chicken leg - chicken leg has 4.4g of saturated fat per 100 grams and boiled egg has 3.3g of saturated fat.
Both chicken leg and boiled egg are low in trans fat - chicken leg has 0.06g of trans fat per 100 grams and boiled egg does not contain significant amounts.
Boiled egg is high in cholesterol and chicken leg has 75% less cholesterol than boiled egg - chicken leg has 93mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and boiled egg has 373mg of cholesterol.
Chicken leg and boiled egg contain similar amounts of Vitamin C - chicken leg has 0.2mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and boiled egg does not contain significant amounts.
Boiled egg is a great source of Vitamin A and it has 432% more Vitamin A than chicken leg - chicken leg has 28ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and boiled egg has 149ug of Vitamin A.
Boiled egg is a great source of Vitamin D and it has 42 times more Vitamin D than chicken leg - chicken leg has 2iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and boiled egg has 87iu of Vitamin D.
Chicken leg and boiled egg contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - chicken leg has 0.22mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and boiled egg has 1mg of Vitamin E.
Chicken leg and boiled egg contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - chicken leg has 2.3ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and boiled egg has 0.3ug of Vitamin K.
Boiled egg has more riboflavin and folate, however, chicken leg contains more niacin and Vitamin B6. Both boiled egg and chicken leg contain significant amounts of thiamin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B12.
| Boiled Egg | Chicken Leg | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.066 MG | 0.073 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.513 MG | 0.141 MG |
| Niacin | 0.064 MG | 4.733 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 1.398 MG | 0.994 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.121 MG | 0.318 MG |
| Folate | 44 UG | 4 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | 1.11 UG | 0.56 UG |
Boiled egg is a great source of calcium and it has 456% more calcium than chicken leg - chicken leg has 9mg of calcium per 100 grams and boiled egg has 50mg of calcium.
Boiled egg has 72% more iron than chicken leg - chicken leg has 0.69mg of iron per 100 grams and boiled egg has 1.2mg of iron.
Chicken leg is a great source of potassium and it has 61% more potassium than boiled egg - chicken leg has 203mg of potassium per 100 grams and boiled egg has 126mg of potassium.
Carotenoids are micronutrients commonly found in plants and some animal products. An example is beta-carotene, the notable carotenoid which is a popular source of Vitamin A.[4][5]
For specific types of carotenoids,
| Boiled Egg | Chicken Leg | |
|---|---|---|
| beta-carotene | 11 UG | ~ |
| lutein + zeaxanthin | 353 UG | 91 UG |
For omega-3 fatty acids, chicken leg has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) and dpa than boiled egg per 100 grams, however, boiled egg contains more dha than chicken leg per 100 grams. Both boiled egg and chicken leg contain small amounts of EPA.
| Boiled Egg | Chicken Leg | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.035 G | 0.155 G |
| DHA | 0.038 G | 0.01 G |
| EPA | 0.005 G | 0.004 G |
| DPA | ~ | 0.012 G |
| Total | 0.078 G | 0.181 G |
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, chicken leg has more linoleic acid than boiled egg per 100 grams.
| Boiled Egg | Chicken Leg | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 1.188 G | 2.987 G |
| other omega 6 | ~ | 0.016 G |
| Total | 1.188 G | 3.003 G |
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: Boiled Egg (Egg, whole, cooked, hard-boiled) and Chicken Leg (Chicken, broilers or fryers, leg, meat and skin, raw) .
Cooked Boiled Egg g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Chicken Leg 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 | |||