Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
butter, unsalted
versus
chicken leg
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in butter, unsalted and chicken leg:
Both chicken leg and butter, unsalted are high in calories. Butter, unsalted has 235% more calories than chicken leg - chicken leg has 214 calories per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 717 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, butter, unsalted is much lighter in protein, much heavier in fat and similar to chicken leg for carbs. Butter, unsalted has a macronutrient ratio of 0:0:100 and for chicken leg, 31:0:69 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Butter, Unsalted | Chicken Leg | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | ~ | 31% |
| Carbohydrates | ~ | ~ |
| Fat | 100% | 69% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
Both chicken leg and butter, unsalted are low in carbohydrates - chicken leg has 0.17g of total carbs per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 0.06g of carbohydrates.
Butter, unsalted and chicken leg contain similar amounts of sugar - butter, unsalted has 0.06g of sugar per 100 grams and chicken leg does not contain significant amounts.
Chicken leg is an excellent source of protein and it has 18 times more protein than butter, unsalted - chicken leg has 16.4g of protein per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 0.85g of protein.
Butter, unsalted is high in saturated fat and chicken leg has 91% less saturated fat than butter, unsalted - chicken leg has 4.4g of saturated fat per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 50.5g of saturated fat.
Both chicken leg and butter, unsalted are low in trans fat - chicken leg has 0.06g of trans fat per 100 grams and butter, unsalted does not contain significant amounts.
Butter, unsalted is high in cholesterol and chicken leg has 57% less cholesterol than butter, unsalted - chicken leg has 93mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 215mg of cholesterol.
Chicken leg and butter, unsalted contain similar amounts of Vitamin C - chicken leg has 0.2mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and butter, unsalted does not contain significant amounts.
Butter, unsalted is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has 23 times more Vitamin A than chicken leg - chicken leg has 28ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 684ug of Vitamin A.
Chicken leg and butter, unsalted contain similar amounts of Vitamin D - chicken leg has 2iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and butter, unsalted does not contain significant amounts.
Butter, unsalted has 955% more Vitamin E than chicken leg - chicken leg has 0.22mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 2.3mg of Vitamin E.
Chicken leg and butter, unsalted contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - chicken leg has 2.3ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 7ug of Vitamin K.
Chicken leg has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12. Both butter, unsalted and chicken leg contain significant amounts of folate.
| Butter, Unsalted | Chicken Leg | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.005 MG | 0.073 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.034 MG | 0.141 MG |
| Niacin | 0.042 MG | 4.733 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.11 MG | 0.994 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.003 MG | 0.318 MG |
| Folate | 3 UG | 4 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.17 UG | 0.56 UG |
Butter, unsalted has 167% more calcium than chicken leg - chicken leg has 9mg of calcium per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 24mg of calcium.
Chicken leg has 33 times more iron than butter, unsalted - chicken leg has 0.69mg of iron per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 0.02mg of iron.
Chicken leg is a great source of potassium and it has 746% more potassium than butter, unsalted - chicken leg has 203mg of potassium per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 24mg 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, butter, unsalted has more beta-carotene than chicken leg per 100 grams, however, chicken leg contains more lutein + zeaxanthin than butter, unsalted per 100 grams.
| Butter, Unsalted | Chicken Leg | |
|---|---|---|
| beta-carotene | 158 UG | ~ |
| lutein + zeaxanthin | ~ | 91 UG |
For omega-3 fatty acids, butter, unsalted has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than chicken leg per 100 grams, however, chicken leg contains more dpa than butter, unsalted per 100 grams.
| Butter, Unsalted | Chicken Leg | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 1.18 G | 0.155 G |
| DHA | ~ | 0.01 G |
| EPA | ~ | 0.004 G |
| DPA | ~ | 0.012 G |
| Total | 1.18 G | 0.181 G |
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both butter, unsalted and chicken leg contain significant amounts of linoleic acid.
| Butter, Unsalted | Chicken Leg | |
|---|---|---|
| other omega 6 | ~ | 0.016 G |
| linoleic acid | 1.83 G | 2.987 G |
| Total | 1.83 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: Butter, Unsalted (Butter, without salt) and Chicken Leg (Chicken, broilers or fryers, leg, meat and skin, raw) .
Butter, Unsalted 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 | |||