Cashews vs. Chicken Breast
Nutrition comparison of Cashews 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
cashews
versus
cooked
chicken breast
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in cashews and chicken breast:
- Both cashews and chicken breast are high in calories, potassium and protein.
- Cashew has more thiamin and folate, however, chicken breast contains more niacin and Vitamin B12.
- Cashew is an excellent source of dietary fiber and iron.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Cashews (Nuts, cashew nuts, raw) 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 cashews and chicken breast are high in calories. Cashew has 235% more calories than chicken breast - cashew has 553 calories per 100 grams and chicken breast has 165 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, cashews is much lighter in protein, much heavier in carbs and much heavier in fat compared to chicken breast per calorie. Cashews has a macronutrient ratio of 13:21:67 and for chicken breast, 79:0:21 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Cashews | Chicken Breast | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 13% | 79% |
| Carbohydrates | 21% | ~ |
| Fat | 67% | 21% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Cashew is high in carbohydrates and chicken breast has less carbohydrates than cashew - cashew has 30.2g of total carbs per 100 grams and chicken breast does not contain significant amounts.
dietary fiber
Cashew is an excellent source of dietary fiber and it has more dietary fiber than chicken breast - cashew has 3.3g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and chicken breast does not contain significant amounts.
sugar
Chicken breast has less sugar than cashew - cashew has 5.9g of sugar per 100 grams and chicken breast does not contain significant amounts.
Protein
protein
Both cashews and chicken breast are high in protein. Chicken breast has 70% more protein than cashew - cashew has 18.2g of protein per 100 grams and chicken breast has 31g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Cashew is high in saturated fat and chicken breast has 87% less saturated fat than cashew - cashew has 7.8g of saturated fat per 100 grams and chicken breast has 1g of saturated fat.
cholesterol
Cashew has less cholesterol than chicken breast - chicken breast has 85mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and cashew does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Cashews and chicken breast contain similar amounts of Vitamin C - cashew has 0.5mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and chicken breast does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin A
Chicken breast has more Vitamin A than cashew - chicken breast has 6ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and cashew does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin D
Chicken breast has more Vitamin D than cashew - chicken breast has 5iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and cashew does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Cashews and chicken breast contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - cashew has 0.9mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and chicken breast has 0.27mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Cashew has 112 times more Vitamin K than chicken breast - cashew has 34.1ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and chicken breast has 0.3ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Cashew has more thiamin and folate, however, chicken breast contains more niacin and Vitamin B12. Both cashews and chicken breast contain significant amounts of riboflavin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6.
| Cashews | Chicken Breast | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.423 MG | 0.07 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.058 MG | 0.114 MG |
| Niacin | 1.062 MG | 13.712 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.864 MG | 0.965 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.417 MG | 0.6 MG |
| Folate | 25 UG | 4 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | ~ | 0.34 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Cashew has 147% more calcium than chicken breast - cashew has 37mg of calcium per 100 grams and chicken breast has 15mg of calcium.
iron
Cashew is an excellent source of iron and it has 542% more iron than chicken breast - cashew has 6.7mg of iron per 100 grams and chicken breast has 1mg of iron.
potassium
Both cashews and chicken breast are high in potassium. Cashew has 158% more potassium than chicken breast - cashew has 660mg of potassium per 100 grams and chicken breast has 256mg of potassium.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, cashew has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than chicken breast per 100 grams, however, chicken breast contains more dha than cashew per 100 grams.
| Cashews | Chicken Breast | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.062 G | 0.03 G |
| DHA | ~ | 0.02 G |
| EPA | ~ | 0.01 G |
| DPA | ~ | 0.01 G |
| Total | 0.062 G | 0.07 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, cashew has more linoleic acid than chicken breast per 100 grams.
| Cashews | Chicken Breast | |
|---|---|---|
| other omega 6 | ~ | 0.06 G |
| linoleic acid | 7.782 G | 0.59 G |
| Total | 7.782 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: Cashews (Nuts, cashew nuts, raw) and Chicken Breast (Chicken, broilers or fryers, breast, meat only, cooked, roasted) .
Cashews 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 cashews or chicken breast contain more calories in 100 grams?Both cashews and chicken breast are high in calories. Cashew has 240% more calories than chicken breast - cashew has 553 calories in 100g and chicken breast has 165 calories.
Is cashews or chicken breast better for protein?
Both cashews and chicken breast are high in protein. Chicken breast has 70% more protein than cashew - cashew has 18.2g of protein per 100 grams and chicken breast has 31g of protein.
Does cashews or chicken breast contain more iron?
Cashew is an abundant source of iron and it has 540% more iron than chicken breast - cashew has 6.7mg of iron in 100 grams and chicken breast has 1mg of iron.
Does cashews or chicken breast contain more potassium?
Both cashews and chicken breast are high in potassium. Cashew has 160% more potassium than chicken breast - cashew has 660mg of potassium in 100 grams and chicken breast has 256mg of potassium.