Cheddar Cheese vs. Chicken Breast
Nutrition comparison of Cheddar Cheese 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
cheddar cheese
versus
cooked
chicken breast
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in cheddar cheese and chicken breast:
- Both chicken breast and cheddar cheese are high in calories and protein.
- Cheddar cheese has more riboflavin, folate and Vitamin B12, however, chicken breast contains more niacin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6.
- Cheddar cheese is an excellent source of Vitamin A and calcium.
- Chicken breast is a great source of potassium.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Cheddar Cheese (Cheese, cheddar) 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 chicken breast and cheddar cheese are high in calories. Cheddar cheese has 144% more calories than chicken breast - chicken breast has 165 calories per 100 grams and cheddar cheese has 403 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, cheddar cheese is much lighter in protein, much heavier in fat and similar to chicken breast for carbs. Cheddar cheese has a macronutrient ratio of 23:3:74 and for chicken breast, 79:0:21 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Cheddar Cheese | Chicken Breast | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 23% | 79% |
| Carbohydrates | 3% | ~ |
| Fat | 74% | 21% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Both cheddar cheese and chicken breast are low in carbohydrates - cheddar cheese has 3.4g of total carbs per 100 grams and chicken breast does not contain significant amounts.
sugar
Cheddar cheese and chicken breast contain similar amounts of sugar - cheddar cheese has 0.48g of sugar per 100 grams and chicken breast does not contain significant amounts.
Protein
protein
Both chicken breast and cheddar cheese are high in protein. Chicken breast has 36% more protein than cheddar cheese - chicken breast has 31g of protein per 100 grams and cheddar cheese has 22.9g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Cheddar cheese is high in saturated fat and chicken breast has 95% less saturated fat than cheddar cheese - chicken breast has 1g of saturated fat per 100 grams and cheddar cheese has 18.9g of saturated fat.
cholesterol
Chicken breast and cheddar cheese contain similar amounts of cholesterol - chicken breast has 85mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and cheddar cheese has 99mg of cholesterol.
Vitamins
Vitamin A
Cheddar cheese is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has 55 times more Vitamin A than chicken breast - chicken breast has 6ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and cheddar cheese has 337ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin D
Cheddar cheese has 380% more Vitamin D than chicken breast - chicken breast has 5iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and cheddar cheese has 24iu of Vitamin D.
Vitamin E
Chicken breast and cheddar cheese contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - chicken breast has 0.27mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and cheddar cheese has 0.71mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Chicken breast and cheddar cheese contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - chicken breast has 0.3ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and cheddar cheese has 2.4ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Cheddar cheese has more riboflavin, folate and Vitamin B12, however, chicken breast contains more niacin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6. Both cheddar cheese and chicken breast contain significant amounts of thiamin.
| Cheddar Cheese | Chicken Breast | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.029 MG | 0.07 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.428 MG | 0.114 MG |
| Niacin | 0.059 MG | 13.712 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.41 MG | 0.965 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.066 MG | 0.6 MG |
| Folate | 27 UG | 4 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | 1.1 UG | 0.34 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Cheddar cheese is an excellent source of calcium and it has 46 times more calcium than chicken breast - chicken breast has 15mg of calcium per 100 grams and cheddar cheese has 710mg of calcium.
iron
Chicken breast has 643% more iron than cheddar cheese - chicken breast has 1mg of iron per 100 grams and cheddar cheese has 0.14mg of iron.
potassium
Chicken breast is a great source of potassium and it has 237% more potassium than cheddar cheese - chicken breast has 256mg of potassium per 100 grams and cheddar cheese has 76mg of potassium.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, cheddar cheese has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than chicken breast per 100 grams, however, chicken breast contains more dha than cheddar cheese per 100 grams. Both cheddar cheese and chicken breast contain significant amounts of DPA.
| Cheddar Cheese | Chicken Breast | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.114 G | 0.03 G |
| DHA | 0.001 G | 0.02 G |
| EPA | 0.01 G | 0.01 G |
| DPA | 0.017 G | 0.01 G |
| Total | 0.142 G | 0.07 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both cheddar cheese and chicken breast contain significant amounts of linoleic acid.
| Cheddar Cheese | Chicken Breast | |
|---|---|---|
| other omega 6 | 0.053 G | 0.06 G |
| linoleic acid | 1.171 G | 0.59 G |
| Total | 1.224 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: Cheddar Cheese (Cheese, cheddar) and Chicken Breast (Chicken, broilers or fryers, breast, meat only, cooked, roasted) .
Cheddar Cheese 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 chicken breast or cheddar cheese contain more calories in 100 grams?Both chicken breast and cheddar cheese are high in calories. Cheddar cheese has 140% more calories than chicken breast - chicken breast has 165 calories in 100g and cheddar cheese has 403 calories.
Is chicken breast or cheddar cheese better for protein?
Both chicken breast and cheddar cheese are high in protein. Chicken breast has 40% more protein than cheddar cheese - chicken breast has 31g of protein per 100 grams and cheddar cheese has 22.9g of protein.
Does chicken breast or cheddar cheese contain more calcium?
Cheddar cheese is a rich source of calcium and it has 46 times more calcium than chicken breast - chicken breast has 15mg of calcium in 100 grams and cheddar cheese has 710mg of calcium.