Egg Yolk vs. Chicken Breast
Nutrition comparison of Egg Yolk 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
egg yolk
versus
cooked
chicken breast
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in egg yolk and chicken breast:
- Both chicken breast and egg yolk are high in calories and protein.
- Chicken breast is a great source of potassium.
- Egg yolk has more thiamin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, folate and Vitamin B12, however, chicken breast contains more niacin.
- Egg yolk is a great source of iron.
- Egg yolk is an excellent source of Vitamin A, Vitamin D and calcium.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Egg Yolk (Egg, yolk, raw, fresh) 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 egg yolk are high in calories. Egg yolk has 95% more calories than chicken breast - chicken breast has 165 calories per 100 grams and egg yolk has 322 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, egg yolk is much lighter in protein, heavier in carbs and much heavier in fat compared to chicken breast per calorie. Egg yolk has a macronutrient ratio of 20:5:76 and for chicken breast, 79:0:21 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Egg Yolk | Chicken Breast | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 20% | 79% |
| Carbohydrates | 5% | ~ |
| Fat | 76% | 21% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Both egg yolk and chicken breast are low in carbohydrates - egg yolk has 3.6g of total carbs per 100 grams and chicken breast does not contain significant amounts.
sugar
Egg yolk and chicken breast contain similar amounts of sugar - egg yolk has 0.56g of sugar per 100 grams and chicken breast does not contain significant amounts.
Protein
protein
Both chicken breast and egg yolk are high in protein. Chicken breast has 96% more protein than egg yolk - chicken breast has 31g of protein per 100 grams and egg yolk has 15.9g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Egg yolk is high in saturated fat and chicken breast has 89% less saturated fat than egg yolk - chicken breast has 1g of saturated fat per 100 grams and egg yolk has 9.6g of saturated fat.
cholesterol
Egg yolk is high in cholesterol and chicken breast has 92% less cholesterol than egg yolk - chicken breast has 85mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and egg yolk has 1085mg of cholesterol.
Vitamins
Vitamin A
Egg yolk is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has 62 times more Vitamin A than chicken breast - chicken breast has 6ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and egg yolk has 381ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin D
Egg yolk is an excellent source of Vitamin D and it has 42 times more Vitamin D than chicken breast - chicken breast has 5iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and egg yolk has 218iu of Vitamin D.
Vitamin E
Egg yolk has 856% more Vitamin E than chicken breast - chicken breast has 0.27mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and egg yolk has 2.6mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Chicken breast and egg yolk contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - chicken breast has 0.3ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and egg yolk has 0.7ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Egg yolk has more thiamin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, folate and Vitamin B12, however, chicken breast contains more niacin. Both egg yolk and chicken breast contain significant amounts of Vitamin B6.
| Egg Yolk | Chicken Breast | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.176 MG | 0.07 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.528 MG | 0.114 MG |
| Niacin | 0.024 MG | 13.712 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 2.99 MG | 0.965 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.35 MG | 0.6 MG |
| Folate | 146 UG | 4 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | 1.95 UG | 0.34 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Egg yolk is an excellent source of calcium and it has 760% more calcium than chicken breast - chicken breast has 15mg of calcium per 100 grams and egg yolk has 129mg of calcium.
iron
Egg yolk is a great source of iron and it has 163% more iron than chicken breast - chicken breast has 1mg of iron per 100 grams and egg yolk has 2.7mg of iron.
potassium
Chicken breast is a great source of potassium and it has 135% more potassium than egg yolk - chicken breast has 256mg of potassium per 100 grams and egg yolk has 109mg of potassium.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, egg yolk has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) and DHA than chicken breast per 100 grams. Both egg yolk and chicken breast contain significant amounts of EPA.
| Egg Yolk | Chicken Breast | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.103 G | 0.03 G |
| DHA | 0.114 G | 0.02 G |
| EPA | 0.011 G | 0.01 G |
| DPA | ~ | 0.01 G |
| Total | 0.228 G | 0.07 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, egg yolk has more linoleic acid than chicken breast per 100 grams.
| Egg Yolk | Chicken Breast | |
|---|---|---|
| other omega 6 | 0.438 G | 0.06 G |
| linoleic acid | 3.538 G | 0.59 G |
| Total | 3.976 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: Egg Yolk (Egg, yolk, raw, fresh) and Chicken Breast (Chicken, broilers or fryers, breast, meat only, cooked, roasted) .
Egg Yolk 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 egg yolk contain more calories in 100 grams?Both chicken breast and egg yolk are high in calories. Egg yolk has 100% more calories than chicken breast - chicken breast has 165 calories in 100g and egg yolk has 322 calories.
Is chicken breast or egg yolk better for protein?
Both chicken breast and egg yolk are high in protein. Chicken breast has 100% more protein than egg yolk - chicken breast has 31g of protein per 100 grams and egg yolk has 15.9g of protein.
Does chicken breast or egg yolk contain more calcium?
Egg yolk is a rich source of calcium and it has 760% more calcium than chicken breast - chicken breast has 15mg of calcium in 100 grams and egg yolk has 129mg of calcium.