Cheese vs. Chicken
Nutrition comparison of Cheese and Cooked Chicken
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
cheese
versus
cooked
chicken
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in cheese and chicken:
- Both chicken and cheese are high in calories and protein.
- Cheese is an excellent source of Vitamin A and calcium.
- Chicken has more thiamin, niacin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6, however, cheese contains more folate and Vitamin B12.
- Chicken is an excellent source of potassium.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Cheese (Cheese, Mexican blend) and Chicken (Chicken, ground, crumbles, cooked, pan-browned) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Both chicken and cheese are high in calories. Cheese has 103% more calories than chicken - chicken has 189 calories per 100 grams and cheese has 384 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, cheese is much lighter in protein, much heavier in fat and similar to chicken for carbs. Cheese has a macronutrient ratio of 25:0:75 and for chicken, 49:0:52 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Cheese | Chicken | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 25% | 49% |
| Carbohydrates | ~ | ~ |
| Fat | 75% | 52% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Both cheese and chicken are low in carbohydrates - cheese has 0.13g of total carbs per 100 grams and chicken does not contain significant amounts.
Protein
protein
Both chicken and cheese are high in protein. Chicken is very similar to chicken for protein - chicken has 23.3g of protein per 100 grams and cheese has 23.5g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Cheese is high in saturated fat and chicken has 81% less saturated fat than cheese - chicken has 3.1g of saturated fat per 100 grams and cheese has 16.1g of saturated fat.
trans fat
Both chicken and cheese are low in trans fat - chicken has 0.09g of trans fat per 100 grams and cheese does not contain significant amounts.
cholesterol
Chicken and cheese contain similar amounts of cholesterol - chicken has 107mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and cheese has 95mg of cholesterol.
Vitamins
Vitamin A
Cheese is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has more Vitamin A than chicken - cheese has 174ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and chicken does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin D
Cheese has more Vitamin D than chicken - cheese has 21iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and chicken does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Chicken and cheese contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - chicken has 0.39mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and cheese has 0.25mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Chicken and cheese contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - chicken has 2.1ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and cheese has 2.5ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Chicken has more thiamin, niacin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6, however, cheese contains more folate and Vitamin B12. Both cheese and chicken contain significant amounts of riboflavin.
| Cheese | Chicken | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.023 MG | 0.121 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.318 MG | 0.302 MG |
| Niacin | 0.114 MG | 7.107 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.249 MG | 1.327 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.061 MG | 0.538 MG |
| Folate | 13 UG | 2 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | 1.23 UG | 0.51 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Cheese is an excellent source of calcium and it has 81 times more calcium than chicken - chicken has 8mg of calcium per 100 grams and cheese has 659mg of calcium.
iron
Chicken and cheese contain similar amounts of iron - chicken has 0.93mg of iron per 100 grams and cheese has 0.59mg of iron.
potassium
Chicken is an excellent source of potassium and it has 696% more potassium than cheese - chicken has 677mg of potassium per 100 grams and cheese has 85mg of potassium.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, cheese has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than chicken per 100 grams, however, chicken contains more dha and dpa than cheese per 100 grams.
| Cheese | Chicken | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.332 G | 0.1 G |
| DHA | ~ | 0.031 G |
| EPA | ~ | 0.008 G |
| DPA | ~ | 0.016 G |
| Total | 0.332 G | 0.155 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, chicken has more linoleic acid than cheese per 100 grams.
| Cheese | Chicken | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.532 G | 1.818 G |
| other omega 6 | ~ | 0.02 G |
| Total | 0.532 G | 1.838 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.
Cheese g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Cooked Chicken 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 or cheese contain more calories in 100 grams?Both chicken and cheese are high in calories. Cheese has 100% more calories than chicken - chicken has 189 calories in 100g and cheese has 384 calories.
Is chicken or cheese better for protein?
Both chicken and cheese are high in protein. Chicken is very similar to chicken for protein - chicken has 23.3g of protein per 100 grams and cheese has 23.5g of protein.
Does chicken or cheese contain more calcium?
Cheese is a rich source of calcium and it has 81 times more calcium than chicken - chicken has 8mg of calcium in 100 grams and cheese has 659mg of calcium.
Does chicken or cheese contain more potassium?
Chicken is a rich source of potassium and it has 700% more potassium than cheese - chicken has 677mg of potassium in 100 grams and cheese has 85mg of potassium.