Chicken vs. Kale
Nutrition comparison of Cooked Chicken and Kale
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
cooked
chicken
versus
kale
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in chicken and kale:
- Both kale and chicken are high in potassium.
- Chicken has more niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12, however, kale contains more folate.
- Chicken is an excellent source of protein.
- Kale has 16.4 times less saturated fat than chicken.
- Kale has signficantly less cholesterol than chicken.
- Kale is an excellent source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, calcium and dietary fiber.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Chicken (Chicken, ground, crumbles, cooked, pan-browned) and Kale (Kale, raw) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Chicken is high in calories and kale has 81% less calories than chicken - kale has 35 calories per 100 grams and chicken has 189 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, chicken is much heavier in protein, much lighter in carbs and much heavier in fat compared to kale per calorie. Chicken has a macronutrient ratio of 49:0:52 and for kale, 28:41:31 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Chicken | Kale | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 49% | 28% |
| Carbohydrates | ~ | 41% |
| Fat | 52% | 31% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Both kale and chicken are low in carbohydrates - kale has 4.4g of total carbs per 100 grams and chicken does not contain significant amounts.
dietary fiber
Kale is an excellent source of dietary fiber and it has more dietary fiber than chicken - kale has 4.1g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and chicken does not contain significant amounts.
sugar
Kale and chicken contain similar amounts of sugar - kale has 0.99g of sugar per 100 grams and chicken does not contain significant amounts.
Protein
protein
Chicken is an excellent source of protein and it has 697% more protein than kale - kale has 2.9g of protein per 100 grams and chicken has 23.3g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Kale has 16.4 times less saturated fat than chicken - kale has 0.18g of saturated fat per 100 grams and chicken has 3.1g of saturated fat.
trans fat
Both chicken and kale are low in trans fat - chicken has 0.09g of trans fat per 100 grams and kale does not contain significant amounts.
cholesterol
Kale has signficantly less cholesterol than chicken - chicken has 107mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and kale does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Kale is an excellent source of Vitamin C and it has more Vitamin C than chicken - kale has 93.4mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and chicken does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin A
Kale is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has more Vitamin A than chicken - kale has 241ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and chicken does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Kale and chicken contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - kale has 0.66mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and chicken has 0.39mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Kale is an excellent source of Vitamin K and it has 184 times more Vitamin K than chicken - kale has 389.6ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and chicken has 2.1ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Chicken has more niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12, however, kale contains more folate. Both chicken and kale contain significant amounts of thiamin and riboflavin.
| Chicken | Kale | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.121 MG | 0.113 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.302 MG | 0.347 MG |
| Niacin | 7.107 MG | 1.18 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 1.327 MG | 0.37 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.538 MG | 0.147 MG |
| Folate | 2 UG | 62 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.51 UG | ~ |
Minerals
calcium
Kale is an excellent source of calcium and it has 30 times more calcium than chicken - kale has 254mg of calcium per 100 grams and chicken has 8mg of calcium.
iron
Kale has 72% more iron than chicken - kale has 1.6mg of iron per 100 grams and chicken has 0.93mg of iron.
potassium
Both kale and chicken are high in potassium. Chicken has 95% more potassium than kale - kale has 348mg of potassium per 100 grams and chicken has 677mg of potassium.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, kale has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than chicken per 100 grams, however, chicken contains more dha and dpa than kale per 100 grams.
| Chicken | Kale | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.1 G | 0.378 G |
| DHA | 0.031 G | ~ |
| EPA | 0.008 G | ~ |
| DPA | 0.016 G | ~ |
| Total | 0.155 G | 0.378 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, chicken has more linoleic acid than kale per 100 grams.
| Chicken | Kale | |
|---|---|---|
| other omega 6 | 0.106 G | 0.003 G |
| linoleic acid | 1.818 G | 0.291 G |
| Total | 1.924 G | 0.294 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.
Cooked Chicken g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Kale 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 kale or chicken contain more calories in 100 grams?Chicken is high in calories and kale has 80% less calories than chicken - kale has 35 calories in 100g and chicken has 189 calories.
Is kale or chicken better for protein?
Chicken is a fantastic source of protein and it has 700% more protein than kale - kale has 2.9g of protein per 100 grams and chicken has 23.3g of protein.
Does kale or chicken have more carbohydrates?
By weight, both kale and chicken are low in carbohydrates - kale has 4.4g of carbs for 100g and chicken has no carbs..
Does kale or chicken contain more calcium?
Kale is a rich source of calcium and it has 30 times more calcium than chicken - kale has 254mg of calcium in 100 grams and chicken has 8mg of calcium.
Does kale or chicken contain more potassium?
Both kale and chicken are high in potassium. Chicken has 100% more potassium than kale - kale has 348mg of potassium in 100 grams and chicken has 677mg of potassium.