Chicken vs. Spirulina

Nutrition comparison of Cooked Chicken and Spirulina

Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?

We compared the nutritional contents of cooked chicken versus spirulina (100g each) below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].

For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in chicken and spirulina:

  • Both spirulina and chicken are high in calories, potassium and protein.
  • Chicken has signficantly less carbohydrates than spirulina.
  • Spirulina has more thiamin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid and folate, however, chicken contains more Vitamin B12.
  • Spirulina has signficantly less cholesterol than chicken.
  • Spirulina has signficantly more Vitamin C than chicken.
  • Spirulina is an excellent source of calcium, dietary fiber and iron.
Detailed nutritional comparison of chicken and spirulina is analyzed below. You can also visualize the nutritional comparison for a custom portion or serving size and see how the nutrition compares.

USDA sources for nutritional information: Chicken (Chicken, ground, crumbles, cooked, pan-browned) and Spirulina (Seaweed, spirulina, dried) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.

Image of Chicken src
Image of Spirulina src

Calories and Carbs

calories

Both spirulina and chicken are high in calories. Spirulina has 53% more calories than chicken - spirulina has 290 calories per 100 grams and chicken has 189 calories.

For macronutrient ratios, chicken is lighter in protein, much lighter in carbs and much heavier in fat compared to spirulina per calorie. Chicken has a macronutrient ratio of 49:0:51 and for spirulina, 58:24:18 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.

Macro Ratios from Calories:

Chicken Spirulina
Protein 49% 58%
Carbohydrates ~ 24%
Fat 51% 18%
Alcohol ~ ~

carbohydrates

Chicken has signficantly less carbohydrates than spirulina - spirulina has 23.9g of total carbs per 100 grams and chicken does not contain significant amounts.

dietary fiber

Spirulina is an excellent source of dietary fiber and it has more dietary fiber than chicken - spirulina has 3.6g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and chicken does not contain significant amounts.

sugar

Chicken has less sugar than spirulina - spirulina has 3.1g of sugar per 100 grams and chicken does not contain significant amounts.

Protein

protein

Both spirulina and chicken are high in protein. Spirulina has 147% more protein than chicken - spirulina has 57.5g of protein per 100 grams and chicken has 23.3g of protein.

Fat

saturated fat

Spirulina and chicken contain similar amounts of saturated fat - spirulina has 2.7g of saturated fat per 100 grams and chicken has 3.1g of saturated fat.

trans fat

Both chicken and spirulina are low in trans fat - chicken has 0.09g of trans fat per 100 grams and spirulina does not contain significant amounts.

cholesterol

Spirulina has signficantly less cholesterol than chicken - chicken has 107mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and spirulina does not contain significant amounts.

Vitamins

Vitamin C

Spirulina has signficantly more Vitamin C than chicken - spirulina has 10.1mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and chicken does not contain significant amounts.

Vitamin A

Spirulina has more Vitamin A than chicken - spirulina has 29ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and chicken does not contain significant amounts.

Vitamin E

Spirulina has 11 times more Vitamin E than chicken - spirulina has 5mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and chicken has 0.39mg of Vitamin E.

Vitamin K

Spirulina has 11 times more Vitamin K than chicken - spirulina has 25.5ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and chicken has 2.1ug of Vitamin K.

The B Vitamins

Spirulina has more thiamin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid and folate, however, chicken contains more Vitamin B12. Both chicken and spirulina contain significant amounts of niacin and Vitamin B6.

Chicken Spirulina
Thiamin 0.121 MG 2.38 MG
Riboflavin 0.302 MG 3.67 MG
Niacin 7.107 MG 12.82 MG
Pantothenic acid 1.327 MG 3.48 MG
Vitamin B6 0.538 MG 0.364 MG
Folate 2 UG 94 UG
Vitamin B12 0.51 UG ~

Minerals

calcium

Spirulina is an excellent source of calcium and it has 14 times more calcium than chicken - spirulina has 120mg of calcium per 100 grams and chicken has 8mg of calcium.

iron

Spirulina is an excellent source of iron and it has 29 times more iron than chicken - spirulina has 28.5mg of iron per 100 grams and chicken has 0.93mg of iron.

potassium

Both spirulina and chicken are high in potassium. Spirulina has 101% more potassium than chicken - spirulina has 1363mg of potassium per 100 grams and chicken has 677mg of potassium.

Omega-3 and Omega-6

omega 3s

For omega-3 fatty acids, spirulina has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than chicken per 100 grams, however, chicken contains more dha and dpa than spirulina per 100 grams.

Chicken Spirulina
alpha linoleic acid 0.1 G 0.823 G
DHA 0.031 G ~
EPA 0.008 G ~
DPA 0.016 G ~
Total 0.155 G 0.823 G

omega 6s

Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both chicken and spirulina contain significant amounts of linoleic acid.

Chicken Spirulina
other omega 6 0.02 G ~
linoleic acid 1.818 G 1.254 G
Total 1.838 G 1.254 G


Customize your serving size


The comparison below is by weight, but sometimes 100g isn't that intuitive of a measurement for food. View a custom portion comparison (e.g. cups, oz, package).

You can try adding or subtracting the amount of either Chicken or Spirulina .

Note: The specific food items compared are: Chicken (Chicken, ground, crumbles, cooked, pan-browned) and Spirulina (Seaweed, spirulina, dried) .

Cooked Chicken 100g

( 100 g )
Daily Values (%)

Spirulina 100g

( 100 g )
189KCAL 10%
calories 53%
290KCAL 15%
carbohydrates >999%
24G 10%
dietary fiber >999%
3.6G 14%
sugar >999% 3.1G
11G 17%
43% total fat
7.7G 12%
3.1G 17%
15% saturated fat
2.7G 15%
4.9G 620% monounsaturated fat 0.68G
2.1G polyunsaturated fat 2.1G
0.09G >999% trans fat
107MG >999% cholesterol
75MG 5%
sodium >999%
1048MG 70%
Vitamins and Minerals
Vitamin A >999%
29UG 4%
Vitamin C >999%
10MG 14%
8MG 1%
calcium >999%
120MG 12%
0.93MG 5%
iron >999%
29MG 158%
28MG 9%
magnesium 596%
195MG 63%
677MG 29%
potassium 101%
1363MG 59%
0.12MG 11%
thiamin (Vit B1) >999%
2.4MG 216%
0.3MG 28%
riboflavin (Vit B2) >999%
3.7MG 334%
7.1MG 51%
niacin (Vit B3) 83%
13MG 92%
0.54MG 41%
50% Vitamin B6
0.36MG 28%
1.3MG 27%
pantothenic acid (Vit B5) 169%
3.5MG 70%
2UG 1%
folate (Vit B9) >999%
94UG 24%
0.51UG 21%
>999% Vitamin B12
0.39MG 3%
Vitamin E >999%
5MG 33%
2.1UG 2%
Vitamin K >999%
26UG 28%
23G 47%
protein 148%
57G 115%
59MG 14%
choline 12%
66MG 16%
0.06MG 5%
copper >999%
6.1MG 508%
0.02MG 1%
manganese >999%
1.9MG 106%
234MG 33%
98% phosphorus
118MG 17%
14UG 26%
94% selenium
7.2UG 13%
1.9MG 24%
zinc 5%
2MG 25%
65G >999% Water 4.7G


NO SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS (either food): Starch, Alcohol, chlorine, chromium, fluoride, iodine, molybdenum, Vitamin D, biotin (Vit B7).

FAQ

Does spirulina or chicken contain more calories in 100 grams?
Both spirulina and chicken are high in calories. Spirulina has 50% more calories than chicken - spirulina has 290 calories in 100g and chicken has 189 calories.

Is spirulina or chicken better for protein?
Both spirulina and chicken are high in protein. Spirulina has 150% more protein than chicken - spirulina has 57.5g of protein per 100 grams and chicken has 23.3g of protein.

Does spirulina or chicken contain more calcium?
Spirulina is a rich source of calcium and it has 14 times more calcium than chicken - spirulina has 120mg of calcium in 100 grams and chicken has 8mg of calcium.

Does spirulina or chicken contain more iron?
Spirulina is an abundant source of iron and it has 29 times more iron than chicken - spirulina has 28.5mg of iron in 100 grams and chicken has 0.93mg of iron.

Does spirulina or chicken contain more potassium?
Both spirulina and chicken are high in potassium. Spirulina has 100% more potassium than chicken - spirulina has 1363mg of potassium in 100 grams and chicken has 677mg of potassium.