White Rice vs. Chicken Breast
Nutrition comparison of Cooked White Rice 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
cooked
white rice
versus
cooked
chicken breast
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in white rice and chicken breast:
- Both white rice and chicken breast are high in calories.
- Chicken breast has signficantly less carbohydrates than white rice.
- Chicken breast is a great source of potassium.
- Chicken breast is an excellent source of protein.
- White rice has more thiamin and folate, however, chicken breast contains more riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12.
USDA sources for nutritional information: White Rice (Rice, white, medium-grain, enriched, cooked) 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 white rice and chicken breast are high in calories. Chicken breast has 27% more calories than white rice - white rice has 130 calories per 100 grams and chicken breast has 165 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, white rice is much lighter in protein, much heavier in carbs and lighter in fat compared to chicken breast per calorie. White rice has a macronutrient ratio of 8:91:2 and for chicken breast, 79:0:21 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| White Rice | Chicken Breast | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 8% | 79% |
| Carbohydrates | 91% | ~ |
| Fat | 2% | 21% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Chicken breast has signficantly less carbohydrates than white rice - white rice has 28.6g of total carbs per 100 grams and chicken breast does not contain significant amounts.
dietary fiber
White rice has more dietary fiber than chicken breast - white rice has 0.3g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and chicken breast does not contain significant amounts.
Protein
protein
Chicken breast is an excellent source of protein and it has 12 times more protein than white rice - white rice has 2.4g of protein per 100 grams and chicken breast has 31g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
White rice and chicken breast contain similar amounts of saturated fat - white rice has 0.06g of saturated fat per 100 grams and chicken breast has 1g of saturated fat.
cholesterol
White rice has less cholesterol than chicken breast - chicken breast has 85mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and white rice does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamins
Vitamin A
Chicken breast has more Vitamin A than white rice - chicken breast has 6ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and white rice does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin D
Chicken breast has more Vitamin D than white rice - chicken breast has 5iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and white rice does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Chicken breast and white rice contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - chicken breast has 0.27mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and white rice does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin K
Chicken breast and white rice contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - chicken breast has 0.3ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and white rice does not contain significant amounts.
The B Vitamins
White rice has more thiamin and folate, however, chicken breast contains more riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12.
| White Rice | Chicken Breast | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.167 MG | 0.07 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.016 MG | 0.114 MG |
| Niacin | 1.835 MG | 13.712 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.411 MG | 0.965 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.05 MG | 0.6 MG |
| Folate | 58 UG | 4 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | ~ | 0.34 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Chicken breast has 400% more calcium than white rice - white rice has 3mg of calcium per 100 grams and chicken breast has 15mg of calcium.
iron
White rice has 43% more iron than chicken breast - white rice has 1.5mg of iron per 100 grams and chicken breast has 1mg of iron.
potassium
Chicken breast is a great source of potassium and it has 783% more potassium than white rice - white rice has 29mg of potassium per 100 grams and chicken breast has 256mg of potassium.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, chicken breast has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) and DHA than white rice per 100 grams.
| White Rice | Chicken Breast | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.01 G | 0.03 G |
| DHA | ~ | 0.02 G |
| EPA | ~ | 0.01 G |
| DPA | ~ | 0.01 G |
| Total | 0.01 G | 0.07 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, chicken breast has more linoleic acid than white rice per 100 grams.
| White Rice | Chicken Breast | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.046 G | 0.59 G |
| other omega 6 | ~ | 0.06 G |
| Total | 0.046 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: White Rice (Rice, white, medium-grain, enriched, cooked) and Chicken Breast (Chicken, broilers or fryers, breast, meat only, cooked, roasted) .
Cooked White Rice 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 white rice or chicken breast contain more calories in 100 grams?Both white rice and chicken breast are high in calories. Chicken breast has 30% more calories than white rice - white rice has 130 calories in 100g and chicken breast has 165 calories.
Is white rice or chicken breast better for protein?
Chicken breast is a fantastic source of protein and it has 12 times more protein than white rice - white rice has 2.4g of protein per 100 grams and chicken breast has 31g of protein.
Does white rice or chicken breast have more carbohydrates?
By weight, chicken breast has signficantly fewer carbohydrates than white rice - white rice has 28.6g of carbs for 100g and chicken breast has no carbs..