Food database · Meat & poultry
Protein content
A 3 oz cooked serving of chicken drumstick contains 20.6 g of protein - a very good source of protein, about 41% of the 50 g Daily Value.
Share of this food's calories that come from protein - it is extremely protein-dense.
| Serving | 3 oz cooked (85 g) |
|---|---|
| Protein per serving | 20.6 g |
| Protein per 100 g | 24.2 g |
| Calories per serving | 132 kcal |
| Protein density | 62% of calories |
| Share of 50 g Daily Value | 41% |
| Protein quality | Complete protein |
| Category | Meat & poultry |
| Food type | Whole food |
| USDA record | FoodData Central #172376 |
A typical 3 oz cooked serving of chicken drumstick contains 20.6 grams of protein (24.2 g per 100 g), which makes it a very good source of protein. That covers roughly 41% of the 50 g reference Daily Value, so it can anchor a high-protein meal for the day.
About 62% of the calories in chicken drumstick come from protein, which makes it extremely protein-dense - close to the practical ceiling for a whole food. Foods in this band are the ones that let you raise your protein intake without raising your calorie intake much at all.
Among the 133 meats in the database, chicken drumstick ranks 85th by protein per serving, and 139th out of all 796 foods on the site. Set against beef ribeye steak, another meat entry in the database, a serving carries about 0.5 g more protein (beef ribeye steak has 20.1 g per 3 oz cooked).
It is a complete protein - it supplies all nine essential amino acids in adequate amounts, so it can carry a meal's protein on its own. The serving above is measured by weight at 85 g. The per-100 g figure lets you compare it directly against any other food here, whatever its serving.
Source: USDA FoodData Central #172376 - "Chicken, broilers or fryers, dark meat, drumstick, meat only, cooked, roasted" (SR Legacy, published 4/1/2019). Values are the published reference figures for that record, not lab measurements for a specific brand or batch.
Quick answers
Chicken drumstick has 24.2 g of protein per 100 g. A typical 3 oz cooked serving (85 g) provides 20.6 g.
Yes. Chicken drumstick is a complete protein - it supplies all nine essential amino acids in adequate amounts, so it can carry a meal's protein on its own.
A 3 oz cooked serving of chicken drumstick contains 20.6 g of protein, about 41% of the 50 g reference Daily Value.
Chicken drumstick is a very good source of protein, and about 62% of its calories come from protein, which makes it extremely protein-dense. Set against beef ribeye steak, another meat entry in the database, a serving carries about 0.5 g more protein (beef ribeye steak has 20.1 g per 3 oz cooked).
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