Food database · Meat & poultry
Protein content
A 3 oz cooked serving of ground chicken contains 19.8 g of protein - a very good source of protein, about 40% of the 50 g Daily Value.
Share of this food's calories that come from protein - it is very protein-dense.
| Serving | 3 oz cooked (85 g) |
|---|---|
| Protein per serving | 19.8 g |
| Protein per 100 g | 23.3 g |
| Calories per serving | 161 kcal |
| Protein density | 49% of calories |
| Share of 50 g Daily Value | 40% |
| Protein quality | Complete protein |
| Category | Meat & poultry |
| Food type | Whole food |
| USDA record | FoodData Central #171117 |
A typical 3 oz cooked serving of ground chicken contains 19.8 grams of protein (23.3 g per 100 g), which makes it a very good source of protein. That covers roughly 40% of the 50 g reference Daily Value, so it can anchor a high-protein meal for the day.
Protein accounts for roughly 49% of the calories in ground chicken, making it very protein-dense. The rest comes from fat and carbohydrate, so it adds a solid amount of protein while still carrying real energy - useful when you are eating to a calorie target rather than under one.
Among the 133 meats in the database, ground chicken ranks 92nd by protein per serving, and 168th out of all 796 foods on the site. Set against turkey sausage, another meat entry in the database, a serving carries about 0.5 g less protein (turkey sausage has 20.3 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.
Protein depends heavily on whether the grind includes skin and thigh meat.
Source: USDA FoodData Central #171117 - "Chicken, ground, crumbles, cooked, pan-browned" (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
Ground chicken has 23.3 g of protein per 100 g. A typical 3 oz cooked serving (85 g) provides 19.8 g.
Yes. Ground chicken 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 ground chicken contains 19.8 g of protein, about 40% of the 50 g reference Daily Value.
Ground chicken is a very good source of protein, and about 49% of its calories come from protein, which makes it very protein-dense. Set against turkey sausage, another meat entry in the database, a serving carries about 0.5 g less protein (turkey sausage has 20.3 g per 3 oz cooked).
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