How Many Calories In A Grilled Chicken

Below are the nutrition facts and Weight Watchers points for a Grilled Chicken Sandwich from Wendys .

White Meat vs. Dark Meat: Which Is Healthier?

When grilled chicken is on the menu, the chef is usually using skinless chicken breast—the white meat. While it’s common knowledge that white meat is leaner than dark meat, that doesn’t mean white meat is “better” for you.

First, let’s look at the numbers:

• 3 ounces of grilled chicken breast (white meat) has 110 calories and 2 grams of fat.
• 3 ounces of grilled chicken thigh (dark meat) has 120 calories and 6.75 grams of fat.

Yes, choosing chicken breast over thigh will save you almost 5 grams of fat, but dark meat has its perks. “If someone is anemic, I counsel them to concentrate on dark meat, which is higher in iron,” says Lvova. (Here are other top food sources of iron.)

Lvova also mentions that how you cook the chicken, and what else you include on your plate, might be more important than whether you choose white or dark meat.

The Right Portion Size of Grilled Chicken

One chicken breast equals one portion, right?

Ah, if only it were that easy. Selective breeding of chickens over time has increased the size of chicken breasts, particularly the amount of meat on the breast. This means the chicken breast you buy at the store may far exceed the actual recommended portion size: just three ounces.

“Portion size is directly correlated with a person’s total calorie needs,” says Wilson, “but on average, a three- to four-ounce portion is plenty.”

• 3 ounces of grilled chicken breast has 110 calories and 2 grams of fat.
• 3 ounces of grilled chicken thigh has 120 calories and 6.75 grams of fat.
• 1 grilled skinless chicken breast (which is actually around 9.5 ounces) has 326 calories and 7 grams of fat
• 1 grilled skinless chicken thigh (which is actually around 6.5 ounces) has 269 calories and 17 grams of fat.

Since you’re definitely not bringing your kitchen scale to the restaurant, let’s make this a little easier: “Aim to keep your portion approximately the size of a deck of cards or the palm of your hand,” suggests Wilson.

Calories in Different Types of Chicken

Chefs can prepare chicken in a variety of ways: rotisserie, grilled, stewed, boiled, roasted, and fried. They can use white or dark meat, and they can use the skin or go skinless. All those tweaks make a big difference when it comes to the nutrition on your plate.

• 3 ounces of grilled chicken breast has 110 calories and 2 grams of fat.
• 3 ounces of rotisserie chicken breast has 150 calories and 6.5 grams of fat.
• 3 ounces of fried chicken breast has 220 calories and 11 grams of fat.

While grilled chicken breast is usually better for you than fried chicken, it does come with an asterisk: “Grilling meat at high temperatures causes chemicals called HCAs (heterocyclic amines) and PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) to form,” says Priya Khorana, EdD, doctor of nutrition education at Columbia University. “These carcinogens can cause changes in DNA that can lead to cancer.”

FAQ

How many calories are in a whole Grilled Chicken?

How many calories are in a medium Grilled Chicken?

Is Grilled Chicken good for weight loss?