Calories & Protein In 5 oz Chicken Breast

By: Jeremy Fox, CNC, CPT – Published: November 21, 2022

Chicken breast is arguably the ultimate high-protein food. And it’s a staple in just about any fat loss or muscle gain meal plan.

But just how much protein is in a 5 oz chicken breast? The answer depends on the type of chicken breast and when you weigh it.

So read on to find out how much protein is in every kind of chicken breast. Plus, see how that compares to other high-protein foods.

5 Oz Chicken Breast Protein

First, it’s essential to realize that 5 ounces of chicken can have different nutritional values depending on whether you weigh it raw or cooked.

In addition, a chicken breast can come with or without skin and bones. And protein content can vary between brands due to other factors such as water content.

Factors That Affect Chicken Breast Protein Content:

• Raw vs. Cooked
• Bone-In vs. Bone-Out
• Skin-On vs. Skinless
• Retained Water %

Now let’s look at different chicken breasts to see how much protein is in a 5 oz portion.

 

 

 

 

 

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5 Oz Chicken Breast Protein (Raw)

The boneless and skinless variety is the most common form of chicken breast you’ll find in most supermarkets. And it’s the first choice of athletes and bodybuilders due to the high protein-to-calorie ratio.

According to various listings in a nutrition database, a 5 oz of raw skinless chicken breast has about 33 grams of protein. And with no carbs and just 2 grams of fat, that comes to about 150 calories.

5 Oz Chicken Breast Protein (Cooked)

It’s important to understand that a chicken breast loses about 25% of its weight during cooking (i.e., raw chicken weight x 0.75 = cooked chicken weight)

So if you start with 5 oz of chicken breast, it only weighs about 3.75 oz after cooking. And that 3.75 oz of cooked chicken breast would still have the original 33g of protein since the weight lost is from water evaporation, not meat degradation.

Furthermore, you can divide by 0.75 to find the protein in cooked chicken breast. For example, a 5 oz piece of cooked chicken would have 33g ÷ 0.75 = 44g of protein.

Knowing the protein content of cooked chicken breast is beneficial when you meal-prep large quantities to divide up later. But remember that the protein amount can vary depending on the cooking method, temperature, and duration.

5 Oz Chicken Breast Protein (Skin-On)

Another factor to consider is whether the chicken breast has skin. The reason is that the skin contains more fat and less protein than the meat itself.

According to multiple database listings, a 5 oz chicken breast with skin has about 26 grams of protein. And, with 15 grams of fat, the skin-on chicken breast has almost 240 calories.

Of course, you can reduce the amount of fat and calories by draining off the excess oil after cooking the chicken. But a chicken breast with skin will generally have more fat and calories than a skinless breast.

5 Oz Chicken Breast Protein (Bone-In)

Chicken breasts with skin often come with the bone still in them. And the bone displaces the amount of meat.

On average, the breastbone accounts for about half of the bone-in chicken breast weight. So a 5 oz chicken breast with the bone would only contain about 2.5 ounces of meat.

Therefore, a 5 oz bone-in, skin-on chicken breast has roughly 14 grams of protein.

In case you’re wondering, yes, it is possible to remove the skin from a bone-in chicken breast. And you can also weigh a skin-on chicken breast after cooking.

So here is a table showing all the different combinations of chicken breast types with their corresponding protein, fat, and calorie content.

Bear in mind these are numbers are approximations based on averages from a nutrition database. You should still check the label on your chicken breast to verify the macros and calories.

With this table, it’s easy to see why the boneless, skinless chicken breast is the best option for getting the most protein with the fewest calories.

How Big Is A 5 Oz Chicken Breast?

In general, an uncooked boneless chicken breast weighs between 6 and 10 oz. That means a 5 oz breast is on the small side or maybe only part of a whole breast.

The suggested serving size for chicken breast is 3 to 4 oz. So a 5 oz portion is a large serving and more than most people consume in one sitting.

However, a 5 oz chicken breast is not much for people who train hard and have big appetites. I personally eat about 8 ounces of chicken twice daily with rice and vegetables.

As a reference, an 8 oz chicken breast is about the size of an average person’s hand. So a 5 oz chicken breast is more like the size of your palm.

Here’s an 8 oz chicken breast for size reference. A 5 oz chicken breast is roughly the size of the yellow-shaded area.

Easy Chicken Breast Recipe

When most people think of chicken breast, they picture a bland meal with white rice. But a bodybuilding meal plan doesn’t have to be so boring!

Click here to try my 20-minute chicken, broccoli, and rice recipe.

How To Measure 5 oz Chicken Breast

Of course, most chicken breasts don’t weigh precisely 5 oz. So how do you measure a serving of chicken? I have a few different ways to do it – with or without a scale.

With No Scale

First, you could try to buy packages of chicken breasts in 5 oz increments such as 10, 15, 20, 25, and so on. However, chicken is usually sold by the pound, so that would be 0.63, 0.94, 1.25, and 1.56 lbs.

Next, cook all the chicken and divide it into equal portions. For example, if you bought 1.25 lbs (20 oz) of chicken breasts, you would divide it into four equal portions after cooking (20oz / 5oz serving = 4 servings).

Don’t worry about being perfect. Like if one portion is 4 oz and another is 6 oz, that’s okay! Because, over a few days, it all evens out.

As you can see, with a bit of math, you never have to weigh anything!

With Scale

If math isn’t your thing, you can also measure chicken with a kitchen scale. And you can do this before or after cooking.

First, you can weigh 5 oz of uncooked chicken breast on your scale. Or you can weigh multiples of 5 to divide up after cooking (10, 15, 20, etc.)

You can also wait until after cooking to weigh the chicken. That way, you don’t have to mess with raw meat. Remember that chicken loses about 25% of its weight during cooking.

So, after cooking, you should weigh 3.75 oz portions to get the same protein content as 5 oz of raw chicken.

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5 Oz Chicken Breast Protein Comparison

While chicken breast is one of the best protein sources, you may not feel like eating it every day. So below are how 5 oz of other high-protein foods compare to chicken breast protein and calorie content.

Related: How Much Protein In Eggs?

More Protein & Calorie Information

As you can see, it’s hard to compete with the protein-to-calorie ratio of the boneless, skinless chicken breast. But there are benefits of consuming various types of meat and fish in your diet.

So check out the protein and nutrition information for these other healthy foods.

Protein In Milk – Skim, Reduced Fat, Whole

Ground Beef Protein by Percentage

Tilapia Protein Raw vs Cooked

Pork Chop Protein per Oz

Salmon Protein & Calories by Species

8 oz Steak Protein & Fat by Cut

How Much Protein Do You Need Per Day?

Now you know that a 5 oz boneless skinless chicken breast contains right around 33 grams of protein. But how much protein do you need in a day?

Well, your ideal daily protein intake depends on your body size, exercise habits, and fitness goals. Try my free Protein Intake Calculator to find out how much protein you need.

With this information, you’re on your way to being a meal prep master! But why stop learning now? Check out some of my other informative content below.