To sum up, chicken has more calories and macronutrients like protein and fats than salmon. However, salmon has better fats and less cholesterol.
Salmon is the ultimate winner in the vitamin category, containing nine times more vitamin B12, seven times more folate, five times more vitamin B1, and more.
While chicken is more affluent in zinc and iron, salmon is a better potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium source. Salmon is also lower in sodium.
According to research, salmon intake may help decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, whereas chicken seems to have a neutral impact.
Salmon and chicken are both popular choices for meat consumption, and each has its own unique characteristics, but which is healthier and which is nutritionally superior? In this article, we will try to answer some of these questions.
It is widely known that chicken is poultry and is classified as white meat, but is salmon also white meat? The answer is yes; fish, such as salmon, along with poultry, is considered to be white meat.
White meat is lower in iron-containing protein myoglobin compared to red meat. This protein gives red meat its color. However, unlike in red meat, the red tint of raw salmon is not due to this pigment. Vitamin A can be found in salmon because it has carotenoids in it, which give it its orange color.
Hey fitness fans! If you’re like me, you’ve probably been in the grocery store trying to decide whether to buy salmon or chicken for your meal prep. Both are great sources of protein, but which one has more? Let’s fight this protein battle and help you make the best choice for your fitness goals!
The Protein Numbers: Chicken Takes the Crown
Let’s cut to the chase – chicken has more protein than salmon. But the difference isn’t as dramatic as you might think!
Here’s what the numbers tell us
- Chicken breast: Approximately 25 grams of protein per 3-ounce serving (or about 22.5g per 100g)
- Salmon: Around 23 grams of protein per 3-ounce serving (or about 19.9g per 100g)
You can see that chicken beats salmon by about 2. 6 grams of protein per 100g serving. This small difference can add up over time for people who are serious about getting enough protein.
During my cutting phase, when I want to get as much protein as possible while keeping calories low, chicken breast is my first choice. This is why it has been an important part of bodybuilding diets for so long!
Beyond the Numbers: Which Cut of Chicken Matters
Here’s something important that many people don’t realize – the cut of chicken significantly impacts protein content. While chicken breast is the protein champion, other parts provide less protein than you might expect:
| Chicken Cut | Protein (per 120g serving) |
|---|---|
| Chicken breast | 35g |
| Drumsticks | 29g |
| Thighs | 28g |
| Wings | 20g |
If you choose wings, which have only 20g of protein per 120g serving, you’re getting LESS protein than salmon! This is a big surprise for people who think all chicken is the same.
It’s Not Just About Protein: The Complete Nutritional Picture
Protein isn’t everything, and this is where salmon starts to shine. Let’s compare some key nutritional differences:
Calories
- Chicken breast: About 126 calories per 3-ounce serving
- Salmon: Approximately 133-179 calories per 3-ounce serving (varies by type)
Fat Content
- Chicken breast: 3 grams of fat per 3-ounce serving
- Salmon: 5-10 grams of fat per 3-ounce serving
The Omega-3 Factor
This is salmon’s superpower! While chicken contains only about 40mg of omega-3 fatty acids, salmon delivers a whopping 2,342mg per serving. That’s over 58 times more omega-3s!
These healthy fats are crucial for brain health and may help reduce cognitive decline. Plus, they’re anti-inflammatory powerhouses that benefit everything from heart health to recovery after workouts.
Which is Better for Your Specific Goals?
For Weight Loss:
Winner: Chicken Breast
If you’re trying to shed some pounds, chicken breast is your best friend because:
- It has fewer calories than salmon (about 59 fewer calories per 100g)
- It provides slightly more protein to keep you feeling full
- It has significantly less fat
For Muscle Gain:
Winner: Salmon
While this might surprise you (since chicken has more protein), salmon can be better for bulking because:
- Higher calorie content helps you reach a caloric surplus
- Still provides excellent protein (19.9g per 100g)
- Contains healthy fats that support hormone production
For Overall Health:
Winner: It’s a Tie!
Both proteins offer unique health benefits:
- Chicken provides more niacin (56% DV vs 20% DV) and vitamin B6
- Salmon delivers more vitamin B12 (26% DV vs 6% DV) and selenium (60% DV vs 25% DV)
- Salmon’s omega-3 content is unmatched for brain and heart health
Practical Tips for Including Both in Your Diet
Cooking Methods Matter
The way you cook your protein can affect how much of that precious protein you actually get. High-heat methods like grilling can denature some proteins, potentially reducing the total amount you absorb.
For chicken breast, I’ve found that gentler methods like poaching, baking, or boiling work best. Marinating can also create a protective layer that helps preserve protein.
For salmon, aim for an internal temperature of about 125-130°F. This not only preserves the protein but also maintains those valuable omega-3 fatty acids.
Budget Considerations
Let’s be real – salmon can cost twice as much as chicken! Here’s a price comparison from major retailers:
| Store | Salmon (1lb) | Chicken (1lb) |
|---|---|---|
| Walmart | $9.77 | $4.97 |
| Costco | $20.00 | $4.92 |
| Target | $9.99 | $3.99 |
| Whole Foods | $11.99 | $9.99 |
If you’re on a tight budget, chicken is definitely the more economical choice. But I still try to include salmon 1-2 times a week for those omega-3 benefits.
Mercury Concerns
One downside to salmon is its mercury content. While it’s lower in mercury than many other fish, it still contains some. That’s why experts recommend limiting salmon to 2-3 times per week.
Chicken, on the other hand, doesn’t contain mercury, so you can eat it more frequently without this concern.
My Personal Protein Strategy
In my own diet, I’ve found that the best approach is to include both chicken and salmon regularly. Here’s how I structure my weekly protein intake:
- 4 days per week: Chicken breast for maximum protein efficiency
- 2 days per week: Salmon for those essential omega-3s
- 1 day per week: Plant-based protein sources for variety
This strategy helps me get plenty of protein while also ensuring I get those essential fatty acids that are so important for overall health.
What the Dietary Guidelines Say
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend adults eat at least 8 ounces (two servings) of seafood like salmon every week. This recommendation exists largely because of those unique omega-3 fatty acids that aren’t found in other protein sources.
So while chicken might win the protein battle by a small margin, salmon brings unique nutritional benefits to the table that shouldn’t be overlooked.
The Bottom Line: Which Should You Choose?
If you’re purely focused on protein content, chicken breast is your winner at 22.5g per 100g compared to salmon’s 19.9g per 100g.
But nutrition is about more than just protein numbers. The best approach is to include both in your diet regularly, leveraging chicken’s protein advantage and salmon’s omega-3 benefits.
Remember that both chicken and salmon are excellent protein sources, and the slight difference in protein content shouldn’t be the only factor in your decision. Your specific health goals, budget constraints, and personal preferences should also guide your choices.
Until next time,
[Your Name]
P.S. If you’re looking for delicious ways to prepare these proteins, check out my recipe section for my favorite chicken and salmon dishes that will keep your taste buds happy while supporting your fitness goals!
Appearance, Taste, and Use
As described above, raw salmon has hues of orange to red, while chicken is light pink. However, salmon loses its color after being cooked.
Moreover, salmon meat has marbling, which is visible white streaks. Whether the fish was farm-raised or wild-caught, these lines can be more obvious or hardly discernible.
Salmon has a distinctly rich and buttery flavor that many people enjoy. It has a tender and flaky texture. Chicken, on the other hand, has a milder flavor and a firmer texture.
Salmon can be cooked in various ways, such as grilling, baking, and pan-frying. Chicken is versatile and can be cooked in many ways, like grilling, roasting, and stir-frying.
Salmon is generally more expensive than chicken due to its relatively higher demand with lower availability.
The nutritional information used in our article is presented for 100g servings of roasted chicken broilers or fryers, with meat and skin, and farmed Atlantic salmon, cooked with dry heat.
Each person should get about one cup of chopped or diced chicken, which is about 140g, and three ounces of salmon, which is about 85g. However, half a filet of salmon weighs around 178g.
While these two foods are similar, chicken, being composed of 59% water and 41% nutrients, is slightly denser in nutrients. Salmon consists of 65% water and 35% nutrients.
Macronutrient Comparison
Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison 
Salmon 2 22% 12% 65% Protein: 22.1 g Fats: 12.35 g Carbs: 0 g Water: 64.75 g Other: 0.8 g 
Chicken meat 2 27% 14% 59% Protein: 27.3 g Fats: 13.6 g Carbs: 0 g Water: 59.45 g Other: 0 g
| Contains more OtherOther | +-328.6% |
| Contains more ProteinProtein | +23.5% |
| Contains more FatsFats | +10.1% |
~equal in Carbs ~0g ~equal in Water ~59.45g
Both salmon and chicken are high in calories; however, chicken has slightly more calories. Chicken provides 239 calories per 100g serving, while this number for salmon is 206.
Chicken is also richer in protein, providing 27. 3g per 100g serving. At the same time, salmon is also a great source of protein, containing 22. 1g per 100g serving.
Both chicken and salmon contain high levels of all essential amino acids. Chicken meat is richer in all of them.
Like with other macronutrients, chicken is also higher in fats. A 100g serving of chicken and salmon provides 13. 6g and 12. 4g of fats, respectively.
Fat Type Comparison
Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison Salmon 2 22% 38% 41% Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 2.397 g Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 4.181 g Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 4.553 g Chicken meat 1 31% 44% 25% Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 3.79 g Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 5.34 g Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 2.97 g
| Contains less Sat. FatSaturated fat | -36.8% |
| Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat | +53.3% |
| Contains more Mono. FatMonounsaturated fat | +27.7% |
Salmon is also unsurprisingly lower in cholesterol by 25mg per every 100g serving.
Like other types of meat, unprocessed salmon and chicken do not contain notable amounts of carbohydrates.
At the same time, chicken contains 24 times more vitamin K and, overall, more vitamin B2.
Salmon and chicken are both excellent sources of minerals.
Chicken is around five times richer in zinc, four times richer in iron, and overall higher in calcium.
Salmon, however, is a better potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium source. Salmon is also lower in sodium.
Mineral Comparison
Mineral comparison score is based on the number of minerals by which one or the other food is richer. The “coverage” charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food. Salmon 5 Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 21% 4.5% 34% 13% 16% 12% 108% 8% 2.1% 226% Chicken meat 4 Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 16% 4.5% 20% 47% 22% 53% 78% 11% 2.6% 130%
| Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium | +30.4% |
| Contains more PotassiumPotassium | +72.2% |
| Contains more PhosphorusPhosphorus | +38.5% |
| Contains less SodiumSodium | -25.6% |
| Contains more SeleniumSelenium | +73.2% |
| Contains more IronIron | +270.6% |
| Contains more CopperCopper | +34.7% |
| Contains more ZincZinc | +351.2% |
| Contains more ManganeseManganese | +25% |
~equal in Calcium ~15mg
The glycemic index of foods with no carbohydrates, such as salmon and chicken meat, is considered to be 0, as these foods do not raise blood glucose levels.
The insulin index of foods is another way of looking at the food’s impact on the body. It measures how much the consumption of a given food raises blood insulin levels.
The insulin index of roast chicken is 23 (1). This is considered to be a low insulin index value, but no studies have been carried out on the value of salmon.
Another research has found the insulin index of chicken to be 17 (2).
Weight Loss & Diets
That being said, despite the high-calorie content, lean or fatty fish and seafood, in general, can help people lose weight when included in a healthy, energy-restricted diet (3). Researchers in another study found that giving overweight people hydrolysate, a protein supplement found in salmon, made their body mass index go down.
Similarly, research shows that together with a diet high in vegetables, the intake of poultry meat, such as chicken, has been linked to a lower risk of gaining excess fat and obesity (5).
Chicken and salmon are obviously not allowed on vegetarian and vegan diets. However, unlike chicken, salmon can be a good source of nutrients on a pescetarian diet.
Fish high in omega-3 fatty acids, like salmon, can help obese people with high blood pressure lose weight by lowering their risk of heart disease over a large amount.
Omega-3 fatty acids have been discovered to beneficially impact triglyceride levels, blood pressure, hemostasis, arrhythmia, atherosclerosis, vasodilation, and thrombosis overall. They can also be helpful in the prevention and treatment of heart disease by enhancing the function of the heart (7).
Substituting chicken for red meat can decrease cardiovascular disease risk (8). However, while the intake of chicken may not lead to increased cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality, unlike red meat, it has not yet been conclusively proven to improve cardiovascular risk (9).
Chicken and salmon both have low glycemic and insulin index values, demonstrating that the consumption of these foods does not increase blood glucose or insulin levels.
Several studies have proven a connection between saturated fat consumption from animal sources, insulin resistance, and hyperinsulinemia. However, no statistically significant link has been found between increased weekly consumption of chicken and the onset of the disease, according to data on poultry consumption (11).
Salmon, on the other hand, has been researched to have various beneficial effects on diabetes mellitus.
Oligopeptide proteins from salmon skin dramatically lowered fasting blood glucose, demonstrating antidiabetic properties (12). It has also been discovered that salmon skin gelatin can increase insulin secretion and promote glycemic management (13). Consuming lean fish overall may help prevent type 2 diabetes overall, according to research (14).
Speaking of factors that influence the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes, the cooking process may be just as important as the product itself. When compared to cooking at moderate temperatures, such as boiling, steaming, and stir-frying, cooking meat at high temperatures, such as grilling and barbecuing, increases the risk of type 2 diabetes (15).
Salmon vs. Chicken — Health Impact and Nutrition Comparison
FAQ
Is chicken better than salmon for protein?
The numbers are pretty easy to break down: In a 120-gram (4. 2-ounce) serving, chicken breast offers around 35 grams of protein. Meanwhile, a salmon filet of the same size delivers around 25 grams. Therefore, chicken is the clear winner.
Does salmon contain more protein than chicken?
When you eat 3 ounces of salmon, you get about 23 grams of protein. The same amount of chicken breast has 25 grams of protein, and chicken thighs have 21 grams. Jun 2, 2025.
What’s better for protein, chicken or salmon?
For maximum lean protein and lower fat content: Chicken breast is the clear winner. It’s ideal for those focused on muscle growth, weight loss, or simply minimizing fat intake. For a boost of heart-healthy nutrition: Salmon is the superior choice.
Is chicken or fish better for protein?
… the presence of Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids and a range of vitamins suggests that eating seafood is a better overall choice in comparison with meat consumptionNov 10, 2023.