Chicken breast (cooked) vs Salmon (cooked)

The short answer

Both cooked and high in protein. Chicken breast is leaner with more protein per calorie; salmon carries more fat — and the omega-3s and vitamin D that come with it. Chicken for the leanest protein, salmon for the fats and the nutrients an oily fish brings.

Chicken breast (cooked) and Salmon (cooked), per 100 g and per portion. A gap means USDA has no value for it — not zero.

	Chicken breast (cooked) · per 100 g	Salmon (cooked) · per 100 g
Calories	165	182
Protein	31 g	25.4 g
Fat	3.6 g	8.1 g
Carbs	0 g	0 g
Fiber	0 g	0 g
Sugars	0 g	no data
Sodium	74 mg	56 mg
Vitamins & minerals — where both carry data
Calcium	15 mg	15 mg
Folate	4 µg	29 µg
Iron	1 mg	1 mg
Magnesium	29 mg	37 mg
Niacin	13.7 mg	10.1 mg
Phosphorus	228 mg	256 mg
Potassium	256 mg	628 mg
Riboflavin	0.1 mg	0.5 mg
Thiamin	0.1 mg	0.3 mg
Vitamin A	6 µg	13 µg
Vitamin B12	0.3 µg	3.1 µg
Vitamin B6	0.6 mg	0.9 mg
Vitamin C	0 mg	0 mg
Vitamin D	0.1 µg	no data
Vitamin E	0.3 mg	no data
Vitamin K	0.3 µg	no data
Zinc	1 mg	0.8 mg

At equal calories (per 100 kcal)

Protein — Chicken breast (cooked): 18.8 g, Salmon (cooked): 14 g · Fiber — Chicken breast (cooked): 0 g, Salmon (cooked): 0 g · Sodium — Chicken breast (cooked): 44.8 mg, Salmon (cooked): 30.8 mg

Generic USDA foods (not brands), so both carry micronutrients. Numbers are per 100 g unless the portion toggle is on. USDA FoodData Central, as of 2026-08-12.

Common questions

Is Chicken breast (cooked) or Salmon (cooked) better?

Neither is “better” on its own — it depends what you want from it. The table shows where each is higher; the short answer says when each one fits. Compare on the same basis (per 100 g) and pick for your dish and your goal.

How were these numbers worked out?

Straight from USDA FoodData Central for the generic form of each food, per 100 g. We show the portion view too, but portion sizes differ between foods, so per 100 g is the fair comparison.

Why does one column say “no data”?

Because USDA has no value for that nutrient in that food — so we leave it blank rather than print a 0 that would read as “none”. A real zero from USDA still shows as 0.