Chicken vs falafel: which has more protein?
Full comparison · Protein · Calories · Carbs · Healthier
Chicken has more protein: 31 g per 3.5 oz (100 g) of chicken vs 13.3 g in falafel (2.3× as much).
USDA FoodData Central.
| Chicken | Falafel | |
|---|---|---|
| Per 3.5 oz (100 g) | 31 g | 13.3 g |
| Per serving | 35.2 g in 4 oz (113 g) | 2.3 g in 1 patty (17 g) |
| Per 100 calories | 18.8 g | 4 g |
| To get 30 g of protein | 3.4 oz (97 g), about 0.9 × 4 oz | 8 oz (225 g), about 13.3 × 1 patty |
Protein per calorie
Per 100 calories, chicken gives 18.8 g of protein and falafel 4 g. This is the number that matters when you are fitting protein into a calorie budget, and it can rank foods differently from grams per 3.5 oz (100 g).
What the numbers don't tell you
Most people comparing these are choosing a filling for a wrap or a bowl. If the goal is protein for fewer calories, chicken wins clearly. A 4 oz (113 g) portion of roasted chicken breast gives about 35 g of protein for 186 calories. Five home-made falafel patties, about 3 oz (85 g), give about 11 g for 283.
The falafel figures are softer than they look. The UK food table puts home-made falafel at 6.4 g of protein per 3.5 oz (100 g), about half the USDA number, and we found no measurement of how much oil a patty takes up in the fryer.
Some people need care with falafel. With a sesame allergy, one Zurich allergy unit saw three anaphylactic reactions to falafel burgers in 1991 alone. Sesame must be labeled on packaged foods in the US since 2023, so at a stall you have to ask. One woman had anaphylaxis to falafel traced to pea. In G6PD deficiency, falafel preceded a hemolytic crisis, where red blood cells break down, in 194 of 1000 patients in an Egyptian register, second only to fava beans.
Raw chicken needs no washing and is safe at 165 °F (74 °C) on a food thermometer. Choose chicken when protein is the point, and treat falafel as the higher-calorie choice.
Evidence behind this note
- Level E The US and UK food tables put home-made falafel twice as far apart as any cooking difference would explain. USDA gives 13.31 g of protein and 104 mcg of folate per 3.5 oz (100 g), the UK table 6.4 g and 33 mcg, while copper agrees within 8 percent. USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy and CoFID 2021, Public Health England, Open Government Licence v3.0
- Level C Falafel is served with a sesame sauce, and a Zurich allergy unit logged three anaphylactic reactions to falafel burgers in sesame-allergic patients in 1991 alone, out of nine systemic sesame reactions seen over 13 years. Ann Allergy, 1993
- Level E Since 1 January 2023 sesame is the ninth major food allergen in the United States, so packaged falafel and the tahini sold with it must name sesame on the label. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FASTER Act: Sesame as the Ninth Major Food Allergen
- Level C For people with G6PD deficiency falafel is a listed trigger of hemolysis. In 1000 Egyptian patients it preceded the crisis in 194 cases (19.4%), second only to fava beans at 32.6%. Endocr Metab Immune Disord Drug Targets, 2018
- Level E The CDC advises cooking chicken to an internal temperature of 165 F checked with a food thermometer, and says raw chicken does not need washing. CDC, Chicken and Food Poisoning, 2024
- Level C Sesame is not the only allergen falafel can carry. A 28-year-old woman had anaphylaxis to falafel that an oral food challenge traced to pea, a flour increasingly used in vegan products. Hautarzt, 2022
- Level E In the US food survey one falafel patty weighs 17 g, so the usual plate of five is about 85 g, while a falafel sandwich is counted at 215 g whatever its size. USDA FNDDS 2021-2023
Written from the studies and agency guidance we hold for both foods, reviewed by the Bioma editorial system. How we verify.
Keep exploring
Read more about these foods
- Chicken: the iron it blocks, and the washing you skip
- Falafel: strong evidence for the chickpea, almost none for the patty
Rankings and guides
- Which foods are highest in protein?
- Which foods give the most protein for the fewest calories?
- How much protein do you need per day?
- Protein: what it does and how much you need
- Protein: top food sources and Daily Value
- Chicken: full nutrition facts
More comparisons
Where the numbers come from
- Chicken: USDA FoodData Central, Chicken, broilers or fryers, breast, meat only, cooked, roasted, FDC ID 171477 · full profile · all forms of chicken
- Falafel: USDA FoodData Central, Falafel, home-prepared, FDC ID 172455 · all forms of falafel
Each food is one USDA entry, chosen as it is usually eaten. Other cuts, brands and preparations differ; the links show them. % DV uses FDA Daily Values for adults. How we verify.