Chicken vs mutton: calories compared

Which has more protein, and which is easier on cholesterol? Protein is close: per 4 oz (113 g) cooked, roasted mutton gives 37.8 g and chicken breast, meat only, 35.1 g.

Fat differs more, 12.5 g against 4.0 g, with 5.8 g of saturated fat against 1.1 g and 264 against 186 calories. It did not show up in blood lipids when 36 women ate lean lamb or chicken three times a week for 5 weeks each: total cholesterol, LDL and triglycerides did not differ. In another trial, triglycerides in 50 students fell more over 8 weeks on lamb than on chicken. Both trials used lamb, not mutton.

Mutton carries more iron, 5.4 mg against 1.2 mg per 4 oz, plus about 5.0 mcg of vitamin B12. In one test in women, blending heme iron with chicken cut its absorption from 10.3% to 4.9%. For low iron, the numbers favor mutton.

In pooled studies, raw or undercooked sheep meat carried 3.85 times the odds of acute toxoplasma infection, and the authors advise at-risk groups, pregnant women included, to avoid it, so cook mutton through. In alpha-gal syndrome, diagnosis can be made from IgE to beef, pork, lamb and milk with none to chicken. And do not wash raw chicken: USDA says rinsing can spread bacteria to other foods and surfaces.

Evidence behind this note

1. Level B In 36 women eating lean lamb or chicken three times a week for 5 weeks each, blood cholesterol and triglycerides did not differ, against the rule that red meat must give way to white. Br J Nutr, 2012
2. Level B In 50 Spanish students over two 8-week periods, a lamb-based diet lowered waist circumference, triglycerides and insulin more than a chicken-based one. Nutr Hosp, 2013
3. Level E Roasted mutton in the USDA reference table gives 4.44 mcg vitamin B12, 38 mcg selenium and 33.43 g protein per 3.5 oz (100 g). USDA SR Legacy, Mutton, cooked, roasted (Navajo), fdc_id 167634
4. Level B The meat factor that is supposed to help you absorb iron does not come from chicken: blending heme iron with chicken halved its absorption, while beef left it alone. Food Chemistry, 2016
5. Level C Across case-control studies, eating raw or undercooked sheep meat carried odds of acute toxoplasma infection of 3.85, and the authors advise at-risk groups, including pregnant women, to avoid it. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr, 2018
6. Level D In tick-bite alpha-gal allergy the delayed anaphylaxis is to mammalian meat, and the diagnosis rests on IgE to beef, pork, lamb and milk together with no IgE to chicken, turkey and fish. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract, 2014
7. Level E The agency responsible for US poultry safety tells people not to wash raw chicken, because rinsing spreads the bacteria instead of removing them. Chicken from Farm to Table, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service

Written from the studies and agency guidance we hold for both foods, reviewed by the Bioma editorial system. How we verify.

Read more about these foods

• Chicken: the iron it blocks, and the washing you skip
• Mutton: dense in B12, and most trials used lamb

Rankings and guides

• Calories: what it does and what the evidence shows
• Which foods give the most protein for the fewest calories?
• Dietary fat: what it does and how much you need
• Chicken: full nutrition facts

More comparisons

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• Chicken vs pork
• Chicken vs beef
• Chicken vs lamb

• Chicken: USDA FoodData Central, Chicken, broilers or fryers, breast, meat only, cooked, roasted, FDC ID 171477 · full profile · all forms of chicken
• Mutton: USDA FoodData Central, Mutton, cooked, roasted (Navajo), FDC ID 167634 · all forms of mutton

Each food is one USDA entry, chosen as it is usually eaten. Other cuts, brands and preparations differ, and the links show them. % DV uses FDA Daily Values for adults. How we verify.