Chicken breast tenders: half the protein of plain breast

The trials closest to this food used chicken nuggets served as part of a whole dinner. In a crossover trial of 50 children aged 8 to 10, making the nugget dinner twice as large raised intake in the 25 obese children from 1041 to 1210 calories. The 25 normal-weight children ate 801, 964 and 873 calories at the three sizes. The dinner included other foods, so the effect belongs to the meal. The composition story is plainer. Per 100 g, uncooked breaded tenders have 263 calories, 14.7 g protein, 15.8 g fat and 536 mg sodium. Plain roasted breast has 165 calories, 31 g protein and 74 mg sodium. Those are single USDA records, one raw product and one cooked meat, with no spread across samples.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• Uncooked breaded chicken breast tenders have 263 calories, 14.7 g protein, 15.8 g fat and 536 mg sodium per 3.5 oz (100 g), against 165 calories, 31 g protein and 74 mg sodium for plain roasted breast. — USDA SR Legacy FDC 171515 (breaded, uncooked) and FDC 171477 (breast meat only, roasted) (n = -) Evidence E source
  263 vs 165 calories; protein 14.73 vs 31.02 g; fat 15.75 vs 3.57 g; carbs 15.01 vs 0 g; sodium 536 vs 74 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g)

What a real portion looks like

• A 3 oz (85 g) serving of microwaved breaded chicken tenders gives about 214 calories, 13.9 g protein, 11 g fat and 379 mg sodium. — USDA SR Legacy FDC 171514, reference portion 3 oz = 85 g (n = -) Evidence E source
  85 g: about 214 calories, 13.9 g protein, 11.0 g fat, 14.9 g carbs, 379 mg sodium (recalculated from 100 g)
• In a crossover trial of 50 children aged 8 to 10 served a chicken nugget dinner, doubling portions raised intake in obese children from 1041 to 1210 calories. — 25 normal-weight and 25 obese children aged 8-10, one dinner a week for 3 weeks (n = 50) Evidence B source
  Obese children 1041, 1129, 1210 calories at 100, 150, 200% portions; normal-weight 801, 964, 873 calories
• In a crossover trial of 18 adolescents, a chicken nugget, fries and cola meal supplied about half of daily energy needs whether served at once or in four portions. — 18 adolescents aged 13-17 with BMI above the 80th percentile, eating fast food at least weekly (n = 18) Evidence B source
  Energy intake 5552, 5321 and 5762 kJ (51.9%, 48.2%, 53.0% of daily expenditure); no significant difference by portioning

What cooking and storage change

• USDA lists microwaved breaded chicken tenders at 252 calories, 12.9 g fat and 446 mg sodium per 3.5 oz (100 g), against 263 calories, 15.8 g fat and 536 mg sodium uncooked. — USDA SR Legacy FDC 171514 (breaded, cooked, microwaved) and FDC 171515 (breaded, uncooked) (n = -) Evidence E source
  Fat 12.89 vs 15.75 g; sodium 446 vs 536 mg; protein 16.35 vs 14.73 g; water 51.3 vs 52.7 g per 3.5 oz (100 g)

Safety, limits and interactions

• In blood from 28 people allergic to chicken meat, the muscle protein Gal d 7 was a major allergen, and lab tests showed it resists heat and digestion. — 28 patients with chicken meat allergy (serum IgE), plus in vitro stability assays (n = 28) Evidence D source
  Gal d 7 major allergen in primary chicken meat allergy; high thermal stability and resistance to gastrointestinal enzymes

The bottom line

A 3 oz (85 g) serving of microwaved tenders gives about 214 calories, 13.9 g protein, 11 g fat and 379 mg sodium, worked out from the 100 g values. USDA lists microwaved tenders at 12.9 g fat and 446 mg sodium per 3.5 oz (100 g), against 15.8 g and 536 mg uncooked. These are two separate records, possibly from different samples, so the gap may simply reflect two different products. We found no data on air-frying or oven-baking them. Portions add up in teenagers as well. In a crossover trial of 18 adolescents aged 13 to 17 with a BMI above the 80th percentile, a meal of chicken nuggets, fries and cola supplied 48 to 53 percent of daily energy expenditure. It made no significant difference whether the meal came at once or in four portions. Chicken meat allergy is the safety card here. In blood from 28 people allergic to chicken meat, the muscle protein Gal d 7 was a major allergen, and lab tests found it stable to heat and resistant to digestive enzymes. That is antibody binding in a lab, without a food challenge, and it applies to chicken meat in general. We have no card on pregnancy or medicines for this product.

Sources

1. cbt-r6-01 · reference dataset
   171515 Chicken breast tenders, breaded, uncooked: energy_kcal 263.0, protein_g 14.73, fat_g 15.75, carbs_g 15.01, sodium_mg 536.0; 171477 breast, meat only, roasted: energy_kcal 165.0, protein_g 31.02, fat_g 3.57, sodium_mg 74.0
   USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy 2019, FDC 171515 and 171477 · checked 2026-10-02
2. cbt-r6-03 · reference dataset
   portion 85.0 g (3 oz); per 100 g: energy_kcal 252.0, protein_g 16.35, fat_g 12.89, carbs_g 17.56, sodium_mg 446.0
   USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy 2019, FDC 171514 · checked 2026-10-02
3. cbt-r6-04 · randomized crossover trial
   Mean intakes across conditions (100, 150, and 200%) were 801 ± 57, 964 ± 58, and 873 ± 57 kcal for normal-weight children and 1041 ± 57, 1129 ± 57, and 1210 ± 57 kcal for obese children, respectively.
   Obesity (Silver Spring), 2014 · checked 2026-10-02
4. cbt-r6-05 · randomized crossover trial
   Energy intake was not significantly different, whether expressed in kilojoules (mean +/- SEM: condition A, 5552 +/- 357 kJ; condition B, 5321 +/- 433 kJ; condition C, 5762 +/- 500 kJ) or relative to total daily energy expenditure (mean +/- SEM: condition A, 51.9 +/- 3.5%; condition B, 48.2 +/- 4.0%; condition C, 53.0 +/- 4.3%).
   Pediatrics, 2007 · checked 2026-10-02
5. cbt-r6-02 · reference dataset
   171514 breaded, cooked, microwaved: energy_kcal 252.0, fat_g 12.89, sodium_mg 446.0, protein_g 16.35, water_g 51.34; 171515 breaded, uncooked: energy_kcal 263.0, fat_g 15.75, sodium_mg 536.0, protein_g 14.73, water_g 52.74
   USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy 2019, FDC 171514 and 171515 · checked 2026-10-02
6. cbt-r6-06 · laboratory study
   IgE reactivity analysis in 28 patients allergic to chicken meat revealed that Gal d 7 is a major allergen for patients primarily sensitized to chicken meat.
   J Allergy Clin Immunol, 2020 · checked 2026-10-02