Chicken breast: lean protein, with the salt hiding in the deli version

In a randomized crossover trial in 12 healthy adults in Singapore, adding chicken breast to white rice lowered the meal's glycemic index from 96 to 73 and raised the insulin response, measured on single test meals a week apart. A second crossover trial, in 16 healthy Chinese men, found that a chicken preload before rice blunted the glucose rise compared with rice alone, and a tofu preload blunted it more, though the abstract gives no sizes. Both are one-meal tests in small groups. The food itself is plain. Grilled skinless breast has 32.0 g of protein, 2.2 g of fat and 55 mg of sodium per 3.5 oz (100 g) in the UK composition table, which gives one value without a range. A medium grilled breast weighs 4.2 oz (120 g) cooked in the US survey database. Oven-roasted chicken breast roll sold as deli meat is a different product, listed by the USDA at 883 mg of sodium and 14.6 g of protein per 3.5 oz (100 g). Our cards on deli breast cover salt and protein only. We have no card on germs such as Listeria in ready-to-eat sliced meat, so this page cannot say who should avoid it or how to make it safer.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

As people eat it, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• Grilled skinless chicken breast meat contains 32.0 g protein, 2.2 g fat, 148 calories and 55 mg sodium per 3.5 oz (100 g) in the UK composition table. — UK food composition analysis, Chicken, breast, grilled without skin, meat only Evidence E source
  Per 100 g: protein 32.0 g, fat 2.2 g, energy 148 calories, sodium 55 mg, selenium 16 ug, potassium 460 mg
• Oven-roasted chicken breast roll sold as deli meat lists 883 mg sodium and 14.6 g protein per 3.5 oz (100 g) in the USDA table, far more salt and less protein than plain grilled breast. — USDA SR Legacy record Chicken breast, roll, oven-roasted (FDC 174608) Evidence E source
  Per 100 g: sodium 883 mg, protein 14.59 g, niacin 6.536 mg; four USDA deli breast records span 883 to 1087 mg sodium
• Selenium in chicken breast depends on the bird's feed: 3.5 oz (100 g) of breast gave 26, 41 or 220 ug selenium when broilers got 0.15, 0.3 or 3 mg Se per kg diet. — 128 broiler chickens on four selenium feeding levels (n = 128) Evidence D source
  26, 41 and 220 ug Se per 3.5 oz (100 g) breast meat at 0.15, 0.3 and 3 mg Se/kg feed

What a real portion looks like

• In the US dietary survey database a medium grilled chicken breast eaten without skin weighs 4.2 oz (120 g) cooked, a small one 105 g and a large one 135 g. — USDA FNDDS food code 24123301, Chicken breast, grilled without sauce, skin not eaten Evidence E source
  1 small breast 105 g, 1 medium breast 120 g, 1 large breast 135 g, 1 cup diced 135 g, 1 oz 28 g
• The chicken arm of that trial ate one steamed chicken breast portion of 164 calories and 22.5 g protein three times a week for 12 weeks. — older women in the HP and RT plus HP arms of a Japanese RCT (n = 93) Evidence B source
  Dose 22.5 g protein per portion, 36 portions in 12 weeks; adherence below 90% led to exclusion
• When 52 trial participants could choose their dinner meat, chicken breast strips made up 32.8% of dinners, behind beef at 42.3%. — 52 adults in the US site of the MEDGI-Carb feeding trial, 12 weeks (n = 52) Evidence C source
  Chicken breast strips 32.8% of dinners, beef 42.3%, seafood 24.9%

What your body absorbs

• After healthy volunteers ate chicken breast, a wide range of di- and tripeptides appeared in their blood in a dose-dependent way, not only free amino acids. — healthy human volunteers in a randomized crossover meal study Evidence B source
  Dose-dependent postprandial rise of many dipeptides and tripeptides in plasma; pattern not explained by PEPT1 affinity

What cooking and storage change

• Among 65 older adults, sous vide and confit chicken breast were swallowed faster than boiled chicken, but only in those without oral frailty. — 65 community-dwelling adults aged 65 or over, tested on chicken breast cooked four ways (n = 65) Evidence C source
  Without oral frailty: sous vide beta -1.06, confit beta -1.79 versus boiled; with oral frailty no difference (all p > 0.05)
• In a sensory test with 40 older adults, easy cooking methods for chicken breast and beef may improve meat tenderness, juiciness and bolus formation, most clearly for roast beef. — 40 elderly participants with good and poor dental status (n = 40) Evidence C source
  Culinary processes improved perceived tenderness, juiciness and bolus formation; size not given in the abstract
• Cutting a cooked chicken breast on the same unwashed board and knife as raw chicken passed Salmonella in 1 of 57 trials, with 4 of 132 raw parts contaminated. — 31 retail whole chickens cut into parts, worst-case kitchen cross-contamination test (n = 132) Evidence C source
  Salmonella on 3% of raw parts (4 of 132); cross-contamination of cooked breast 1.8% (1 of 57)

What it does to your health

• In a randomized crossover trial in 12 healthy adults, adding chicken breast to white rice lowered the meal glycemic index from 96 to 73 while raising the insulin response. — 12 healthy volunteers in Singapore, single test meals one week apart (n = 12) Evidence B source
  GI of white rice 96, with chicken 73, with chicken, oil and vegetable 50
• In a randomized crossover trial in 16 healthy Chinese men, a chicken preload before rice lowered the glucose response versus rice alone, but a tofu preload lowered it more. — 16 healthy Chinese male adults, four test meals over 3 hours each (n = 16) Evidence B source
  Soya plus rice gave a lower incremental glucose peak and 0-60 min iAUC than chicken plus rice; all preloads beat rice alone

Safety, limits and interactions

• Campylobacter was found on 1.9% of 209 retail skinless boneless chicken breasts from at least eight US states. — 209 retail skinless boneless chicken breasts, United States (n = 209) Evidence C source
  Campylobacter prevalence 1.9% (C. jejuni in 4 samples); concentrations below detection limits
• In Algeria, chicken breast and thigh samples from 8 of 14 butcheries carried Salmonella, and 47% of the isolates were multidrug resistant. — 70 samples (40 chicken breasts, 30 thighs) from 14 butcheries in Skikda, Algeria (n = 70) Evidence C source
  8 of 14 butcheries (57.14%) positive; 19 isolates, 9 multidrug resistant (47.36%)
• USDA FSIS advises cooking chicken, whole or ground, to a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F (74 °C), measured with a food thermometer. — consumers cooking poultry, USA Evidence E source
  165 °F for whole and ground poultry

What people believe that the data does not support

• Flaxseed feeding can bring chicken breast to 300 mg omega-3 per 3.5 oz (100 g) in 11 to 26 days, but more than 95% of that is plant ALA, not EPA or DHA. — 128 broilers fed 10% or 17% ground flaxseed for 0 to 35 days (n = 128) Evidence D source
  300 mg n-3 PUFA per 3.5 oz (100 g) reached in 11.3 d (17% flax) and 26.2 d (10% flax); over 95% as ALA
• The EU lets foods that are a protein source say protein contributes to a growth in muscle mass. No authorized claim names chicken breast itself. — EU nutrition and health claims register, substance Protein Evidence E source
  Authorized claim POL-HC-6446; no entry under the name chicken breast

Who this works differently for

• In a 12-week RCT in 93 older women, resistance training alone raised pulse wave velocity by 4.9% while training plus steamed chicken breast kept it level at -2.4%. — 93 elderly women aged 67.2 +/- 5.3 years in Japan, randomized to control, high protein, resistance training or both for 12 weeks (n = 93) Evidence B source
  CfPWV change: RT +4.9 +/- 12.7%, RT plus chicken -2.4 +/- 9.3%, control -2.5 +/- 5.9%; muscle mass and strength rose in both RT arms
• CDC lists pregnant women, adults 65 and older and people with a weakened immune system as at higher risk of Listeria and advises them to avoid unheated deli meat and cold cuts and eat them reheated to 165°F or until steaming hot. — people at higher risk of listeriosis: pregnant women, adults 65 and older, people with a weakened immune system Evidence E source
  Avoid unheated deli meat, cold cuts, hot dogs and fermented or dry sausages, eat them reheated to 165°F (74°C) or until steaming hot

What is still unknown

• Within a 12-week feeding trial, 52 adults who chose chicken breast more often at dinner had larger blood pressure drops, an association the authors say does not show cause. — 52 adults aged 49 +/- 11 years with two or more metabolic syndrome features, on a provided Mediterranean-style diet for 12 weeks (n = 52) Evidence C source
  More frequent chicken instead of beef linked to greater SBP reduction (p = 0.034) and DBP reduction (p = 0.021)

The bottom line

The longest trial ran 12 weeks in 93 Japanese women aged about 67, of whom 81 were analyzed in a secondary analysis. Resistance training alone raised arterial stiffness, measured as pulse wave velocity, by 4.9% (plus or minus 12.7%). Women who trained and also ate a commercially made steamed chicken breast of 22.5 g protein three times a week ended at -2.4%, not significantly different from untrained controls at -2.5%. Chicken was simply the trial's high protein food, so the effect of protein and the effect of chicken breast cannot be told apart. Muscle mass and strength rose in both training groups. A separate 12-week feeding trial offered 52 adults with features of metabolic syndrome a choice of dinner meat. Those who picked chicken more often, in place of beef, had larger falls in blood pressure (p = 0.034 for systolic). Meat choice was not randomized, the group was small, and the authors state that this does not show chicken lowers blood pressure. After a chicken breast meal, healthy volunteers showed a dose-dependent rise of many di- and tripeptides in their blood, in a crossover study whose abstract does not say how many took part. The safety cards we have are about germs. Campylobacter turned up on 1.9% of 209 skinless boneless breasts bought in at least eight US states, a single retail survey that says nothing about illness per portion. In a worst-case kitchen test, cutting cooked breast on the unwashed board and knife used for raw chicken passed Salmonella in 1 of 57 trials, in data from one area with low counts. Samples from 8 of 14 butcheries in Skikda, Algeria, carried Salmonella, and 9 of 19 isolates resisted several antibiotics, figures that do not transfer to US or EU shops. We found no study of chicken breast in pregnancy, in children or alongside medicines. One study in 65 older adults, tested once, used sous vide, confit and boiled breast and timed only chewing to swallowing: sous vide and confit were faster, and only in people without oral frailty. It measured texture, not germs. We have no card on the cooking temperature that makes chicken safe to eat, so this page cannot say whether low-temperature methods such as sous vide kill Campylobacter or Salmonella, and does not suggest them for older adults. What the bird ate changes the meat. In a feeding trial on 128 broilers, 3.5 oz (100 g) of breast held 26, 41 or 220 mcg of selenium as selenium in the feed rose from 0.15 to 0.3 to 3 mg per kg. Flaxseed feed brought breast meat to 300 mg of omega-3 per 3.5 oz (100 g) within 11 to 26 days, and over 95% of it was ALA, the plant form. The EU lets any food that is a source of protein say that protein contributes to a growth in muscle mass, and no authorized claim names chicken breast itself.

Compared with other foods

Sources

1. cbr1-daily-r1-01 · reference dataset
   CoFID 18-323 Chicken, breast, grilled without skin, meat only: Protein 32.0 g/100 g · Fat 2.2 g · Energy 148 kcal · Sodium 55 mg · Selenium 16 µg · Potassium 460 mg
   CoFID 2021, Public Health England, code 18-323 (OGL v3.0) · checked 2026-09-29
2. cbr1-daily-r1-02 · reference dataset
   FDC 174608 Chicken breast, roll, oven-roasted (SR Legacy): Sodium 883 mg/100 g · Protein 14.59 g · Niacin 6.536 mg
   USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (2018), FDC 174608 · checked 2026-09-29
3. cbr1-daily-r1-16 · animal feeding trial
   Consumption of 100 g of breast meat from chickens fed diets supplemented with 0.15, 0.3 and 3 mg Se per kg of diet can provide 26, 41 and 220 μg of Se, respectively.
   J Anim Physiol Anim Nutr (Berl), 2012 · checked 2026-09-29
4. cbr1-daily-r1-03 · reference dataset
   FNDDS 2705968 Chicken breast, grilled without sauce, skin not eaten: 1 small breast 105 g · 1 medium breast 120 g · 1 large breast 135 g · 1 cup, cooked, diced 135 g · 1 oz, cooked 28 g
   USDA FNDDS 2021-2023, fdc_id 2705968 (food code 24123301) · checked 2026-09-29
5. cbr1-daily-r1-05 · randomized controlled trial
   As a high‐protein food, a steamed chicken breast (Energy: 164 kcal; Protein: 22.5 g, Itoham Foods Inc., Hyogo, Japan) were used in this study. The participants in the HP and RT + HP groups consumed food three times/week on alternate days for 12 weeks.
   J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle, 2025 · checked 2026-09-29
6. cbr1-daily-r1-09 · post hoc observational analysis
   Among the animal protein foods, chicken breast strips were chosen for an average of 32.8% of the dinner meals, beef 42.3% (ground beef 23.9%, beef sirloin 18.4%), and seafood 24.9% (shrimp 13.1%, salmon 11.8%).
   Nutrients, 2026 · checked 2026-09-29
7. cbr1-daily-r1-10 · randomized crossover trial
   The findings demonstrate postprandial changes of a whole spectrum of dipeptides of different size, charge, and polarity in peripheral blood in a dose-dependent manner after consumption of chicken breast in healthy human volunteers.
   Mol Nutr Food Res, 2019 · checked 2026-09-29
8. cbr1-daily-r1-11 · cross-sectional study
   No differences in chewing-to-swallowing time were found for chicken prepared using the various cooking methods among older adults with oral frailty (all p > 0.05). However, for older adults without oral frailty had a shorter chewing-to-swallowing time for both sous vide (β = -1.06, p < 0.001) and confit chicken (β = -1.79, p = 0.003) than for boiled chicken.
   J Oral Rehabil, 2025 · checked 2026-09-29
9. cbr1-daily-r1-12 · controlled clinical trial
   Furthermore, they revealed that easy-to-do culinary processes may improve meat tenderness and juiciness as well as smooth down food bolus formation, in particular for the roast beef.
   Meat Sci, 2018 · checked 2026-09-29
10. cbr1-daily-r1-14 · prevalence study
    The prevalence of contamination was 3 % (4 of 132), whereas the incidence of cross-contamination was 1.8 % (1 of 57).
    J Food Prot, 2013 · checked 2026-09-29
11. cbr1-daily-r1-06 · randomized crossover trial
    The glycaemic index (GI) of pure white rice was 96, whereas combined with chicken breast, ground nut oil and vegetable, it was 50. ... The addition of chicken and vegetable resulted in a GI value of 73 and 82, respectively. ... Chicken breast in the meal increased the insulinaemic response and decreased the GR.
    Eur J Nutr, 2014 · checked 2026-09-29
12. cbr1-daily-r1-07 · randomized crossover trial
    In comparison with rice alone treatment, preloading with Soya, Chicken and Soya/Chicken (50% soya tofu combined with 50% chicken breast) prior to rice consumption all significantly attenuated postprandial glucose response. Soya + Rice treatment induced a significantly lower incremental peak and incremental area under curve (iAUC) (0-60 min) glucose level compared with Chicken + Rice.
    Eur J Nutr, 2025 · checked 2026-09-29
13. cbr1-daily-r1-13 · prevalence study
    Culture-based enrichment yielded isolates for 15 samples, with whole genome sequencing identifying isolates from four samples as C. jejuni, eight samples as Acinetobacter spp., one as Micrococcus luteus, and one as Escherichia coli, resulting in a 1.9% prevalence of Campylobacter on retail skinless boneless chicken breast.
    J Food Prot, 2025 · checked 2026-09-29
14. cbr1-daily-r1-15 · cross-sectional study
    Of the 14 butcheries studied, samples from eight butcheries were contaminated with Salmonella (57.14%). ... All isolates showing multidrug resistance (47.36%; n = 9) were positive by PCR to the blaTEM-1 β-lactamase gene, from which 8 strains carried the aminoglycoside resistance aad7 gene.
    J Infect Dev Ctries, 2021 · checked 2026-09-29
15. sf-fsis3-2 · agency advice
    FSIS recommends cooking whole poultry to a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F as measured using a food thermometer...Cook ground poultry to a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F as measured with a food thermometer.
    USDA FSIS, Doneness Versus Safety · checked 2026-10-08
16. cbr1-daily-r1-17 · animal feeding trial
    Enriching the chicken breast meat with 300 mg of n-3 PUFA per 100 g of meat was achieved in 11.3 and 26.2 d with a 17 and 10% level of flaxseed in diet, respectively. ... More than 95% of n-3 PUFA enrichment was due to LNA.
    Poult Sci, 2009 · checked 2026-09-29
17. cbr1-daily-r1-18 · regulatory decision
    POL-HC-6446 Protein Protein contributes to a growth in muscle mass Authorised
    EU Register on nutrition and health claims, claim POL-HC-6446, snapshot 2026-09-21 · checked 2026-09-29
18. cbr1-daily-r1-04 · randomized controlled trial
    Percent changes in carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) and carotid β-stiffness (indices of arterial stiffness), and circulating angiotensin II (a vasoconstrictor peptide hormone) levels via each intervention were significantly higher in the RT group (4.9 ± 12.7%, 13.8 ± 13.5%, 94.9 ± 132.7%, respectively), as compared with the CON group (-2.5 ± 5.9%, 0.2 ± 8.1%, 21.2 ± 79.3%, respectively) (P < 0.05). Of note, no significant differences in the cfPWV, carotid β-stiffness, and circulating angiotensin II levels between the RT + HP (-2.4 ± 9.3%, 2.4 ± 10.3%, -5.7 ± 29.6%, respectively) and CON groups were observed.
    J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle, 2025 · checked 2026-09-29
19. sf-lis-r1-6 · agency advice
    You may be at higher risk if you are in one of the following groups: Women who are pregnant ... People who are 65 years or older ... People who have a weakened immune system ... Unheated deli meat, cold cuts, hot dogs, and fermented or dry sausages ... Deli meat, cold cuts, hot dogs, and fermented or dry sausages reheated to 165°F or until steaming hot
    US CDC, Preventing Listeria Infection · checked 2026-10-08
20. cbr1-daily-r1-08 · post hoc observational analysis
    More frequent consumption of chicken at dinner, in place of beef and seafood, was associated with greater reductions in SBP (p = 0.034 and p = 0.047 for replacing beef and seafood, respectively) and DBP (p = 0.021 and p = 0.043, respectively). ... The observed modest associations between more frequent consumption of unprocessed chicken at dinner and greater blood pressure reductions, which do not mean that eating more chicken at dinner causes lower blood pressure, warrant independent replication.
    Nutrients, 2026 · checked 2026-09-29