Chicken skin: where the fat and cholesterol of the bird sit

The strongest evidence that touches chicken skin is about dietary cholesterol in general. By a meta-regression of 55 randomized diet trials with 2652 people, each extra 100 mg of cholesterol eaten a day raised LDL by about 1.9 to 4.6 mg/dL, depending on the model. Those trials tested dietary cholesterol in general, not chicken skin. Chicken skin carries 82 to 135 mg of cholesterol per 3.5 oz (100 g), depending on whether you read USDA survey data or UK composition data. It is mostly fat. UK data put 3.5 oz (100 g) of raw skin at 474 calories and 48.3 g of fat, and USDA data put it at 450 calories and 40.3 g, a spread between samples. In USDA survey data the skin from half a chicken weighs 1.9 oz (55 g), which works out at about 248 calories and 22 g of fat, calculated from the 100 g values. In a randomized trial in 104 Japanese adults aged 40 to 64 with high cholesterol, an intensive diet education program cut how often they ate poultry skin and eggs. Their serum cholesterol fell 10 mg/dL more than with usual advice at 6 months and 9 mg/dL more at 1 year. The program changed the whole diet, so the share owed to the skin was never separated out.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

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

How much is actually in it

• UK composition data list 3.5 oz (100 g) of raw chicken skin at 474 calories with 48.3 g fat, of which 13.6 g saturated and 23.6 g monounsaturated, 9.7 g protein and 135 mg cholesterol. — CoFID 2021 Chicken, skin, raw (18-292) (n = 1 record) Evidence E source
  Per 100 g: energy 474 calories; fat 48.3 g; saturated 13.6 g; monounsaturated 23.6 g; polyunsaturated 8.1 g; protein 9.7 g; cholesterol 135 mg; water 42.7 g

What a real portion looks like

• In USDA survey data the skin of half a chicken weighs 1.9 oz (55 g) and gives about 248 calories and 22 g fat, while 3.5 oz (100 g) of skin has 450 calories, 40.3 g fat and 20.2 g protein. — USDA FNDDS Chicken skin (fdc_id 2706084) (n = 3 measures) Evidence E source
  Per 100 g: 450 calories, fat 40.34 g, saturated 11.3 g, protein 20.19 g, cholesterol 82 mg; 1/2 chicken skin 55 g; 1 oz raw yield after cooking 20 g; unspecified 30 g

What cooking and storage change

• In UK composition data chicken skin keeps most of its fat through cooking: 48.3 g per 3.5 oz (100 g) raw, 46.1 g roasted dry, 42.6 g roasted moist and 39.3 g casseroled. — CoFID 2021 chicken skin, raw (18-292), roasted/grilled dry (18-332), roasted/grilled moist (18-333), casseroled (18-316) (n = 4 records) Evidence E source
  Fat per 3.5 oz (100 g): raw 48.3, roasted dry 46.1, roasted moist 42.6, casseroled 39.3 g; energy 474, 501, 452, 407 calories; cholesterol 135, 170, 135, 105 mg

What it does to your health

• Observational data from 204 African American men link leaving the skin on chicken with a higher BMI. — 204 African American men at a prostate screening health fair in the southern US (n = 204) Evidence C source
  Leaving chicken skin on associated with BMI, p=.03 (size not reported)
• Observational data from 1226 Brazilian adults link a pattern that includes eating poultry skin and visible meat fat, smoking and heavy drinking with larger waist size. — 1226 adults in Vicosa, Brazil, population-based survey (n = 1226) Evidence C source
  Risk pattern positively associated with waist circumference (p = 0.002) and waist/hip (p = 0.007)
• In a case-control study of 120 people in Rosario, Argentina, gallstone cases followed a pattern high in chicken with skin and animal fats. — 51 gallstone cases and 69 controls nested in a screening study, food frequency questionnaire (n = 120) Evidence C source
  Unhealthy pattern (incl. chicken with skin) increased gallstone risk; size not reported in abstract

Safety, limits and interactions

• Laboratory tests showed Campylobacter moving from raw chicken skin via unwashed hands and cooking salt onto lettuce, even at skin levels of about 1.48 log CFU/g. — chicken skin inoculated with 8 Campylobacter strains, salt and lettuce handled with unwashed hands (n = 30 transfer events) Evidence D source
  Cross-contamination at skin levels as low as about 1.48 log CFU/g; Campylobacter survived in salt up to 4 hours
• USDA FSIS advises cooking poultry, including chicken cooked with the skin on, 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
• USDA FSIS advises against washing raw chicken with the skin on before cooking, because bacteria in raw poultry juices can spread to other foods, utensils and surfaces. — US consumers handling raw poultry at home Evidence E source
  Washing raw poultry before cooking is not recommended; it spreads bacteria from poultry juices to other foods, utensils and surfaces

What people believe that the data does not support

• By a meta-regression of 55 randomized diet trials with 2652 people, each extra 100 mg of dietary cholesterol a day raised LDL by about 1.9 to 4.6 mg/dL. — 55 randomized dietary intervention trials, 2652 subjects, cholesterol changes 0-1500 mg/d (n = 2652) Evidence A source
  LDL +1.90 (linear), +4.46 (Michaelis-Menten), +4.58 (Hill) mg/dL per +100 mg/d dietary cholesterol

Who this works differently for

• In a randomized trial in 104 Japanese adults with high cholesterol, intensive diet education cut how often they ate poultry skin and eggs and lowered serum cholesterol 10 mg/dL more than usual advice. — hypercholesterolemic men and women aged 40-64 in Osaka, serum cholesterol 240-299 mg/dl, 1-year community program (n = 104) Evidence B source
  Serum total cholesterol 10.0 mg/dl greater reduction at 6 months and 9.0 mg/dl at 1 year (p<0.05); HDL unchanged
• In a survey of 1192 adults in southern Italy, men ate more poultry, chicken skin and rabbit than women. — 1192 adults, second wave of the NUTRIHEP cohort, Putignano, Italy, EPIC food frequency questionnaire (n = 1192) Evidence C source
  Higher chicken skin intake in men than in women (size in table, not in text)

The bottom line

Cooking takes out less fat than you might expect. Per 100 g in UK data, raw skin has 48.3 g of fat, dry-roasted skin 46.1 g, moist-roasted 42.6 g and casseroled 39.3 g. These are figures per 3.5 oz (100 g) of the cooked product, and water lost in roasting concentrates what is left. Three observational studies link chicken skin with a larger body or with disease, and none of them isolates the skin. Among 204 African American men at a health fair in the southern United States, leaving the skin on was linked to a higher BMI, and the size of that link was not reported. In 1226 Brazilian adults, a pattern that bundled poultry skin and visible meat fat with smoking and heavy drinking went with a larger waist. In a case-control study of 120 people in Argentina, people with gallstones ate a diet high in chicken with skin, animal fats and processed meat. Each of these is an association inside a wider way of eating, and none shows the skin caused anything. The safety risk we can document is the raw skin in your kitchen. In laboratory tests, Campylobacter moved from raw chicken skin via unwashed hands and cooking salt onto lettuce even when the skin carried only about 1.48 log CFU per gram, and it survived in the salt for up to 4 hours. That was a laboratory model of a kitchen, and it concerns raw skin, not cooked. USDA FSIS advises cooking chicken with the skin on to a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F (74 °C), measured with a food thermometer, and advises against washing raw chicken before cooking, because bacteria in raw poultry juices can spread to other foods, utensils and surfaces. We found no card on chicken skin in pregnancy, in children or with kidney disease, and that silence means the question is open.

Sources

1. chsk-daily-r5-01 · food composition dataset
   Chicken, skin, raw (18-292): Energy 474 kcal | Fat 48.3 g | Satd FA 13.60 g | Mono FA 23.60 g | Poly FA 8.10 g | Protein 9.7 g | Cholesterol 135.0 mg | Water 42.7 g
   CoFID 2021 (Public Health England, OGL v3.0), code 18-292 Chicken, skin, raw · checked 2026-09-29
2. chsk-daily-r5-03 · reference dataset
   Chicken skin, fdc_id 2706084: 1 oz, raw (yield after cooking) 20 g | 1/2 chicken, skin only 55 g | Quantity not specified 30 g || Energy 450 kcal | Total lipid (fat) 40.34 g | Fatty acids, total saturated 11.325 g | Protein 20.19 g | Cholesterol 82 mg per 100 g
   USDA FNDDS (FoodData Central survey 2024-10-31), Chicken skin, fdc_id 2706084 · checked 2026-09-29
3. chsk-daily-r5-02 · food composition dataset
   Chicken, skin, raw (18-292): Fat 48.3 g, Energy 474 kcal, Cholesterol 135.0 mg || Chicken, skin, roasted/grilled, dry (18-332): Fat 46.1 g, Energy 501 kcal, Cholesterol 170.0 mg || Chicken, skin, roasted/grilled, moist (18-333): Fat 42.6 g, Energy 452 kcal, Cholesterol 135.0 mg || Chicken, skin, casseroled (18-316): Fat 39.3 g, Energy 407 kcal, Cholesterol 105.0 mg
   CoFID 2021 (Public Health England, OGL v3.0), codes 18-292, 18-332, 18-333, 18-316 Chicken, skin · checked 2026-09-29
4. chsk-daily-r5-07 · cross-sectional
   Three fatty food items were significantly associated with BMI: leaving the chicken skin on chicken (p=.03); intake of low-fat or skim milk (p=.02); and cooking vegetables with butter (p=.03).
   Public Health Nurs, 2007 · checked 2026-09-29
5. chsk-daily-r5-08 · cross-sectional
   The "risk" pattern, composed of smoking, alcohol beverage abuse and habit of consuming visible fat in fat-rich red meat or poultry skin, was positively associated with abdominal adiposity identified by waist circumference (p = 0.002) and waist/hip (p = 0.007) and waist/height indices (p = 0.006).
   Nutr Hosp, 2018 · checked 2026-09-29
6. chsk-daily-r5-10 · case-control
   Cases were characterised by the unhealthy intake pattern (high intakes of animal fats, sugar, cereals, grains, cold cuts, processed meats, chicken with skin, fat beef and low intake of red vegetables and yellows, cabbages, fruits and fish).
   Rev Fac Cien Med Univ Nac Cordoba, 2024 · checked 2026-09-29
7. chsk-daily-r5-06 · experimental study
   Cross-contamination events were observed even when the chicken skin was contaminated with low levels of Campylobacter spp. (ca. 1.48 Log CFU/g).
   PLoS One, 2021 · checked 2026-09-29
8. sf-fsis5-5 · 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
9. sf-poultrywash-chskin-1 · agency advice
   Washing raw poultry before cooking is not recommended because bacteria in raw meat and poultry juices can be spread to other foods, utensils, and surfaces.
   Chicken from Farm to Table, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service · checked 2026-10-08
10. chsk-daily-r5-04 · meta-analysis of RCTs
    Fifty-five studies (2652 subjects) were included in the analysis. ... Mean predicted changes in LDL cholesterol for an increase of 100 mg dietary cholesterol/d were 1.90, 4.46, and 4.58 mg/dL for the linear, nonlinear MM, and Hill models, respectively.
    Am J Clin Nutr, 2019 · checked 2026-09-29
11. chsk-daily-r5-05 · randomized controlled trial
    Mean serum cholesterol in the intensive education group showed a 10.0 mg/dl greater reduction in September 1989 and a 9.0 mg/dl greater reduction in March 1990 than in the usual education group (p less than 0.05) while mean HDL-cholesterol did not change in either groups. The intensive education group reported a larger decrease in the dietary frequency of chicken egg, poultry skin and small fishes, foods which are rich in saturated fat and cholesterol.
    Nihon Koshu Eisei Zasshi, 1991 · checked 2026-09-29
12. chsk-daily-r5-09 · cross-sectional
    In particular, men overall eat a higher amount of poultry, chicken skin and rabbit, and a lower amount of meat meatballs and white meat hamburger.
    Nutrients, 2024 · checked 2026-09-29