Skinless chicken breast is a good low saturated fat protein. Skin, wings and fried chicken are not, and chicken isn't a cholesterol-lowering food in itself.
A 3 oz (85 g) portion of roasted skinless breast has under 1 g of saturated fat, about a sixth of what the same weight of 80% lean beef mince has. Leave the skin on, choose wings or batter it, and the saturated fat rises up to fivefold. A US feeding trial found chicken and red meat had the same effect on LDL when saturated fat was matched; plant protein lowered LDL more than either.
Chicken: nutrition per cooked serving
| Food and serving | Sat fat | Cholesterol | Fibre | kcal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breast, skinless, roasted3 oz (85 g) · FDC 171477 | 0.9 g | 72 mg | 0 g | 140 |
| Breast with skin, roasted3 oz (85 g) · FDC 171075 | 1.9 g | 71 mg | 0 g | 167 |
| Thigh, skinless, roasted3 oz (85 g) · FDC 172388 | 2 g | 113 mg | 0 g | 152 |
| Thigh with skin, roasted3 oz (85 g) · FDC 173625 | 3.5 g | 113 mg | 0 g | 197 |
| Wings with skin, roasted3 oz (85 g) · FDC 173630 | 4.2 g | 120 mg | 0 g | 216 |
| Fried chicken breast, with skin and breading (KFC Extra Crispy)3 oz (85 g) · FDC 170348 | 3 g | 65 mg | – | 228 |
| Turkey breast, skinless, roasted3 oz (85 g) · FDC 174516 | 0.6 g | 60 mg | 0 g | 116 |
Dark meat (thighs, legs) has more cholesterol than breast as well as more saturated fat. USDA puts a whole cooked breast, without skin or bone, at about 6 oz (172 g), so one breast is two portions. Source: USDA FoodData Central (public domain); search the FDC number to see the full record. Values are rounded and vary by brand and recipe.
Skin and cut make the difference
On a 13 g day, skinless breast barely registers at 7%. Wings with skin use about a third of the day in the same 3 oz, and a basket of wings is usually much more than 3 oz. Taking the skin off a roast breast halves its saturated fat.
Bars show each serving against about 13 g a day, the American Heart Association's target (under 6% of 2,000 calories) for people lowering LDL. Work out your own number with the saturated fat calculator.
Is chicken better than red meat for cholesterol?
Less than most people assume. In the APPROACH trial, published in 2019, about 110 healthy adults ate three diets for 4 weeks each, getting most of their protein from red meat, white meat (chicken and turkey) or non-meat sources. Half followed a high saturated fat version and half a low one.
- LDL cholesterol and apoB were the same on red and white meat.
- Both were higher than on the non-meat diet.
- The high saturated fat diet raised LDL whichever protein people ate.
The authors concluded the results don't support choosing white meat over red to lower cholesterol, and do support diets with a high proportion of plant foods.
In everyday eating, though, chicken usually wins because people eat skinless breast, which has far less saturated fat than burgers, sausages or marbled steak. That's the real advantage: it's easy to find a lean cut. Swap a fatty cut of red meat for skinless chicken and your saturated fat falls. Swap chicken for beans or tofu now and then and your LDL can fall further.
How to cook chicken for lower cholesterol
- Remove the skin, ideally before cooking, as the NHS advises.
- Grill, roast, bake, poach or stir-fry with a little olive or rapeseed oil instead of deep-frying.
- "Oven-fry": coat breast strips in egg white and wholemeal breadcrumbs or crushed cornflakes and bake.
- Watch the sauce. Creamy sauces, butter chicken, korma and cheese toppings can add more saturated fat than the chicken. Tomato, herb, lemon and spice-based dishes don't.
- Choose turkey breast for mince and burgers: it's even leaner than chicken breast.
For an easy weeknight meal, try the chicken and vegetable stir-fry with noodles.
How much is sensible?
A cooked portion of 3 to 4 oz (85 to 115 g) of skinless chicken is plenty for one meal and can be eaten several times a week. Keep fried chicken, wings and chicken with skin for occasional meals, and aim to replace some chicken meals with beans, lentils, tofu or oily fish, which do more for LDL.
General information, not medical advice
This page is for education and doesn't diagnose or treat anything. If you have high cholesterol, take medication or have another health condition, check changes to your diet with your doctor or a registered dietitian.
Frequently asked questions
Is chicken bad for cholesterol?
Skinless chicken breast isn't: it has under 1 g of saturated fat per 3 oz. Chicken with the skin on, wings and fried chicken have three to five times as much saturated fat, which can raise LDL.
Is chicken breast or thigh better for high cholesterol?
Breast. Skinless breast has about 0.9 g of saturated fat and 72 mg of cholesterol per 3 oz, against 2.0 g and 113 mg for skinless thigh. Thighs are still fine occasionally with the skin removed.
Does chicken skin raise cholesterol?
It adds saturated fat. Roasted breast with skin has about 1.9 g per 3 oz, twice as much as skinless breast. Removing the skin is one of the easiest ways to cut saturated fat.
Is chicken better than beef for cholesterol?
In a controlled trial, chicken and red meat had the same effect on LDL when saturated fat was matched. In practice skinless chicken breast is leaner than most beef, so swapping fatty beef for it lowers your saturated fat. Beans, lentils and tofu lower LDL more than either.
Is fried chicken OK with high cholesterol?
As an occasional meal. Breaded fried chicken breast with skin has about 3 g of saturated fat per 3 oz, and a typical piece is larger than that. Baked "oven-fried" chicken with the skin removed gives a similar crunch with much less.
Scan or log chicken in Heart Tracker
Search for the cut you eat, with or without skin, and log the cooked weight. Heart Tracker adds the saturated fat and cholesterol to your day, so you can see what taking the skin off saves.
Download Heart Tracker FreeRelated guides
Sources
- Bergeron N, et al. Effects of red meat, white meat, and nonmeat protein sources on atherogenic lipoprotein measures in the context of low compared with high saturated fat intake: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2019;110(1):24–33.
- NHS: Meat in your diet (skinless poultry, removing skin and cooking methods).
- USDA FoodData Central: chicken breast, meat only, roasted (FDC 171477); breast, meat and skin, roasted (171075); thigh, meat only (172388) and meat and skin (173625), roasted; wing, meat and skin, roasted (173630); KFC Extra Crispy breast (170348); turkey breast, meat only, roasted (174516).
- American Heart Association: Saturated fat.