How many calories are in chicken thigh?
Chicken thigh has 152 calories per 3 oz cooked (85 g) — that's 179 calories per 100 g, roughly 8% of a 2,000-calorie day. Most of those calories come from protein.
USDA FoodData Central · cooked, roasted, skinless · FDC 172388
Calories by portion
| Portion | Calories | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 oz cooked (85 g) | 152 | 21.1 g | 0 g | 7 g |
| 100 g | 179 | 24.8 g | 0 g | 8.2 g |
| 1 oz (28 g) | 51 | 7 g | 0 g | 2.3 g |
Where the calories come from
Protein 57% Carbs 0% Fat 43%
Calories computed from USDA per-100 g data (FDC 172388, SR Legacy). cooked, roasted, skinless. The macro split uses general Atwater factors (protein and carbs ≈ 4 cal/g, fat ≈ 9 cal/g) and is approximate.
Chicken thigh is a lean, high-protein cut — just not quite as lean as the breast people compare it to. A 3 oz cooked, skinless serving (85 g) carries about 152 calories, and per 100 g it comes in at 179 calories. A typical boneless, skinless thigh weighs somewhere between 85 and 110 g once cooked, so a single thigh lands roughly in the 152–197 calorie range on its own. That is a modest number for the protein it delivers — about 24.8 g per 100 g — and the reason it runs a little higher than breast sits entirely in one macro.
Why thigh is calorie-denser than breast
Thigh is dark meat, and that is the whole story. Cooked skinless chicken breast runs about 165 calories per 100 g; thigh sits at 179. The difference is fat: thigh carries about 8.2 g of fat per 100 g, roughly double the breast’s ~3.6 g. Because fat packs 9 calories a gram against 4 for protein, that extra fat is what nudges the calorie count up. None of it makes thigh a high-calorie food — it is still mostly protein with zero carbohydrate — but the same fat that makes dark meat richer, juicier, and more forgiving on the heat is also what makes it the denser of the two cuts. You are paying a small calorie premium for flavor and a cut that is genuinely hard to overcook.
The number that actually swings: skin
If you want to keep the calories where this page puts them, the lever isn’t the cut — it’s the skin. Every figure here is for skinless thigh. Crispy chicken skin is almost pure fat, and leaving it on can push a thigh from ~179 to well over 230 calories per 100 g. That single choice moves the calorie count more than thigh-versus-breast does. Likewise, the cooking method matters: roasted, grilled, or air-fried thigh stays near these numbers, while breading and frying add carbohydrate and oil that the USDA roasted figure doesn’t include. Cook it skinless and dry-heat, and a 3 oz thigh is a ~152-calorie source of complete protein — a sensible, satisfying anchor for a meal.
For the leaner side of the same comparison, see calories in chicken breast.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many calories are in a 3 oz cooked chicken thigh?
About 152 calories in a 3 oz cooked, skinless serving (85 g), based on 179 calories per 100 g (USDA FDC 172388). A typical boneless, skinless thigh weighs 85–110 g cooked, so a single thigh lands roughly in the 152–197 calorie range.
How many calories are in chicken thigh per 100 g?
179 calories per 100 g for cooked, roasted, skinless thigh (USDA FDC 172388). That comes with about 24.8 g of protein and 8.2 g of fat per 100 g, so a 3 oz serving works out to roughly 152 calories.
Why does chicken thigh have more calories than chicken breast?
Fat. Cooked skinless breast runs about 165 calories per 100 g, while thigh sits at 179 — the gap is the extra fat in dark meat (8.2 g per 100 g in thigh, against roughly 3.6 g in breast). Fat carries 9 calories a gram versus 4 for protein, so the richer cut is also the denser one.
Where do the calories in chicken thigh come from?
Mostly protein, then fat — there are no carbs. With 24.8 g of protein and 8.2 g of fat per 100 g (USDA FDC 172388), roughly 55% of the calories are protein and about 45% are fat by Atwater factors. That is still a lean, protein-forward profile, just less lean than breast.
Does skin change the calorie count?
A lot. These figures are for skinless thigh at 179 calories per 100 g. Leaving the skin on adds fat and can push a thigh well past 230 calories per 100 g. If you are counting calories, the skin is the single biggest variable on the cut.
When was this data last verified?
2026-06-18, against USDA FoodData Central FDC 172388 (Chicken, broilers or fryers, thigh, meat only, cooked, roasted; SR Legacy). We re-verify reference pages periodically and update when USDA revises its data.
Whole-food values are USDA reference data, not a Labelgrade (that score is for branded packaged products). See our methodology and the TDEE calculator to turn this into a daily target.