Which is More Nutrient Dense, Chicken or Eggs?

You all know protein foods, especially lean proteins, are an important macronutrient group to incorporate into your daily diet. Protein is not only essential for satiating hunger, it’s also vital for feeding muscle repair and tissue growth—plus, your body uses protein to produce hormones, enzymes and other body chemicals.

The NHS recommends consuming 0.75g of protein per kilo of bodyweight—that's 43.5g of protein for a 58kg woman. Whilst you can get enough protein in your diet from natural food sources such as poultry, fish, eggs, yoghurt and legumes, there are also several protein powders and vegan protein powders on the market great for whacking in smoothie recipes or healthy bakes.

But we digress. You’ve all heard chicken touted as one of the best protein sources—it’s a lean source, after all, and can contain up to 31g of protein per fillet. That’s an awful lot.

But could the humble egg, suitable for vegetarians and flexitarians alike, pip the chicken to the post in terms of protein bang for buck?

The stats:
Just shy of one billion chickens were eaten in the UK last year. That’s an estimated 15 birds per meat-eating person annually. And yet, 13 billion eggs were eaten in the UK the year before that, according to egg-industry statistics. That’s roughly 200 per Brit. No yolk.

The science:
Chicken’s packed with omega-3 fatty acids, which can boost the optimum rate at which your heart, lungs and muscles can effectively use oxygen during exercise. Plus, all the branched-chain amino acids present in your nuggets support both cardiac and skeletal muscle.

On the other hand, a University of Illinois study suggests the high lutein content of egg yolks may help defend against the onset of dementia. A Harvard study has also linked the all-star compound to a decreased risk of vision degeneration in old age. Cracking.

The pros:
Protein-rich chicken has a well-deserved rep for muscle growth – 100g serves up 31g of the stuff and just 3.6g fat (provided you avoid eating the skin—try these healthy chicken recipes) – and it’s also high in selenium, which is linked to fat loss.

However, two large eggs not only serve up 12g protein, making them a great choice post-strength training, but contain more than double the amount of cancer-fighting riboflavin and brain-boosting vitamin B12 found in chicken. Not bad.

The cons:
Intensive farming led to the unnecessary deaths of 1.35 million chickens between 2016 and 2017. It pays to buy free-range. Pasture-raised chicken is higher in vitamin E and can also be up to 50% lower in fat.

Meanwhile, eggs have roughly the same amount of fat as they do protein, and are a source of cholesterol. But it’s untrue that you need to stick to four a week max. Cholesterol in food has little effect on the cholesterol in your blood – it’s sat fats you should swerve, so try to poach rather than fry.

The expert verdict:
Rick Miller, clinical and sports dietician, recommends eating a mixture of chicken cuts to reap the most nutrition benefits. Why? He explains: ‘The more nutrient-rich portions of chicken tend to be in the dark meat. Thighs and legs contain a little more iron and zinc.’

And when it comes to your yolk-consumption, Rhiannon Lambert, Harley Street nutritionist, says eggs are a great protein, B12 and B6 source, which help with energy release from food. More on that: ‘Whole eggs are a rich source of choline – a little-known nutrient that’s useful for brain and nervous-system health.’

The winner: Eggs
Vegans aside – and we suspect you won’t be reading this if you are one – both warrant a place in your shopping basket (free-range only, please).

But the superior nutritional profile of eggs affords them multivitamin status, enhancing both brain and brawn.