How much protein is in a chicken leg?
A whole cooked chicken leg, meaning the thigh and drumstick together, commonly provides about 35 to 50 g of protein. The exact amount depends on edible meat, not the total bone-in weight. A drumstick alone is smaller and often provides about 12 to 18 g.
Key takeaways
- A whole chicken leg includes both thigh and drumstick.
- A typical whole cooked leg supplies roughly 35 to 50 g of protein.
- A drumstick alone commonly provides about 12 to 18 g.
- Bone-in weight is not edible weight and should not be multiplied by a per-100-g meat value.
- Weighing leftovers is the simplest way to estimate the meat you ate.
A chicken leg can mean two different things. In butchery, a whole leg is the thigh and drumstick together. In everyday speech, some people use leg for the drumstick alone. That difference can double or triple the protein estimate.
Protein in a chicken leg
- 42 gWhole leg, thigh and drumstickone medium
- 15 gDrumstick onlyone medium
- 26 gCooked dark meat100 g
- 39 gCooked edible meat150 g
Treat the per-piece numbers as planning estimates. The edible weight is more dependable than the name of the cut.
Whole leg versus drumstick
| Cut | What it contains | Practical protein range |
|---|---|---|
| Whole leg | thigh plus drumstick | 35 to 50 g |
| Thigh | upper leg only | 20 to 28 g |
| Drumstick | lower leg only | 12 to 18 g |
If the package contains a large joint with a bend in the middle, it is probably a whole leg. A single narrow piece with one main bone is a drumstick.
How to count a bone-in chicken leg
The label may show 250 g, but that weight includes bone and sometimes skin you will not eat. Do not multiply the full weight by the protein value for meat.
- Weigh the cooked leg before eating.
- Weigh the bone and scraps afterward.
- Subtract the leftovers from the starting weight.
- Multiply the edible cooked meat by about 0.26.
If you ate 165 g of meat, the estimate is about 43 g of protein.
Raw, cooked and skin-on values
Cooked meat has more protein per 100 g than raw meat because cooking removes water. Skin mainly increases fat and calories. Brines, sauces and marinades may add weight without adding much protein, so a package label is preferable for prepared products.
For a thigh without the drumstick, see protein in chicken thigh. For the leanest common cut, compare it with protein in chicken breast.
The number to log
Use about 42 g for an unweighed medium whole cooked leg or about 15 g for a medium drumstick. When you have a scale, use 26 g per 100 g of cooked edible meat and leave the bone out of the calculation.
More questions about Protein in food
Is a chicken leg the same as a drumstick?
Not technically. A whole leg includes the thigh and drumstick. Shops and recipes sometimes use chicken leg when they mean drumstick, so check the cut before choosing a value.
How much protein is in one chicken drumstick?
A medium cooked drumstick commonly provides about 12 to 18 g of protein. Size and the amount of edible meat are the main sources of variation.
Should I weigh a chicken leg with the bone?
You can weigh it with the bone before eating, but subtract the bone and uneaten scraps afterward. Apply the protein value only to the edible meat.
