Chicken, Beef, and Fish Compared: What Actually Matters

Part of The Protein Atlas — your complete guide to protein.

Chicken breast: 31g protein per 100g. Beef sirloin: 29g. Salmon: 25g.

If you’re optimizing your meals around a 2-gram difference, you’re solving the wrong problem.

I was going to write an article explaining which protein source is “best.” Then I checked the research. Turns out, most of what I assumed—and what you’ve probably heard—is wrong. (More on that in a moment.)

Here’s what actually matters: whether you can cook it, afford it, and eat it without getting bored.

The Macro Truth

The numbers everyone argues about:

Food	Protein (per 100g cooked)	Calories
Chicken breast	31g	165
Chicken thigh	26g	209
Beef sirloin	29g	217
Ground beef (90/10)	26g	196
Salmon	25g	208
Cod	23g	105

Source: USDA FoodData Central

They’re all excellent. All of them. If someone tells you one of these is “bad protein,” they’re selling something.

Chicken breast “wins” by 5-8 grams over fish. That’s one extra bite of chicken—about the size of your thumb. If you’re eating 150-200g of any protein at a meal, you’re hitting 40-60g. Done.

If you’re standing in a grocery store debating whether chicken or salmon is “better” for your macros, you’re solving a problem that doesn’t exist.

What Actually Matters: Cooking Forgiveness

Chicken breast is 90 seconds away from rubber at any given moment. You hit 165°F and it’s perfect. You walk away to check your phone, come back, and it’s a hockey puck. (The “I don’t like chicken” problem is almost always an “I overcook chicken” problem.)

Ground beef is nearly impossible to ruin. It stays moist even when overdone. It absorbs whatever sauce you throw at it. You can brown it while distracted and it forgives you.

Fish sits in the middle. Timing matters, but the window is wider than chicken breast. And it cooks fast, so you’re not standing at the stove for 20 minutes.

Protein	Forgiveness	Why
Ground beef	High	Stays moist, absorbs sauce
Fish	Medium	Fast cook, wider window than chicken
Chicken breast	Low	90-second window before dry

New to cooking? Tired after work? Don’t want to babysit a pan? Beef is your friend.

What Actually Matters: Cost

Protein	Price (Nov 2025)
Chicken thighs	~$2.50/lb
Canned tuna	$0.50-1.50/serving
Canned mackerel	$2-3/can
Chicken breast	$4.15/lb
Frozen tilapia/cod	$4-6/lb
Ground beef	$5.50-6.50/lb
Frozen salmon	$6-8/lb
Fresh salmon	$10-15/lb

Source: BLS Consumer Price Index

Chicken thighs win on pure economics. But canned fish is right there.

If you’ve written off fish as too expensive, you’re only looking at the fresh case. Frozen salmon runs $6-8/lb—competitive with ground beef. And flash-frozen fish is often fresher than “fresh” fish that’s been sitting in a display case for three days.

Fresh salmon is premium. Great if your budget allows. Not required to hit your protein targets.

What Actually Matters: Satiety

I was going to write that beef keeps you fuller longer. It’s denser. Takes longer to chew. Just feels more substantial.

Then I checked the research.

A 2010 study compared satiety responses to pork, beef, and chicken across 41 participants. The finding: no significant difference between meat groups for energy intake at the next meal. People ate the same amount afterward regardless of which protein they’d had.

Here’s where it gets interesting: some research suggests fish may be more satiating than beef or chicken, not less.

All protein is satiating. That’s the point of protein. Pick based on what you’ll actually cook and eat—not on satiety claims that don’t hold up.

What Actually Matters: Meal Prep

Another thing I had wrong: I assumed fish goes bad faster than chicken or beef.

USDA says all cooked proteins last 3-4 days refrigerated. Same window. The “fish spoils faster” belief is about quality, not safety.

Protein	Safety	Quality
Chicken	3-4 days	Holds well, reheats fine
Beef	3-4 days	Often improves (flavors meld)
Fish	3-4 days	Degrades by day 3 (smell, texture)
Canned fish	Years	No degradation

Fish is safe on day 4. It just won’t taste as good as day 1. The quality issue is real—day 3 fish smells like day 3 fish—but you won’t get sick. Plan to eat fish meals early in your prep rotation.

Or skip the problem entirely: canned tuna and mackerel sit in your pantry for years, need zero cooking, and deliver 20-40g protein per can. Meal prep with no prep.

The Chicken Breast Myth

Chicken breast has been the “fitness protein” for decades. It’s lean. It’s high protein. It’s… mostly flavorless and easy to ruin.

Here’s the actual comparison:

Cut	Protein (100g)	Calories
Chicken breast	31g	165
Chicken thigh	26g	209

You’re trading 5g of protein for 44 extra calories. That’s it. One thigh instead of one breast isn’t derailing anything.

Thighs are juicier. More forgiving. Often cheaper. They actually taste like something.

The chicken breast cult exists because bodybuilders in the ’90s optimized for competition cuts at 5% body fat. They needed every edge. You’re probably not stepping on stage in posing trunks next month. (And if you are, you already know what you’re doing.)

Eat the thighs.

Try it: Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Thighs — 60g protein, 579 cal

Beef Is Underrated

Ground beef gets dismissed. Too fatty. Too many calories. Just eat chicken.

That’s 70/30 ground beef. Here’s the full picture:

Type	Protein/100g	Calories	Best For
70/30	24g	310	Budget, bulking
80/20	26g	250	Everyday cooking
90/10	26g	196	Sweet spot
95/5	27g	145	Cutting

Extra lean ground beef has fewer calories than chicken breast. Read that again.

The forgiveness advantage holds across all of them. Ground beef doesn’t dry out. It absorbs any sauce. Taco meat, bolognese, Korean bowls. All forgiving.

For new cooks, busy parents, or anyone who’s stared at another dried-out chicken breast in defeat: 90/10 ground beef is your friend. Cutting hard? 95/5 exists. (It’s pricier, but so is wasted chicken you won’t eat.)

Try it: Korean Ground Beef Bowls — 57g protein, 612 cal

Fish: More Than Omega-3s

Fish does two things no other protein does: omega-3 fatty acids and variety.

The omega-3 case:

Food	Omega-3 (EPA+DHA) per 100g
Salmon	1,500-2,500mg
Mackerel	1,500-2,000mg
Chicken	30-50mg
Beef	20-40mg

If you’re optimizing for one thing with fish, this is it. (The EPA and DHA in salmon are why cardiologists recommend fish twice a week. Not the protein.) Can’t afford fresh salmon? Canned mackerel delivers similar omega-3s for $2-3 per can.

The variety case:

If you’re cooking chicken and beef five days a week, fish breaks the monotony. Different textures. Different cuisines. Different cooking methods.

White fish like cod won’t give you omega-3s, but it cooks in 8 minutes, has a mild flavor picky eaters tolerate, and opens up recipes you can’t make with chicken. That has value. (Not health optimization value. Actually eating dinner value.)

Strict meal prepper? Stick to salmon or canned mackerel. Cooking fresh most nights? Rotate through whatever sounds good.

Try it: Honey Garlic Glazed Cod — 40g protein, 415 cal

The Decision Framework

Enough theory. Here’s when to choose what:

Situation	Choose	Why
Tight budget	Chicken thighs	Best protein per dollar
Need to stay full	Any of them	Satiety is similar
Weeknight, no time	Shrimp or white fish	2-10 minutes, done
Sunday meal prep	Chicken or beef	Quality holds all week
Want omega-3s	Salmon, mackerel, or canned	Only meaningful source
New to cooking	Ground beef (90/10)	Nearly impossible to ruin
Cutting hard	Chicken breast or 95/5 beef	Leanest options
Bored of chicken	Literally anything else	Variety prevents quitting

(Notice “tastes best” isn’t in the table. They all taste good if you cook them right. That’s on you.)

The “best” protein is the one you’ll actually cook and eat. Consistently. That’s it.

Make It Practical

Theory doesn’t cook dinner. Here’s a week:

Day	Protein	Recipe	Protein	Cal
Mon	Chicken	Crispy Air Fryer Thighs	60g	579
Tue	Beef	Korean Ground Beef Bowls	57g	612
Wed	Fish	Honey Garlic Glazed Cod	40g	415
Thu	Repeat	Whatever you liked best	—	—
Fri	Wildcard	Whatever’s in the fridge	—	—

That’s 157g of protein across three dinners. Three recipes. No elaborate meal plan.

Thursday and Friday are intentionally blank. You’ll figure out what you actually like—and that matters more than any optimization.

Pair any of these with a high-protein breakfast and you’re clearing 100g daily without tracking anything.

The Bottom Line

Ready to cook? Browse high-protein recipes or start with the meal prep guide.