Chicken breast... grilled vs roasted calories?

Francl27 · February 2015

Yes, I've been on MFP for 2 years... Nope, still don't know how to log cooked chicken.

I know, I should weigh it raw, but typically I make enough for 4 of us at once and it's just not convenient to weigh my portion raw (especially for leftovers). The problem is that there is no USDA info for grilled chicken breast... only roasted. That's 170 calories and 7g of fat for 100g. However, when I buy my store brand chicken, the nutrition info says 130 calories and 3g of fat for 100g cooked. When I bought frozen grilled breasts from the same store, the calories were 160 calories for 170g.

Let's say I'm buying chicken from another brand, and I cook it the same way (George Foreman grill), trimming the fat like I usually do... How do I log it?

ashleycde · February 2015

You know what, I have no idea. I was thinking about that the other week when my boyfriend made a whole chicken and I weighed my portion while serving, not (obviously) while he was cooking. I used the roasted MFP one, but it seemed high. Probably better to be over than under, I suppose. My only suggestion would be to weigh one chicken breast raw, then cook it, and see how the weight differ. Obviously the calories will be the same raw vs. cooked, just at different weights. Then you can calculate what raw chicken weighs after it is cooked, and use raw chicken to log. Of course you'd probably have to do this several times for it to be scientifically sound, but it's a good starting point.

martyqueen52 · February 2015

Just weigh yours out raw, and cook it alone. If that means you eat 10-15mins later, so be it.

Save yourself the headache and time of searching this crap.

Francl27 · February 2015

martyqueen52 wrote: »

Just weigh yours out raw, and cook it alone. If that means you eat 10-15mins later, so be it.

Save yourself the headache and time of searching this crap.

That doesn't help for leftovers though...

JoRocka · February 2015

I do mine based on how I cook it- typically it's on the range- so I just log it as grilled.

I never weigh raw.

Francl27 · February 2015

JoRocka wrote: »

I do mine based on how I cook it- typically it's on the range- so I just log it as grilled.

I never weigh raw.

What entry do you use? They are all over the place.

JoRocka · February 2015

Francl27 wrote: »

JoRocka wrote: »

I do mine based on how I cook it- typically it's on the range- so I just log it as grilled.

I never weigh raw.

What entry do you use? They are all over the place.

usually generic chicken- grilled- or whatever- I look at the top 5-6 entries- take the average- and pick the one that is an average number of calories. I add seasoning/butter/marinades separately.

Yes- I'm aware it's not "the best" way to do it- but I hate the idea of weighing raw chicken- it's gross- and I don't make food in a way that's as conducive... I mean I could switch- but .. I'm lazy and I dislike the idea.

terricherry2 · February 2015

What are these "leftovers" that you speak of? I'm unfamiliar with the term.

JustinAnimal · February 2015

Grilled = over open flame, usually over a metal "grill," hence the term grilled, like grilling, like bbq-ing.
Roasted = in an oven at a very high temperature, it's like baked, but higher heat

They will never influence the caloric content of your chicken. What you cover them in (olive oil, marinades, bacon, etc.) will influence the calories.

I always look up baked boneless skinless chicken breast and add .15 tbsp of olive oil to account for the tiny amount I spray on them.

Cooked in a pan (i.e. on top of the range) is not grilled, it's pan-fried.

AsaThorsWoman · February 2015

Grilling and roasting are almost the exact same thing. There are flavor differences, but it's all heat applied to meat.

This is why I've taken a step back from the logging in some ways. At some point, it gets OCD or seemingly unhealthy to me.

It's cooked chicken. Log it as roasted chicken as per USDA or the package if you have that.

Don't worry. It's chicken. You probably won't be off by more than 20-30 calories.

lemurcat12 · February 2015

JustinAnimal wrote: »

Roasted = in an oven at a very high temperature, it's like baked, but higher heat

That's interesting. I wonder if there are regional differences in language here. I agree about grilling but am always puzzled when people talk about baking chicken breast, since I roast it--as I use the terms you bake baked goods, but always roast meat when you are talking about dry and in the oven, regardless of the temperature. Turkey is roasted even if you like 325.

Back to the topic, I don't see how roasting vs. grilling could make a difference, and I am skeptical of the efforts to find precise differences in calorie counts in different brands of chicken (although if they know the types of chicken it might matter maybe--some kinds of pork is a lot leaner than others based on the type of hog). Thus, I always just use the USDA (non asterisk) entry. Chicken breast is low enough calories even with those entries.

Cooked in a pan (i.e. on top of the range) is not grilled, it's pan-fried.

Agree with this.

JoRocka · February 2015

Fried implies grease... and when you aren't using much grease- it's not really fried.

cooking something either on a cast iron dish- is more like grilling it- and cooking something on the range in a pan with a lid is more like in the oven- I realize there are difference and it's not exactly the same... but I suspect calorie wise- the difference is negligible.

MindySaysWhaaat · February 2015

I always just weigh mine raw. If I'm making food for more than just myself, I try to mark which one is mine somehow or remember where I've placed it on the pan.

Roxiegirl2008 · February 2015

I just use the generic term once it is cooked. For example 4 oz of grilled chicken is what I would log and I weigh it after cooking. That seems to have helped me so I don't have to guess with leftovers weights. I will admit though I am still not completely sure if that is correct.

ana3067 · February 2015

ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/1179?fg=&man=&lfacet=&format=&count=&max=25&offset=&sort=&qlookup=chicken+breast+cooked+meat+only

ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/863?fg=&man=&lfacet=&format=&count=&max=25&offset=&sort=&qlookup=chicken+breast+cooked+meat+only

i've pretty much never grilled my chicken in the way that grilling is defined. I pretty much always just use the roasted info when I weigh cooked chicken. If I were to pan-fry and weigh cooked I'd honestly also probably just use the roasted entry and then add in the oil separately. THe calorie difference isn't going to be huge enough to cancel out your goals. I only weigh raw if I'm making a single serving. For example I never weigh salmon raw becuase I always cook the entire thing. Ain't got time to be inconvenient.

ana3067 · February 2015

lemurcat12 wrote: »

JustinAnimal wrote: »

Roasted = in an oven at a very high temperature, it's like baked, but higher heat

That's interesting. I wonder if there are regional differences in language here. I agree about grilling but am always puzzled when people talk about baking chicken breast, since I roast it--as I use the terms you bake baked goods, but always roast meat when you are talking about dry and in the oven, regardless of the temperature. Turkey is roasted even if you like 325.

Back to the topic, I don't see how roasting vs. grilling could make a difference, and I am skeptical of the efforts to find precise differences in calorie counts in different brands of chicken (although if they know the types of chicken it might matter maybe--some kinds of pork is a lot leaner than others based on the type of hog). Thus, I always just use the USDA (non asterisk) entry. Chicken breast is low enough calories even with those entries.

Cooked in a pan (i.e. on top of the range) is not grilled, it's pan-fried.

Agree with this.

I just call it cooked chicken

BUt yeah for oven stuff I usually just say "baked."

spoonyspork · February 2015

If you grill it (open grill or george foreman), you are going to lose a few calories with fat draining off.

If you bake/roast it (in a pan in the oven) it's going to simmer in its own fat and not lose as much (though some will still be lost unless you pour it back over and eat it)

But I don't think the calories are going to be large enough in difference to matter

I tested this with bacon.

I baked some on a broiler (with slots and a drain pan) and some in a shallow cooking pan -- at same time so same temp, etc. I weighed each piece raw and picked ones that matched in weight, then weighed again after cooking (and weighed the drained off fat from both for good measure). The ones off the broiling pan were lighter than the baked, and the drained off fat weighed more than what I got out of the baking pan.

But when I calculated the calories, there was only about a 10% difference. Did this a couple times with similar results. Not *perfectly* good science, but there ya go!

(I've been really bored this week with my husband gone and too much rain to go ride, don't judge me! XD )

lemurcat12 · February 2015

JoRocka wrote: »

but I suspect calorie wise- the difference is negligible.

The entry shouldn't include any ingredients other than chicken, IMO. If you fry it you'd add the grease. If you pan fry in some olive oil or butter (a much smaller amount), you'd add that.

My thought is that any dry method of cooking (pan frying, grilling, broiling, or roasting) will be the same other than whatever cooking fat you add (or don't) and whatever spices and marinade you add.

The distinction that's important to make is between dry and wet ways of cooking (like braising).

I don't think this disagrees with anyone, I just felt like saying it for some reason. ;-)

hesn92 · February 2015

I always weigh it raw... And I've also gotten good at estimating about how much chicken it is. I also make enough for the whole family. I just cut up all my chicken, stick the pan on the scale, zero it out, then dump the chicken in. It's really not that far out of my way to do that. And then I know for sure.

Chicken breast... grilled vs roasted calories?

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