Chicken has more protein than paneer: cooked chicken breast gives about 31 g of protein per 100 g, while paneer gives about 19 g. For weight loss the bigger difference is calories, because 100 g of paneer has about 305 kcal against about 165 kcal for chicken breast, so chicken gives roughly three times more protein per calorie.
Paneer vs chicken: protein per 100 g
| Food (100 g) | Calories | Protein | Fat | Protein per 100 kcal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paneer (IFCT 2017) | 305 kcal | 19 g | 25 g | 6 g |
| Paneer (USDA entry) | 300 kcal | 16 g | 15.5 g | 5.5 g |
| Chicken breast, cooked (roasted, no skin) | 165 kcal | 31 g | 3.5 g | 19 g |
| Chicken breast, raw (no skin, boneless) | 120 kcal | 22.5 g | 2.5 g | 19 g |
| Chicken thigh, cooked (no skin) | 180 kcal | 25 g | 8 g | 14 g |
“Protein per 100 kcal” is the useful number when you are in a calorie deficit. It tells you how much protein you get for each slice of your daily budget. Chicken breast wins clearly, thigh comes second, and paneer comes last.
Notice that raw and cooked chicken have different numbers per 100 g. Cooking drives out water, so the same piece weighs less and looks denser in protein. Always log chicken in the state you weighed it. The chicken breast page has both.
How much protein is in 100 g of paneer?
About 19 g, according to IFCT 2017, the Indian food composition tables from ICMR-NIN. USDA’s paneer entry is lower in protein (about 16 g) and fat (about 15.5 g), with a similar calorie count (about 300 kcal). That gap is a reminder that paneer is not one fixed food: the milk, the fat level and how much water is pressed out all change the result.
India’s food regulator, FSSAI, defines three kinds: regular, medium fat and low fat paneer. Regular paneer must have at least 50% milk fat in its dry matter. Low fat paneer can have no more than 15%, and the pack must say “Low Fat Paneer”. If you buy packaged paneer, the label is your best guide. The paneer calories page covers common portion sizes.
What does a normal serving look like?
Most people do not eat exactly 100 g. Here is what typical portions give:
| Portion | Calories | Protein | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paneer, 50 g | 155 kcal | 9.5 g | 12.5 g |
| Paneer, 100 g | 305 kcal | 19 g | 25 g |
| Chicken breast, half a breast cooked (86 g) | 140 kcal | 26.5 g | 3 g |
| Chicken breast, 120 g raw boneless (for a curry) | 145 kcal | 27 g | 3 g |
And here is what it takes to reach 25 g of protein from each:
| To get about 25 g protein | Amount | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| Cooked chicken breast | 80 g | 130 kcal |
| Dry soya chunks | 50 g | 185 kcal |
| Firm tofu | 145 g | 210 kcal |
| Hard-boiled eggs | 200 g (about 4 large) | 310 kcal |
| Paneer | 135 g | 410 kcal |
Paneer costs about three times the calories of chicken breast for the same protein. That does not make paneer a bad food. It means portions matter more.
Is paneer or chicken better for weight loss?
If the only goal is protein for the fewest calories, chicken breast is the better choice. In a deficit that matters, because a high protein target is hard to hit when every gram of protein comes with a lot of fat.
Paneer has its own strengths. IFCT 2017 lists about 476 mg of calcium per 100 g of paneer; USDA lists about 15 mg for cooked chicken breast. It is also much richer in fat, about 25 g per 100 g against about 3.5 g in cooked chicken breast, which is worth knowing if your doctor has asked you to watch fat.
The dish matters as much as the ingredient. In our own home recipes, paneer bhurji made with 80 g of paneer and 1 tsp of oil is about 320 kcal and 16.5 g of protein, while chicken bhuna with 100 g of raw breast and the same oil is about 200 kcal and 24 g. The gravy counts too: oil, butter and cream add calories to either one.
Does the gap shrink once it is in a curry?
Often, yes. USDA lists ready-made recipes for both dishes. A cup of palak paneer (200 g) comes to about 200 kcal and 11 g of protein, and a cup of chicken curry (240 g) to about 255 kcal and 15.5 g. Per 100 kcal that is about 5.5 g of protein for the palak paneer and 6 g for the chicken curry, much closer than the raw ingredients suggest.
The reason is that the gravy (oil, onion, cream, spinach) adds calories but little protein to both. These USDA recipes are American versions, so treat them as a rough guide, but the lesson holds at home too: the leaner the gravy, the more the choice of paneer or chicken matters.
What if I am vegetarian?
You can still get protein efficiently. Per 100 kcal, dry soya chunks give about 14 g of protein and firm tofu about 12 g, both well above paneer’s 6 g. Mixing paneer with dal, curd and soya through the day spreads the load. See the vegetarian calorie deficit foods list for more options with calories per serving, and the protein calculator for your daily target.
How did we compare them?
Paneer uses IFCT 2017 (code L003) as the main figure, with the USDA FNDDS paneer entry shown for comparison. Chicken, tofu, eggs and soya chunks (USDA’s textured vegetable protein, dry) come from USDA FoodData Central. Values are rounded to the nearest 5 kcal and 0.5 g. We have left cost out on purpose, because prices change by city and season.
The practical takeaway
Eat whichever you enjoy and will keep eating, but weigh it for a week. If you choose paneer, plan around 50 to 100 g a meal and add a second protein such as dal or curd. If you eat chicken, breast gives the most protein per calorie and thigh is a good, slightly richer second. Logging the portion, in Calo AI or anywhere else, is what turns either choice into a predictable number.