Head-to-head comparison

Chicken Breast (skinless) vs Canned Tuna (in water): Which Has More Protein?

Both Chicken Breast (skinless) and Canned Tuna (in water) are common enough protein choices that they get compared directly all the time — here's what the actual numbers say.

Chicken Breast (skinless)

31.0gprotein / 100g

165 cal · 3.6g fat · $ · Quality 0.94

Canned Tuna (in water)

26.0gprotein / 100g

116 cal · 0.8g fat · $ · Quality 0.9

There's a meaningful protein-density gap here: Chicken Breast (skinless) runs 31.0g per 100g against Canned Tuna (in water)'s 26.0g, roughly 5.0g more per equal weight.

Protein quality is essentially matched between the two — both land in a similar tier for amino acid completeness.

Cost is roughly comparable between the two ($), so budget isn't the deciding factor here.

Chicken Breast (skinless)'s typical serving also delivers more leucine (2400mg vs Canned Tuna (in water)'s 2100mg) — relevant if the goal is maximizing the muscle-protein-synthesis trigger per meal, not just total grams.

Verdict

These two are closer than the comparison headline suggests. Either Chicken Breast (skinless) or Canned Tuna (in water) works well in most contexts — let cost, prep time, and personal preference decide rather than the macros.

Full nutrition comparison

Per 100gChicken Breast (skinless)Canned Tuna (in water)
Protein31.0g26.0g
Calories165116
Fat3.6g0.8g
Carbs0.0g0.0g
Fiber0.0g0.0g
Quality score0.940.9
Relative cost$$
Prep time20 min1 min

Frequently asked

Which has more protein, chicken breast (skinless) or canned tuna (in water)?

Chicken Breast (skinless) has 31.0g of protein per 100g compared to Canned Tuna (in water)'s 26.0g.

Which is lower in calories?

Canned Tuna (in water) is lower in calories per 100g, at 116 vs the other's 165.