How much protein is in rotisserie chicken?
Rotisserie chicken has 22.4 g of protein per 3 oz (85 g) — that's 26.4 g per 100 g, or about 7.5 g per ounce. One 3 oz is roughly 45% of the 50 g Daily Value for protein.
USDA FoodData Central · rotisserie, breast, meat and skin · FDC 171125
Protein & macros by portion
| Portion | Protein | Calories | Fat | Carbs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 oz (85 g) | 22.4 g | 149 | 6.5 g | 0.1 g |
| 100 g | 26.4 g | 175 | 7.7 g | 0.1 g |
| 1 oz (28 g) | 7.5 g | 50 | 2.2 g | 0 g |
Values computed from USDA per-100 g data (FDC 171125, SR Legacy). rotisserie, breast, meat and skin.
The grab-and-go protein that mostly delivers
A supermarket rotisserie chicken is one of the easiest real-food proteins to put on the table, and the breast backs it up: a 3 oz serving (85 g) carries about 22.4 grams of protein for roughly 149 calories, which works out to 26.4 g per 100 g. That’s a complete, high-quality protein — all nine essential amino acids in usable amounts, so it stands on its own with nothing to pair it with — and it’s rich in leucine, the amino acid most directly tied to triggering muscle protein synthesis. No cooking, no cleanup, and you can pull a couple of servings off a single bird, which is exactly why it’s a weeknight staple.
One detail matters for reading these numbers: this figure is for breast with the skin on. The skin is where most of the rotisserie chicken’s fat lives, so pulling it off drops the fat and calories below what’s listed here. Eat the skin and you nudge them up. The dark meat — thighs and drumsticks — runs higher in fat and calories still for similar protein, so where you pull your meat from changes the macros more than anything else about the bird.
The honest caveat: sodium
The trade-off you actually want to watch with rotisserie chicken is salt. To make it juicy and flavorful, these birds are brined and rubbed with seasoning, and that pushes the sodium well above plain chicken: this USDA reference runs about 329 mg of sodium per 100 g, so a 3 oz serving carries roughly 280 mg — a fraction of which you’d get from home-roasted breast with no added salt. That doesn’t make rotisserie chicken a food to avoid; for most people it’s a perfectly good, convenient protein. It just means that if you’re keeping an eye on sodium, this is the version to be aware of, and stripping the skin and sticking to breast keeps both the fat and the salt closer to plain chicken.
For the leaner, lower-sodium baseline, our chicken breast page covers plain skinless breast — the version most training and diet plans are built around. If you prefer the richer, more forgiving cut, see chicken thigh, and for another lean, budget-friendly poultry option there’s ground turkey. Rotisserie chicken earns its place on convenience; just portion the skin and mind the salt, and it’s one of the best easy wins for hitting a protein target.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much protein is in rotisserie chicken?
About 22.4 g of protein in a 3 oz serving (85 g), which is 26.4 g per 100 g, or roughly 7.5 g per ounce (USDA FDC 171125, rotisserie BBQ breast, meat and skin). That 3 oz portion runs about 149 calories. Note this figure is breast with the skin on — pulling the skin off lowers the fat and calories.
Is rotisserie chicken a good protein source?
Yes — it's an excellent, convenient complete protein, and a 3 oz serving of breast gives you ~22.4 g. The honest caveats are two: the skin adds fat and calories over plain skinless breast, and the brine and seasoning rub push the sodium well up versus home-cooked chicken. It's a genuinely good grab-and-go protein, you just want to mind the salt.
How much sodium is in rotisserie chicken?
Elevated compared with plain chicken: this USDA reference runs about 329 mg of sodium per 100 g, so a 3 oz serving carries roughly 280 mg. Home-roasted breast with no added salt is a fraction of that. The brine and rub that make rotisserie chicken tasty are also what drive the sodium up, so it's worth keeping in mind if you're watching salt.
Is rotisserie chicken a complete protein?
Yes. Like all chicken, it contains all nine essential amino acids in usable amounts, so it counts as a complete, high-quality protein on its own with no pairing needed. It's also rich in leucine, the amino acid most tied to triggering muscle protein synthesis — the seasoning and skin change the fat and sodium, not the protein quality.
Is rotisserie chicken breast or dark meat higher in protein?
Breast is leaner and slightly higher in protein per gram; dark meat (thigh and drumstick) is a bit lower in protein and noticeably higher in fat and calories. This page's numbers are for breast with skin. If you eat the thighs and drumsticks, expect more calories and fat for similar protein — and the skin adds fat on either cut.
When was this data last verified?
2026-06-03, against USDA FoodData Central FDC 171125 (Chicken, broiler, rotisserie, BBQ, breast, meat and skin; SR Legacy). We re-verify reference pages periodically and update when USDA revises its underlying data.
Whole-food values are USDA reference data and are not assigned a Labelgrade — that score is for branded packaged products, where ingredients and added sugar/sodium actually vary. See our methodology and how much protein you need per day.