Prawns vs Chicken breast: nutrition per 100 g

Per 100 g raw, big prawns have 19.2 g of protein and chicken breast 21.8 g, covering 36 and 40 per cent of a man's daily need. The energy gap is wide: prawns have 91 kcal and chicken breast 168 kcal, about 1.8 times as much. That is because prawns carry almost no fat, 0.5 g per 100 g, placing them among the leanest foods in the tables, while chicken breast has 9.0 g. Per calorie, prawns deliver noticeably more protein than chicken breast. Prawns are also wetter, 77.4 g of water per 100 g against 67.2 g.

Prawns have more cholesterol, 87 mg per 100 g against 62 mg, ranking 9th of 253 foods. For most people, the very low saturated fat in prawns, 0.09 g, matters more than this, but anyone told to limit dietary cholesterol should ask their doctor about shellfish.

Sodium is the bigger surprise. IFCT 2017 lists 849 mg per 100 g for prawns, the highest of all 243 foods with a value, against 37 mg in chicken breast. Some of this may reflect the sample and its handling, but it is a reason to go easy on added salt, soy sauce and pickles in prawn dishes, especially for people with high blood pressure. Prawns also carry small amounts of omega-3, 27 mg of EPA and 28 mg of DHA.

Prawns lead on most minerals. They have 49 mg of calcium per 100 g, about 3.8 times the 13 mg in chicken, 1.44 mg of zinc against 0.78 mg, 39 mg of magnesium against 20 mg, more phosphorus and more copper, 0.69 mg against 0.27 mg. Selenium is 28.6 micrograms against 18.6. Iron is the same in both, under 1 mg. Prawns have 2.85 mg of vitamin E against 0.29 mg, ranking 12th of 242 foods. Chicken breast is far richer in niacin, 8.06 mg against 1.31 mg, about 6.2 times as much.

Prawns are coastal comfort food: Bengal's chingri malai curry and chingri bhapa, Goa's prawn balchão and xacuti, Kerala's chemmeen roast and curry, and Mumbai's kolambi bhaat. Chicken is the everyday protein inland. Prawns cook in minutes and turn rubbery if overcooked; chicken breast needs a little longer. Prawns are a common allergen, so introduce them carefully to children. Values are for raw flesh; coconut milk, butter and frying change the dish's energy more than the protein choice.