Chicken Mince
Chicken Mince: Nutrition, History and Cooking Guide
Chicken mince — ground chicken — is produced by mincing chicken meat, typically from a blend of breast and thigh, or sometimes thigh alone. It is one of the most versatile and widely used minced meats globally, particularly popular in Asian cooking traditions where it appears in Thai larb gai (minced chicken salad with lime, fish sauce, and toasted rice), Japanese tsukune (grilled chicken meatballs on skewers), and Chinese steamed chicken meatballs. In the Middle East, minced chicken is used in kibbeh and kofta as an alternative to lamb. In Western cooking, chicken mince is a lower-fat alternative to beef or pork mince for burgers, pasta sauces, and meatballs. Its popularity has grown substantially as consumers seek leaner protein options without sacrificing versatility.
Nutritional Value of Chicken Mince
Chicken mince provides 143 kcal and 17.4 g of protein per 100 g, with 8.1 g of fat. The fat content depends significantly on the blend — mince from breast alone is much leaner than thigh-heavy blends. It provides complete protein, niacin, B6, selenium, and phosphorus. As a mince, it must always be cooked thoroughly throughout to 75°C.
Health Benefits of Chicken Mince
Chicken mince is generally lower in saturated fat than beef or pork mince, making it a good choice for those managing saturated fat intake. Its protein content is complete and highly bioavailable. Choosing mince made predominantly from breast reduces fat further. As with all poultry, it is not associated with the cancer risk linked to processed red meats and sits comfortably within mainstream health guidance as a frequent protein choice.
How to Select and Store Chicken Mince
Pale pink, fresh-smelling mince indicates good quality. Use within two days of purchase or freeze immediately for up to three months. Note whether the label specifies breast or thigh mince — thigh produces juicier results for meatballs and patties.
How to Cook Chicken Mince
Chicken mince is lean and cooks very quickly — it needs only three to four minutes in a hot pan. Season before cooking and keep the heat moderate; high heat can dry it out. For burgers and meatballs, bind with egg and breadcrumbs and handle gently. It works excellently in Thai-style stir-fries with garlic, ginger, fish sauce, and Thai basil; in pasta sauces with tomato and herbs; and formed into skewered kofta spiced with cumin, coriander, and paprika.
Chicken Mince in more detail
Chicken mince is not a single product. What goes into the pack — breast only, thigh only, or a mix, with or without skin — changes the fat content several-fold, and unlike beef mince it is not conventionally sold with a percentage on the label. The 143 kcal and 8.1 g of fat per 100 g on this page describe a mixed, cooked mince.
The practical consequence is that chicken mince is not automatically the lean option people assume. Thigh-based chicken mince with skin can approach the fat content of medium beef mince; breast-only mince is drastically leaner and correspondingly prone to going dry and grainy. If you are buying it for leanness, the ingredients panel rather than the species is what tells you.
Cooking it well is a different problem from cooking beef mince. Chicken has less fat and less connective tissue, so it does not benefit from long simmering the way beef ragu does — it goes stringy instead. It also browns poorly, because it is pale and releases a lot of water: get the pan properly hot, cook in batches, and let the water boil off before expecting any colour. Adding a little fat to breast-only mince genuinely improves the result.
Mince of any kind has far more surface area than a whole cut, so bacteria are distributed throughout rather than sitting on the outside. It must be cooked right through — the pink-in-the-middle latitude that applies to a whole chicken breast does not apply here.
Nutrients worth knowing about
Per 100 g cooked, this page's panel shows Phosphorus at 234 mg (about 43% of the adult reference intake), Vitamin B3 (Niacin) at 7.11 mg (42%), Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) at 0.54 mg (38%), Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin) at 0.51 µg (34%), Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) at 0.3 mg (23%), Zinc at 1.92 mg (20%), Selenium at 14.3 µg (19%), Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid) at 1.33 mg (19%) and Potassium at 677 mg (19%).
That is a strong B-vitamin profile at 143 kcal, and it is the honest case for chicken mince as an everyday protein: 17.44 g of complete protein per 100 g with a good micronutrient return per calorie.
Other minced and processed poultry
Micronutrients (per 100g, cooked)
| Nutrient | Amount | % adult reference intake |
|---|---|---|
| Minerals | ||
| Iron | 0.93 mg | 6% |
| Calcium | 8 mg | 1% |
| Magnesium | 28 mg | 9% |
| Potassium | 677 mg | 19% |
| Sodium | 75 mg | 5% |
| Chloride | not measured | . |
| Phosphorus | 234 mg | 43% |
| Zinc | 1.92 mg | 20% |
| Copper | 0.06 mg | 5% |
| Manganese | 0.02 mg | 1% |
| Iodine | not measured | . |
| Selenium | 14.3 ug | 19% |
| Vitamins | ||
| Vitamin A | 0 ug | 0% |
| Vitamin C | 0 mg | 0% |
| Vitamin D | not measured | . |
| Vitamin E | 0.39 mg | 10% |
| Vitamin K | 2.1 ug | 3% |
| Vitamin B1 (thiamin) | 0.12 mg | 12% |
| Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) | 0.3 mg | 23% |
| Vitamin B3 (niacin) | 7.11 mg | 42% |
| Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) | 1.33 mg | 19% |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.54 mg | 38% |
| Vitamin B7 (biotin) | not measured | . |
| Vitamin B9 (folate) | 2 ug | 1% |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.51 ug | 34% |
Source: USDA SR Legacy, fdc 171117 (matched record: "Chicken, ground, crumbles, cooked, pan-browned"). N = present but not quantified; Tr = trace; not measured = no value in the source.
What this food is a source of
High in by content (per 100g): Phosphorus (43%), Vitamin B3 (niacin) (42%), Vitamin B6 (38%), Vitamin B12 (34%).
A source of by content (per 100g): Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) (23%), Zinc (20%), Potassium (19%), Selenium (19%), Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) (19%).
These figures are the amount in the food. How much the body absorbs can vary, see each nutrient's entry for detail.