Chicken Piece

Food · Protein · Food, Typed Supps

Coated fried chicken is mostly ordinary chicken plus batter, oil and salt.

Stage by stage

Intake (Coating separates): Chewing breaks the crisp coating away from the flesh; the coating holds most of the absorbed oil.
Digestion (Protein broken down): Frying has already denatured the muscle protein, so proteases work quickly on it.
Absorption (Amino acids and fat): Amino acids, fat from the coating and a large sodium load are absorbed in the small intestine.
Muscle (Repair and rebuilding): 23g of complete protein per 100g is put to the same use as protein from any other animal source.

Time to effect

1-2 hours: Amino acids reach the bloodstream within a couple of hours and are available for muscle repair.

Allergens

None of the fourteen major allergens. Derived from what this food is, not from a product label.

Eating patterns

Fits: Low-FODMAP, Gluten-free. Depends on the product: Halal, Kosher, Keto.

Satiety

129 on the satiety index, where white bread is 100 — moderate. Modelled from the Holt et al. (1995) measurements.

Environmental footprint

9.9 kg CO2e and 660 litres of freshwater per kg, matched to "Poultry meat" in Poore & Nemecek (2018), Science 360.

Cost band

Mid — roughly £7 per kg, as a band midpoint rather than a price.

Key nutrients

Protein
Sodium
Iodine
Niacin

Nutrition per 100g

Calories: 262
Protein: 23.2g
Carbohydrate: 9.5g
of which sugars: 0g
Fat: 14.4g
of which saturated: 2.5g
Fibre: 1g
Sodium: 670mg

Food vs. supplement

100g delivers roughly the protein of a scoop of powder, complete and well absorbed, with B12, niacin and selenium attached — and with 670mg of sodium and 14g of fat that a powder does not carry.

Kitchen tip

Take the coating off and most of the fat and salt goes with it, leaving the protein intact. Grilled versions from the same outlet cut the fat but usually not the sodium, which comes from the brine.

Common myth

“Chicken is the lean option, however it is cooked.” In reality: Coated and deep-fried, it carries around 14g of fat and 670mg of sodium per 100g — more fat than many lean red meat cuts. The bird is lean; the batter and the fryer are not.