Sure, turkey makes pretty good chili, comes through on Thanksgiving, and is a third of one of our great nation’s goofiest alliances, the turducken. But to describe how most Americans feel about turkey is akin to describing your sister’s kind yet humorless boyfriend who works in commercial real estate and has a spreadsheet of every IPA he’s ever consumed: It’s fine.
Obviously, we’re a bunch of biased chicken heads over here at The Sausage Project thanks to our love of flavor-studded, protein-packed chicken links. But you can’t deny that turkey simply doesn’t have the same cachet as other poultry outside the Renaissance Fair. Turkey does, however, contain lots of sweet, sweet complete protein, the macronutrient we’ve all very enthusiastically been trying to eat more of in recent years. So despite its humdrum reputation, you might wonder if you should eat more of it. You might even wonder if turkey is better for you than chicken, the unofficial lean protein gold standard.
So, which poultry deserves the health halo? The answer, like most health topics, isn’t black and white—and certainly isn’t as cut and dry as the chicken vs. pork comparison. Here’s what to know.
Does the Cut Matter?
Decidedly, yes, cut does matter in the bout between chicken and turkey. Breast and thigh meat can have very different nutrition profiles, no matter what beast they come from.
“I would compare apples to apples,” says Registered Dietitian Megan Huff. “I wouldn't compare a turkey breast to a chicken thigh or ground turkey to chicken breast. I would compare ground turkey to ground chicken, dark turkey meat to dark chicken meat.”
Huff wants you to be conscious of preparation, too. Skin-on meat contains more fat than skinless meat, and ground poultry can vary in nutrition depending on how much white and dark meat it contains. And a roasted thigh will typically beat a fried breast in overall nutrition any day of the week.
Chicken vs. Turkey Nutrition Comparison
For a baseline comparison, we looked at craw hicken breast, turkey breast, chicken thigh, and turkey thigh using USDA FoodData Central data.
We used a serving size of 100 grams, which is slightly more than one 3-ounce serving—a standard serving size—and a little larger than one 85-gram Sausage Project link.
Calories
Chicken breast is slightly less caloric than turkey breast for the same serving size—about 106 calories compared to 114 calories. Meanwhile, there is a slight calorie difference between chicken thigh and turkey thigh, but not a super dramatic one: chicken thigh clocks in at 144 calories per 100 grams, while turkey thigh has 108. Neither bird is automatically the lower-calorie choice.
Protein
“In terms of protein, [chicken and turkey] are about the same,” Huff says. “They're both healthy options.” Per 100 grams, chicken breast provides about 22.5 grams of protein, while turkey breast has 23.7 grams. Chicken thigh contains 18.6 grams, compared with 21.3 grams in turkey thigh. Both contain all nine essential amino acids your body needs.
Chicken and turkey are more alike than they are different: One study found that they produce many of the same small protein fragments, or peptide sequences, during digestion, with 202 of these fragments showing up in both meats, which suggests there isn't a meaningful protein advantage to choosing one bird over the other.
Fat
When comparing white meat, there’s not much difference in fat between the two birds. Chicken breast contains about 1.93 grams of total fat per 100 grams, compared with 1.48 grams in turkey breast.
When we look at dark meat, though, we can start to understand why turkey is often second fiddle to chicken. Turkey thighs have about 2.5 grams of fat per 100g, while chicken thighs contain nearly 8 grams. That fat contributes to flavor and juiciness, and perhaps helps explain the rise of chicken thigh popularity in America. The saturated-fat numbers follow a similar pattern: Chicken thigh contains about 1.66 grams, compared with 0.68 grams in turkey thigh.
Micronutrients
“Turkey has more zinc and B12. Chicken has more B6 and B3, so more B vitamins,” Huff says. What does this mean for you? You get different and necessary micronutrients from each. “That's why we eat a balanced diet and don't eat the same thing every day,” she says.
Chicken Sausage vs. Turkey Sausage
Chicken and turkey sausage don’t exactly compete for the same real estate. Chicken shows up in everything from Italian Herb Chicken Sausage to Melty Cheddar varieties, while turkey is more likely to turn up in breakfast patties and kielbasa blends. You might not find yourself choosing between the two too often. But if and when you do, you know what they say, ‘don’t judge a sausage by the bird on its package.’ Two poultry sausages can have very different nutrition profiles depending on the recipe.
Huff recommends scrutinizing the nutrition facts panel and the ingredients. Is it made with mostly lean white meat? Does it include dark meat? What else is in the ingredient list? “I would look for just the chicken or turkey and then maybe some herbs to add flavor,” she says.
At The Sausage Project, for example, our sausages are made with simple ingredients. The Classic Roasted Chicken Sausage is made with chicken raised without antibiotics, water, sea salt, sugar, celery powder, cherry powder, vinegar, potato starch, black pepper, and natural flavorings, stuffed in a natural pork casing.
When it comes to sausage comparisons, the bigger nutritional distinction may be between poultry and red meat rather than between chicken and turkey sausage.
Taste and Cooking
Chicken has a more neutral flavor than turkey, which tends to taste a little more robust, even slightly gamey. Turkey’s stronger flavor helps it stand up to spices like chili powder and paprika used with a heavy hand, while chicken’s mild vibe makes it easy to use across a wider range of recipes. They’re fairly interchangeable, though, and our links can be used in almost any recipe where turkey typically takes the lead.
For example, chicken sausage shines in shepherd's pie. Chili made with the Italian Herb Chicken Sausage, with its Calabrian kick, will punch you in the jeans in the best possible way. And yes, chicken sausage can absolutely make an appearance at Thanksgiving, whether you're plussing up your sides or jazzing up a stuffing.
Ultimately, which bird you choose depends on what you like to eat. “I like to ask people, ‘What do you like the taste of?’” Huff says. “If you absolutely hate the taste of turkey, don't force yourself to eat it or cook with it, because food is also about enjoyment.”
Is Turkey Healthier Than Chicken?
Sure, snacking on a 100g portion of turkey breast will net you fewer calories than eating an entire rotisserie chicken with your hands. But beyond that, we really can’t speak in absolutes. “It depends on what nutrient you're looking at,” Huff says. “It's pretty minimal, the difference between the two of them. They each have their unique attributes of why they're healthy. They're both a great option,” she says. “I switch between both.”
So eat turkey when you're in the mood for turkey and chicken when you're in the mood for chicken. Compare the labels when you're buying sausage, weighing towards links like The Sausage Project’s, which are made with minimal ingredients. And don't let the pursuit of the “healthiest” poultry suck the fun out of eating.