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Types of chicken have legal names: USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) sets class standards in its inspection rules at 9 CFR 381.170, from the Cornish game hen and the broiler or fryer to the roaster, capon, hen or stewing chicken and rooster, and the same section defines the chicken cuts sold as breasts, thighs, drumsticks, wings and quarters. This guide quotes those standards from the eCFR, ranks 17 cooked chicken entries from USDA SR Legacy data by protein per 3 ounces, and gives the federal FoodSafety.gov cooking temperature. For meats beyond poultry, see our types of meat guide.
Peptide Labs does not sell foods. This article is general nutrition information, not medical advice.
Key Takeaways
- Under FSIS rules at 9 CFR 381.170, a Cornish game hen has a ready-to-cook carcass weight of not more than 2 pounds, while a roaster or roasting chicken weighs 5.5 pounds or more.
- The same FSIS rules define a leg quarter as a poultry thigh and drumstick with a portion of the back attached, and a wing drummette as the humerus of the wing with its skin and meat.
- In USDA data, 3 ounces of roasted breast meat lists about 26.4 grams of protein and 3.0 grams of fat; roasted thigh meat lists 21.0 grams of protein and 6.9 grams of fat.
- The FoodSafety.gov chart lists one minimum internal temperature, 165°F, for chicken, turkey and other poultry, covering whole birds, parts, ground poultry and giblets.
Types of chicken in the FSIS class standards
FSIS rules sort chickens into classes by age, sex, carcass weight and texture. The table quotes 9 CFR 381.170(a)(1) for each class name.
| Class name (9 CFR 381.170) | Age in the standard | Other wording quoted from the standard |
|---|---|---|
| Rock Cornish game hen or Cornish game hen | less than 5 weeks of age | with a ready-to-cook carcass weight of not more than 2 pounds |
| Broiler or fryer | less than 10 weeks of age | tender-meated with soft, pliable, smooth-textured skin and flexible breastbone cartilage |
| Roaster or roasting chicken | less than 12 weeks of age | with a ready-to-cook carcass weight of 5.5 pounds or more |
| Capon | less than 4 months of age | a surgically neutered male chicken |
| Hen, fowl, baking chicken, or stewing chicken | more than 10 months of age | an adult female chicken |
| Cock or rooster | Not stated | an adult male chicken with coarse skin, toughened and darkened meat, and a nonflexible breastbone tip |
The FSIS rules describe the roaster as having breastbone cartilage “somewhat less flexible than that of a broiler or fryer,” and give the hen or stewing chicken “meat less tender than that of a roaster or roasting chicken and a nonflexible breastbone tip.”
The same FSIS rules set classes for the other birds in the section, such as the fryer-roaster turkey, the duckling and the young goose; see our turkey, duck and goose guides.
Chicken cuts in the FSIS standards
Paragraph (b) of 9 CFR 381.170 sets what each cut name on a poultry label must contain. The table quotes a defining phrase for 13 of its cut names; it also covers stripped backs, major portions and cut-up poultry.
| Cut (9 CFR 381.170(b)) | Wording quoted from the standard |
|---|---|
| Breasts | the breasts may be cut along the breastbone to make two approximately equal halves |
| Drumsticks | shall be separated from the thigh by a cut through the knee |
| Thighs | may include the pelvic meat |
| (Kind) legs | includes the thigh and the drumstick, i.e., the whole leg |
| Wings | shall include the entire wing with all muscle and skin tissue intact, except that the wingtip may be removed |
| Wing drummette | consists of the humerus of a poultry wing with adhering skin and meat attached |
| Wing portion | consists of a poultry wing except that the drummette has been removed |
| Backs | all the vertebrae posterior to the shoulder |
| Necks | with or without neck skin, shall be separated from the carcass at the shoulder |
| Quarters | cut into four equal parts, but excluding the neck |
| Breast quarter | consists of half a breast with the wing and a portion of the back attached |
| Leg quarter | consists of a poultry thigh and drumstick, with a portion of the back attached |
| Giblets | approximately equal numbers of hearts, gizzards, and livers |
Under these FSIS rules, a drumstick and a thigh together make a leg, and a leg quarter adds a portion of the back. The FSIS rules split the wing into the drummette and the wing portion; our chicken wings guide covers that cut. In the FSIS rules, giblets are “approximately equal numbers of hearts, gizzards, and livers,” counted by number.
Chicken cuts ranked by protein per 3 ounces
The table lists USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy entries for roasted broiler or fryer parts at 3 ounces (85 grams), an editorial comparison basis, ranked by protein; USDA lists neck meat and giblets only as simmered. The percent Daily Value (%DV) uses the FDA Daily Values of 78 grams for total fat, 20 grams for saturated fat, 18 milligrams for iron, 11 milligrams for zinc and 2.4 micrograms for vitamin B12; protein has no %DV here because the FDA labeling rule bases a protein %DV on an amount corrected for protein quality.
| Chicken part (USDA FDC ID) | Serving | Calories | Protein | Total fat (% DV) | Saturated fat (% DV) | Iron (% DV) | Zinc (% DV) | Vitamin B12 (% DV) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breast, meat only (171477) | 3 oz (85 g) | 140 | 26.4 g | 3.0 g (4%) | 0.9 g (4%) | 0.9 mg (5%) | 0.8 mg (8%) | 0.3 mcg (12%) |
| Wing, meat only (172392) | 3 oz (85 g) | 173 | 25.9 g | 6.9 g (9%) | 1.9 g (10%) | 1.0 mg (5%) | 1.8 mg (17%) | 0.3 mcg (12%) |
| Breast, meat and skin (171075) | 3 oz (85 g) | 167 | 25.3 g | 6.6 g (8%) | 1.9 g (9%) | 0.9 mg (5%) | 0.9 mg (8%) | 0.3 mcg (11%) |
| Back, meat only (171472) | 3 oz (85 g) | 203 | 24.0 g | 11.2 g (14%) | 3.1 g (15%) | 1.2 mg (7%) | 2.3 mg (20%) | 0.3 mcg (11%) |
| Giblets, simmered (171455) | 3 oz (85 g) | 133 | 23.1 g | 3.8 g (5%) | 1.1 g (6%) | 6.0 mg (33%) | 3.6 mg (33%) | 8.0 mcg (334%) |
| Thigh, meat only (172388) | 3 oz (85 g) | 152 | 21.0 g | 6.9 g (9%) | 2.0 g (10%) | 1.0 mg (5%) | 1.6 mg (15%) | 0.4 mcg (15%) |
| Neck, meat only, simmered (172384) | 3 oz (85 g) | 152 | 20.9 g | 7.0 g (9%) | 1.8 g (9%) | 2.2 mg (12%) | 3.2 mg (29%) | 0.1 mcg (6%) |
| Drumstick, meat only (172376) | 3 oz (85 g) | 132 | 20.6 g | 4.8 g (6%) | 1.3 g (6%) | 1.0 mg (5%) | 2.2 mg (20%) | 0.3 mcg (13%) |
| Leg, meat only (172380) | 3 oz (85 g) | 148 | 20.6 g | 6.6 g (8%) | 1.8 g (9%) | 0.9 mg (5%) | 1.8 mg (16%) | 0.3 mcg (14%) |
| Wing, meat and skin (173630) | 3 oz (85 g) | 216 | 20.2 g | 14.3 g (18%) | 4.2 g (21%) | 0.7 mg (4%) | 1.4 mg (13%) | 0.3 mcg (12%) |
| Drumstick, meat and skin (173612) | 3 oz (85 g) | 162 | 19.8 g | 8.6 g (11%) | 2.3 g (12%) | 0.9 mg (5%) | 2.0 mg (18%) | 0.3 mcg (14%) |
| Thigh, meat and skin (173625) | 3 oz (85 g) | 197 | 19.8 g | 12.5 g (16%) | 3.5 g (17%) | 0.9 mg (5%) | 1.5 mg (13%) | 0.4 mcg (16%) |
In USDA data, roasted chicken breast meat lists the most protein in the table, 26.4 grams per 3 ounces, with wing meat at 25.9 grams and breast with skin at 25.3 grams. Keeping the skin raises the fat figures in USDA data: 6.6 grams for breast with skin against 3.0 grams without, 12.5 grams for chicken thighs with skin against 6.9 grams for thigh meat, and 14.3 grams for wings with skin.
Simmered giblets list 6.0 milligrams of iron and 8.0 micrograms of B12 in USDA data, 33% and 334% of the FDA Daily Values, and the highest zinc in the table at 3.6 milligrams. For other rankings, see our high protein foods and lean meats lists.
Chicken classes in USDA data
USDA SR Legacy also lists whole-bird meat by class name. The capon entry is meat and skin, as USDA lists no cooked meat-only capon entry; the stewing chicken entry is stewed and the others are roasted.
| Chicken class (USDA FDC ID) | Serving | Calories | Protein | Total fat (% DV) | Saturated fat (% DV) | Iron (% DV) | Zinc (% DV) | Vitamin B12 (% DV) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stewing chicken, meat only, stewed (172403) | 3 oz (85 g) | 201 | 25.9 g | 10.1 g (13%) | 2.6 g (13%) | 1.2 mg (7%) | 1.8 mg (16%) | 0.2 mcg (9%) |
| Capon, meat and skin (173646) | 3 oz (85 g) | 195 | 24.6 g | 9.9 g (13%) | 2.8 g (14%) | 1.3 mg (7%) | 1.5 mg (13%) | 0.3 mcg (12%) |
| Broiler or fryer, meat only (171054) | 3 oz (85 g) | 162 | 24.6 g | 6.3 g (8%) | 1.7 g (9%) | 1.0 mg (6%) | 1.8 mg (16%) | 0.3 mcg (12%) |
| Roasting chicken, meat only (172395) | 3 oz (85 g) | 142 | 21.3 g | 5.6 g (7%) | 1.5 g (8%) | 1.0 mg (6%) | 1.3 mg (12%) | 0.2 mcg (10%) |
| Cornish game hen, meat only (171109) | 3 oz (85 g) | 114 | 19.8 g | 3.3 g (4%) | 0.8 g (4%) | 0.7 mg (4%) | 1.3 mg (12%) | 0.3 mcg (11%) |
In USDA data, stewing chicken meat lists 25.9 grams of protein and 10.1 grams of fat per 3 ounces, while Cornish game hen meat lists 114 calories and 3.3 grams of fat, the fewest calories in this table. Broiler or fryer meat, the class behind every part in the first table, lists 24.6 grams of protein and 6.3 grams of fat in USDA data. These are generic USDA entries, not products of any company; the Nutrition Facts label on a package is the figure for that product.
Cooking temperature for chicken
The federal FoodSafety.gov chart gives one minimum internal temperature for every chicken type and cut: 165°F for “Chicken, turkey, and other poultry,” a row that covers “All: whole bird, breasts, legs, thighs, wings, ground poultry, giblets, sausage, and stuffing inside poultry.” Our cuts of pork guide lists the pork rows of the FoodSafety.gov chart.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the main types of chicken?
FSIS rules at 9 CFR 381.170 name six chicken classes: Cornish game hen, broiler or fryer, roaster, capon, hen or stewing chicken, and cock or rooster.
What is the difference between a broiler and a roaster?
Under FSIS rules, both are young chickens; the roaster has a ready-to-cook carcass weight of 5.5 pounds or more and breastbone cartilage somewhat less flexible than a broiler’s.
Which chicken cuts does the federal standard define?
9 CFR 381.170(b) defines breasts, breasts with ribs, wishbones, drumsticks, thighs, legs, wings, wing drummettes and portions, backs, necks, halves, quarters, leg and breast quarters, and giblets.
Which chicken part lists the most protein?
In USDA SR Legacy data, roasted breast meat lists about 26.4 grams per 3 ounces, followed by wing meat at 25.9 grams.
What temperature should chicken reach when cooked?
The FoodSafety.gov chart lists 165°F for all poultry, including whole birds, parts, ground poultry and giblets.
Questions about a label? Contact us or read our Buyer’s Guide. Food comes first; follow the label and ask a healthcare provider before starting a supplement, especially if you take medicines, are pregnant or have a health condition. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Last reviewed October 2026.
Related guides: Cuts of Pork: Primals, Retail Cuts and USDA Values, Types of Meat: Federal Definitions and USDA Values for 20 Meats, Lean Protein Foods: The FDA and USDA Lean Test Applied to USDA Data.