Grains & legumes
Tofu
Soy protein's LDL-lowering effect is confirmed across 43 randomised trials. The size of it is 3–4 %.
Tofu vs chicken breast: matching the protein takes three times the tofu
Chicken breast carries 31 g of protein per 100 g; tofu carries 10 g. Matching one with the other means eating 300 g of tofu — and three times the calories.
Meat
Chicken breast
31 g of protein and 3.6 g of fat per 100 g. Almost no everyday food beats it on protein per calorie.
Tofu — Leads on
About equal
Chicken breast — Leads on
- Protein
- Selenium
Nutrition side by side
Per 100 g edible portion. Only rows where both have a figure are shown, and no winner is marked for items like calories or sugars where more is not better.
Basis for these figures
- Tofu
- Per 100 g of firm tofu. A standard block is usually around 300 g. Silken and soft tofu hold more water, so the same weight carries less energy and protein than this, and calcium varies a great deal with the coagulant used.
- Chicken breast
- Per 100 g of cooked, roasted, skinless chicken breast. Heat drives off water, so 100 g of raw breast ends up around 70–75 g cooked, and figures for the raw meat come out lower than this table.
| Nutrition | Tofu | Chicken breast |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 83 kcal | 165 kcal |
| Protein | 10.0 g | 31 g |
| Fat | 5.3 g | 3.6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 1.2 g | 0 g |
| Selenium | 13 µg | 27 µg |
Bottom line
"Get your protein from tofu" is common advice. The numbers say you have to eat more of it than people expect.
Chicken breast holds 31 g of protein per 100 g; tofu holds 10 g. A little over three times. To match one 100 g piece of chicken breast you would need about 300 g of tofu — most of a block. The calories flip too: 165 kcal against 249.
The quality differs as well. Soy protein is one of the few plant proteins with a full set of essential amino acids, but it is relatively low in methionine. Rice or wheat fills that gap, so judge it across the day rather than within a single meal.
None of which means tofu only loses. Its 282 mg of calcium is a row chicken breast does not have at all, and so are its 2.0 mg of iron and 35 mg of magnesium.
But tofu's calcium comes with a condition. It does not come from the soybean — it comes from the coagulant. Tofu set with calcium sulfate is high in calcium; tofu set with magnesium chloride is not. It varies by product, so check the coagulant on the label.
Chicken breast has rows of its own. Vitamin B3 at 13.7 mg, vitamin B6 at 0.6 mg and zinc at 0.9 mg. The B3 in particular covers a substantial share of a day's requirement in one piece.
Both are low in fat: 3.6 g for chicken, 5.3 g for tofu. Tofu is slightly higher, and most of that fat is unsaturated.
The practical conclusion. If you are managing weight and want protein efficiently, chicken breast has the clear advantage. Tofu is better treated not as a protein source first but as an ingredient that brings calcium and iron along with its protein — and alternating the two within the same diet is what these numbers support.