A cooked, skinless chicken drumstick has about 23g of protein for a medium size. Protein content scales directly with the size and weight of the drumstick, not with how it’s cooked.
The drumstick is the lower portion of the chicken leg, below the thigh — a dark meat cut sold with or without skin. This guide breaks the number down by size, skin status, and cooking method, and shows how many drumsticks it takes to hit a daily target using our protein intake calculator.
Protein by drumstick size
Drumstick size varies by weight, and weight is the main driver of protein content. Here’s how the numbers break down for cooked, skinless meat:
| Size | Cooked weight | Protein | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small | ~65g | 15g | 100 |
| Medium | ~96g | 23g | 149 |
| Large | ~130g | 31g | 201 |
Grocery packages usually list a weight range on the label. Under 80g cooked counts as small, 80–110g is medium, above 110g is large. Bone-in raw weight runs about 30–40% heavier than the cooked, skinless meat you actually eat.
Cooked vs. raw values
Raw chicken loses 25–30% of its weight during cooking as water and fat cook off. This changes the protein-per-100g number, even though the total protein in the piece of meat stays about the same.
| Form | Protein / 100g |
|---|---|
| Raw, skinless | 24g |
| Cooked, skinless | 24–28g |
Skin-on vs. skinless
Skin adds fat and calories, not protein. A cooked, medium drumstick with skin runs close to 25g protein and around 172 calories — the same drumstick skinless has 23g protein and 149 calories.
| Protein | Calories | Fat | |
|---|---|---|---|
| With skin | 25g | 172 | 8.7g |
| Skinless | 23g | 149 | 5.7g |
Removing the skin is a low-effort way to cut calories and fat without losing meaningful protein.
Full nutrition breakdown
Per 100g, cooked, skinless chicken drumstick:
*% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet (protein 50g, fat 78g, cholesterol 300mg, sodium 2,300mg).
Zero carbohydrates means drumstick fits any carb-restricted eating pattern without adjustment. About 65% of the calories in a skinless drumstick come from protein — close to chicken breast in protein-to-calorie efficiency.
Hitting your daily protein goal
At 23g of protein per medium drumstick, here’s what it takes to reach common daily targets. Adjust the calculator below for your own numbers:
Not sure what your daily target should be? Use the protein calculator to get a personalized number, then plug it into the tool above.
How cooking method affects protein
Frying, baking, grilling, and boiling all leave protein content close to unchanged. Cooking denatures the protein structure but doesn’t remove or destroy the protein itself.
| Method | Protein / 100g | Calories / 100g |
|---|---|---|
| Baked / roasted, skinless | 24g | 155 |
| Grilled, skinless | 24g | 150 |
| Boiled / stewed, skinless | 27g | 135 |
| Fried, breaded, with skin | 20g | 245 |
Frying changes calories and fat far more than it changes protein. The breading and oil add carbs and fat, and the extra weight from the coating dilutes the protein percentage per 100g.
Drumstick vs. other cuts
| Cut | Protein / 100g | Calories / 100g |
|---|---|---|
| Breast | 31g | 165 |
| Drumstick | 24–28g | 149–155 |
| Wing | 30.5g | 203 |
| Thigh | 24.5g | 179 |
Breast has the highest protein-to-calorie ratio of the four cuts. Drumstick sits close to thigh in protein but beats it on calories.
Sources
Nutrition figures drawn from USDA FoodData Central entries for chicken drumstick (raw, roasted, stewed, and fried preparations, skin-on and skinless). Daily protein guidance references the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
