**Chicken Vs Dal: Protein Comparison**

Chicken contains 25% protein, which means that every 100 grams of chicken will give you 25 grams protein. On the other hand, lentils (dal) is 20% protein, which means you would need to consume about 125 grams of lentils to get the same amount of protein. Both chicken (4g per 100g) and lentils (1–2g per 100g) are low in fat. Chicken is carb-free, while 125g raw lentils (all dals) contain roughly 82 grams carbs, including 16 grams of fiber. In terms of calories, chicken provides 140 calories per 100 grams, while lentils provide about three times this amount (441 kcal per 125g).

Nutrition of 100g uncooked dal

Protein — 20%

Carb — 65%

Fiber — 13%

Fat — 1–2%

Calories — 350–370 kcal

Also, dals are a good source of iron, magnesium, phosphorous and some vitamins.

Nutrition of 100g chicken

Protein — 25%

Carb — 0%

Fiber — 0%

Fat — 4–8%

Calories — 140–170 kcal

Also, chicken is a good source of selenium and some b vitamins.

Now if you see there isn’t a significant difference in the protein percentage between the two (chicken @ 25% and dal @ 20%), however, there are two major issues with lentil protein.

1. Firstly, its availability is approximately 50–60%, meaning that out of the 25 grams protein in lentils, the body will use roughly 15 grams, and that too when you consume around 125 grams of raw lentils, which may not be possible for a lot of people in a single day.

2. In contrast, most of the protein from chicken is readily available, and you can consume a bit over 100 grams in a serving as well.

Meaning, in order to get the same amount of available protein as that of chicken (25g), you would need to eat roughly 200 g uncooked dal translating to around 400g of cooked dal without water.

In summary, the point that i am trying to convey is that you shouldn’t look at dal as a source to complete your protein intake, instead eat chicken or any other non-vegetarian food such as fish, whole egg & whites as your protein source if you’re a non-vegetarian. If you don’t consume chicken, include lean & high quality veg protein foods like soy chunks, tofu, tempeh, paneer, milk, curd, whey protein in your diet and let lentils be your source of fiber and other micronutrients.

The bottomline is, dal being a nutrient dense food that comes with a lot of health benefits, consider including dal in your regular diet for its high fiber, complex carbs & other micronutrients and as far as protein in dal is concerned it can be one of smaller sources.

Hope it helps.