Duck Nutrition Information

A favorite ingredient of French cuisine, duck meat has become less common in the modern American diet. And because it's not as familiar as chicken, beef or pork, many home cooks may not know much about its nutritional content.

Fat

• Although the French dish duck confit is infamously high in fat--consisting of duck meat braised and encased in its own fat--duck meat is actually low in fat when the skin alone is eaten. Ducks and other waterfowl do have a thick layer of fat under the skin, but it's easy to trim this fat from the meat because the fat is not marbleized into the flesh. Boneless, skinless duck breast meat contains two grams of fat per three-ounce serving. For comparison, three ounces of boneless, skinless chicken breast contains three grams of fat.

  Like chicken and turkey, the breast of a duck is considered white meat, although the flesh may appear darker than on other types of poultry.

  When cooking a whole duck, the USDA recommends pricking the skin all over with a fork so the fat can render out. This fat layer should melt and disappear before the bird is done cooking.

Protein

• Duck meat is a good source of protein, but contains a little less per serving than chicken. A three-ounce serving of boneless, skinless duck breast contains 23.5 grams of protein, while a three-ounce serving of boneless, skinless chicken breast contains 26 grams of protein.

Calories

• Duck meat is low in calories if the fat and skin are separated from the meat. A three-ounce serving of boneless, skinless duck breast contains 119 calories, whereas a three-ounce serving of boneless, skinless chicken breast contains 142 calories. If the duck meat is eaten with the skin, however, it is much higher in calories, at 172 calories per three-ounce serving. Duck leg meat, with the skin, is also higher in calories, at 182 calories per three-ounce serving.