Every 100 kcal of turkey dark meat brings 16 g of protein. On that measure it ranks 38th of the 133 meats in this database and 122nd of all 796 foods on the site. Measured by weight instead, its 27.7 g per 100 g ranks 53rd in its group.
About 64% of the calories in turkey dark meat come from protein, which makes it extremely protein-dense - close to the practical ceiling for a whole food. Foods in this band are the ones that let you raise your protein intake without raising your calorie intake much at all.
Weight for weight, turkey dark meat has 4.6 g of protein for each gram of fat (27.7 g against 6.04 g per 100 g).
Set against goat, another meat entry in the database, a serving carries about 0.5 g more protein (goat has 23 g per 3 oz cooked).
It is a complete protein - it supplies all nine essential amino acids in adequate amounts, so it can carry a meal's protein on its own. The serving quoted here is measured by weight at 85 g, and it covers about 47% of the 50 g FDA Daily Value for protein.
Serving sizes
Protein in common portions of turkey dark meat
Protein and calories in Turkey dark meat for 100 g, the site serving and USDA household portions.
Portion
Weight
Protein
Calories
100 g
100 g
27.7 g
173 kcal
3 oz cooked (serving used here)
85 g
23.5 g
147 kcal
The USDA record lists no other household measure for this food; protein and calories scale from the per-100 g figures.
Amino acids
Essential amino acids in turkey dark meat
The nine essential amino acids in Turkey dark meat, per 100 g, per serving and per gram of protein.
Amino acid
Per 100 g
Per serving
mg per g protein
leucine
1.92 g
1.63 g
69
lysine
2.29 g
1.95 g
83
valine
0.886 g
0.75 g
32
isoleucine
0.794 g
0.67 g
29
threonine
1.01 g
0.86 g
36
phenylalanine
0.893 g
0.76 g
32
methionine
0.725 g
0.62 g
26
histidine
0.751 g
0.64 g
27
tryptophan
0.295 g
0.25 g
11
Per-100 g values are the amino acid analysis on the USDA record. The serving and per-gram-of-protein columns are arithmetic on those values; they are not a protein quality score.
SampleWhat goal trends look like after a week
109 g
Average per logged day
4 of 7
Days goal met
71%
Complete-protein share
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
Sample figures for one made-up week against a 110 g goal, not your data. Red bars met the goal. Your own log fills this in with Premium.
27.7 g. The 3 oz cooked serving used on this page weighs 85 g and so carries 23.5 g.
How much protein do you get per 100 calories of turkey dark meat?
16 g. That figure divides its 27.7 g of protein per 100 g by its 173 kcal per 100 g, so it does not depend on serving size.
Is the protein in turkey dark meat complete?
Yes. The protein in turkey dark meat supplies all nine essential amino acids in adequate amounts, so it can carry a meal's protein on its own.
What share of the protein Daily Value is one serving of turkey dark meat?
About 47%. One 3 oz cooked serving has 23.5 g, and the FDA Daily Value for protein is 50 g.
Figures from USDA FoodData Central record #171091 (Turkey, whole, dark meat, cooked, roasted), SR Legacy data. USDA data is in the public domain. Values are the published reference figures for that record, not lab measurements for a specific brand or batch.