Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Capitalized Costs of Unproved Properties (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Leasehold cost	$ 24	$ 31	$ 40	$ 1,577
Leasehold cost, total	1,672
Exploration cost	122	0	2	0
Exploration cost, total	124
Capitalized interest	125	84	63	269
Capitalized interest, total	541
Unproved properties	271	115	$ 105	$ 1,846
Unproved properties, total	$ 2,337	$ 3,484

Capitalized Interest of Unproved Properties Excluded from Amortization

No definition available.

Name:	chk_CapitalizedInterestOfUnprovedPropertiesExcludedFromAmortization
Namespace Prefix:	chk_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Capitalized interest of unproved properties excluded from amortization cumulative

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	chk_CapitalizedInterestOfUnprovedPropertiesExcludedFromAmortizationCumulative
Namespace Prefix:	chk_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_AccountingPoliciesAbstract
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The capitalized costs incurred during the period (excluded from amortization) to purchase, lease or otherwise acquire an unproved property, including costs of lease bonuses and options to purchase or lease properties, the portion of costs applicable to minerals when land including mineral rights is purchased in fee, brokers' fees, recording fees, legal costs, and other costs incurred in acquiring properties.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_AcquisitionCosts
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The capitalized costs incurred (excluded from amortization), as of the date of the balance sheet, to purchase, lease or otherwise acquire an unproved property, including costs of lease bonuses and options to purchase or lease properties, the portion of costs applicable to minerals when land including mineral rights is purchased in fee, brokers' fees, recording fees, legal costs, and other costs incurred in acquiring properties.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_AcquisitionCostsCumulative
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

The sum of the capitalized costs incurred during the period of unproved properties excluded from amortization including acquisition costs, exploration costs, development costs, and production costs.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_CapitalizedCostsOfUnprovedPropertiesExcludedFromAmortization
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The sum of the capitalized costs incurred, as of the balance sheet date, of unproved properties excluded from amortization including acquisition costs, exploration costs, development costs, and production costs.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_CapitalizedCostsOfUnprovedPropertiesExcludedFromAmortizationCumulative
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

The capitalized costs incurred during the period (excluded from amortization) in identifying areas that may warrant examination and in examining specific areas that are considered to have prospects of containing oil and gas reserves, including costs of drilling exploratory wells and exploratory-type stratigraphic test wells. Exploration costs may be incurred both before acquiring the related property (sometimes referred to in part as prospecting costs) and after acquiring the property. Principal types of exploration costs, which include depreciation and applicable operating costs of support equipment and facilities and other costs of exploration activities, are: costs of topographical, geographical and geophysical studies, rights of access to properties to conduct those studies, and salaries and other expenses of geologists, geophysical crews, and others conducting those studies. Collectively, these are sometimes referred to as geological and geophysical or "G&G" costs. Exploration costs also include costs of carrying and retaining undeveloped properties, such as delay rentals, ad valorem taxes on properties, legal costs for title defense, the maintenance of land and lease records, dry hole contributions and bottom hole contributions, costs of drilling and equipping exploratory wells and costs of drilling exploratory-type stratigraphic test wells.

+ References

Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 932
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.4-10(c)(7)(ii))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=82851474&loc=d3e511914-122862

Reference 2: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 932
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.4-10(c)(3)(ii)(A))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=82851474&loc=d3e511914-122862

Reference 3: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 932
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.4-10(a)(12))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=82851474&loc=d3e511914-122862

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ExplorationCosts
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The capitalized costs incurred (excluded from amortization), as of the date of the balance sheet, in identifying areas that may warrant examination and in examining specific areas that are considered to have prospects of containing oil and gas reserves, including costs of drilling exploratory wells and exploratory-type stratigraphic test wells. Exploration costs may be incurred both before acquiring the related property (sometimes referred to in part as prospecting costs) and after acquiring the property. Principal types of exploration costs, which include depreciation and applicable operating costs of support equipment and facilities and other costs of exploration activities, are: costs of topographical, geographical and geophysical studies, rights of access to properties to conduct those studies, and salaries and other expenses of geologists, geophysical crews, and others conducting those studies. Collectively, these are sometimes referred to as geological and geophysical or "G&G" costs. Exploration costs also include costs of carrying and retaining undeveloped properties, such as delay rentals, ad valorem taxes on properties, legal costs for title defense, the maintenance of land and lease records, dry hole contributions and bottom hole contributions, costs of drilling and equipping exploratory wells and costs of drilling exploratory-type stratigraphic test wells.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ExplorationCostsCumulative
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant