Condensed Consolidating Financial Information - Condensed Consolidating Statement of Operations (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
REVENUES AND OTHER:
Revenues	$ 8,595	$ 10,030	$ 10,039
Gains (losses) on sales of assets	43	(264)	476
OPERATING EXPENSES:
Severance and ad valorem taxes	224	189	134
General and administrative	315	335	333
Restructuring and other termination costs	12	38	0
Provision for legal contingencies, net	19	26	(38)
Depreciation, depletion and amortization	2,264	1,737	1,697
Gain (loss) on sale of oil and natural gas properties	0	0
Impairments	11	131	814
Other operating expense	92	0	416
Total Operating Expenses	8,626	9,648	10,177
INCOME (LOSS) FROM OPERATIONS	(31)	382	(138)
OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE):
Interest expense	(651)	(633)	(601)
Gains (losses) on investments	(71)	139	0
Gains on purchases or exchanges of debt	75	263	233
Other income	39	67	6
Equity in net earnings (losses) of subsidiary	0	0	0
Total Other Expense	(608)	(164)	(362)
INCOME (LOSS) BEFORE INCOME TAXES	(639)	218	(500)
Total Income Tax Expense (Benefit)	(331)	(10)	2
NET INCOME (LOSS)	(308)	228	(502)
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests	0	(2)	(3)
NET INCOME (LOSS) ATTRIBUTABLE TO CHESAPEAKE	(308)	226	(505)
Other comprehensive income	35	34	39
COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS) ATTRIBUTABLE TO CHESAPEAKE	(273)	260	(466)
Oil, Natural Gas and NGL
REVENUES AND OTHER:
Revenues	4,522	5,155	4,985
Oil, natural gas and NGL production
OPERATING EXPENSES:
Cost of goods and services	520	474	517
Oil, natural gas and NGL gathering, processing and transportation
OPERATING EXPENSES:
Cost of goods and services	1,082	1,398	1,471
Marketing
REVENUES AND OTHER:
Revenues	3,967	5,076	4,511
OPERATING EXPENSES:
Cost of goods and services	4,003	5,158	4,598
Oil, Natural gas and NGL and Marketing
REVENUES AND OTHER:
Revenues	8,489	10,231	9,496
Other
REVENUES AND OTHER:
Revenues	63	63	67
Exploration
OPERATING EXPENSES:
Cost of goods and services	84	162	235
Marketing
REVENUES AND OTHER:
Revenues	3,967	5,076
Reportable legal entities | Exploration
OPERATING EXPENSES:
Cost of goods and services	7	0	0
Eliminations
REVENUES AND OTHER:
Revenues	0	0	0
Gains (losses) on sales of assets	0	0	0
OPERATING EXPENSES:
Severance and ad valorem taxes	0	0	0
General and administrative	0	0	0
Restructuring and other termination costs	0	0
Provision for legal contingencies, net	0	0	0
Depreciation, depletion and amortization	0	0	0
Impairments	0	0	0
Other operating expense	0		0
Total Operating Expenses	0	0	0
INCOME (LOSS) FROM OPERATIONS	0	0	0
OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE):
Interest expense	0	0	0
Gains (losses) on investments	0	0
Gains on purchases or exchanges of debt	0	0	0
Other income	0	0	0
Equity in net earnings (losses) of subsidiary	246	(584)	216
Total Other Expense	246	(584)	216
INCOME (LOSS) BEFORE INCOME TAXES	246	(584)	216
Total Income Tax Expense (Benefit)	0	0	0
NET INCOME (LOSS)	246	(584)	216
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests	0	0	0
NET INCOME (LOSS) ATTRIBUTABLE TO CHESAPEAKE	246	(584)	216
Other comprehensive income	0	0	0
COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS) ATTRIBUTABLE TO CHESAPEAKE	246	(584)	216
Eliminations | Oil, Natural Gas and NGL
REVENUES AND OTHER:
Revenues	0	0	0
Eliminations | Oil, natural gas and NGL production
OPERATING EXPENSES:
Cost of goods and services	0	0	0
Eliminations | Oil, natural gas and NGL gathering, processing and transportation
OPERATING EXPENSES:
Cost of goods and services	0	0	0
Eliminations | Marketing
REVENUES AND OTHER:
Revenues	0	0	0
OPERATING EXPENSES:
Cost of goods and services	0	0	0
Eliminations | Oil, Natural gas and NGL and Marketing
REVENUES AND OTHER:
Revenues		0	0
Eliminations | Other
REVENUES AND OTHER:
Revenues	0	0	0
Eliminations | Exploration
OPERATING EXPENSES:
Cost of goods and services	0	0	0
Parent | Reportable legal entities
REVENUES AND OTHER:
Revenues	0	0	0
Gains (losses) on sales of assets	0	0	0
OPERATING EXPENSES:
Severance and ad valorem taxes	0	0	0
General and administrative	1	2	1
Restructuring and other termination costs	0	0
Provision for legal contingencies, net	0	0	(79)
Depreciation, depletion and amortization	0	0	0
Impairments	0	0	0
Other operating expense	0		0
Total Operating Expenses	1	2	(78)
INCOME (LOSS) FROM OPERATIONS	(1)	(2)	78
OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE):
Interest expense	(598)	(631)	(599)
Gains (losses) on investments	0	0
Gains on purchases or exchanges of debt	65	263	233
Other income	0	3	1
Equity in net earnings (losses) of subsidiary	(105)	583	(216)
Total Other Expense	(638)	218	(581)
INCOME (LOSS) BEFORE INCOME TAXES	(639)	216	(503)
Total Income Tax Expense (Benefit)	(331)	(10)	2
NET INCOME (LOSS)	(308)	226	(505)
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests	0	0	0
NET INCOME (LOSS) ATTRIBUTABLE TO CHESAPEAKE	(308)	226	(505)
Other comprehensive income	0	0	0
COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS) ATTRIBUTABLE TO CHESAPEAKE	(308)	226	(505)
Parent | Reportable legal entities | Oil, Natural Gas and NGL
REVENUES AND OTHER:
Revenues	0	0	0
Parent | Reportable legal entities | Oil, natural gas and NGL production
OPERATING EXPENSES:
Cost of goods and services	0	0	0
Parent | Reportable legal entities | Oil, natural gas and NGL gathering, processing and transportation
OPERATING EXPENSES:
Cost of goods and services	0	0	0
Parent | Reportable legal entities | Marketing
REVENUES AND OTHER:
Revenues	0	0	0
OPERATING EXPENSES:
Cost of goods and services	0	0	0
Parent | Reportable legal entities | Oil, Natural gas and NGL and Marketing
REVENUES AND OTHER:
Revenues	0	0	0
Parent | Reportable legal entities | Other
REVENUES AND OTHER:
Revenues	0	0	0
Parent | Reportable legal entities | Exploration
OPERATING EXPENSES:
Cost of goods and services	0	0	0
Guarantor Subsidiaries | Reportable legal entities
REVENUES AND OTHER:
Revenues	7,830	10,011	10,016
Gains (losses) on sales of assets	43	(264)	476
OPERATING EXPENSES:
Severance and ad valorem taxes	174	188	133
General and administrative	237	332	330
Restructuring and other termination costs	12	38
Provision for legal contingencies, net	19	26	41
Depreciation, depletion and amortization	1,719	1,730	1,688
Impairments	11	131	814
Other operating expense	52		416
Total Operating Expenses	7,802	9,630	10,235
INCOME (LOSS) FROM OPERATIONS	28	381	(219)
OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE):
Interest expense	16	(2)	(2)
Gains (losses) on investments	(47)	139
Gains on purchases or exchanges of debt	0	0	0
Other income	39	64	5
Equity in net earnings (losses) of subsidiary	(141)	1	0
Total Other Expense	(133)	202	3
INCOME (LOSS) BEFORE INCOME TAXES	(105)	583	(216)
Total Income Tax Expense (Benefit)	0	0	0
NET INCOME (LOSS)	(105)	583	(216)
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests	0	0	0
NET INCOME (LOSS) ATTRIBUTABLE TO CHESAPEAKE	(105)	583	(216)
Other comprehensive income	35	34	39
COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS) ATTRIBUTABLE TO CHESAPEAKE	(70)	617	(177)
Guarantor Subsidiaries | Reportable legal entities | Oil, Natural Gas and NGL
REVENUES AND OTHER:
Revenues	3,760	5,136	4,962
Guarantor Subsidiaries | Reportable legal entities | Oil, natural gas and NGL production
OPERATING EXPENSES:
Cost of goods and services	436	474	517
Guarantor Subsidiaries | Reportable legal entities | Oil, natural gas and NGL gathering, processing and transportation
OPERATING EXPENSES:
Cost of goods and services	1,062	1,391	1,463
Guarantor Subsidiaries | Reportable legal entities | Marketing
REVENUES AND OTHER:
Revenues	3,967	5,076	4,511
OPERATING EXPENSES:
Cost of goods and services	4,003	5,158	4,598
Guarantor Subsidiaries | Reportable legal entities | Oil, Natural gas and NGL and Marketing
REVENUES AND OTHER:
Revenues	7,727	10,212	9,473
Guarantor Subsidiaries | Reportable legal entities | Other
REVENUES AND OTHER:
Revenues	60	63	67
Guarantor Subsidiaries | Reportable legal entities | Exploration
OPERATING EXPENSES:
Cost of goods and services	77	162	235
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries | Reportable legal entities
REVENUES AND OTHER:
Revenues	765	19	23
Gains (losses) on sales of assets	0	0	0
OPERATING EXPENSES:
Severance and ad valorem taxes	50	1	1
General and administrative	77	1	2
Restructuring and other termination costs	0	0
Provision for legal contingencies, net	0	0	0
Depreciation, depletion and amortization	545	7	9
Impairments	0	0	0
Other operating expense	40		0
Total Operating Expenses	823	16	20
INCOME (LOSS) FROM OPERATIONS	(58)	3	3
OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE):
Interest expense	(69)	0	0
Gains (losses) on investments	(24)	0
Gains on purchases or exchanges of debt	10	0	0
Other income	0	0	0
Equity in net earnings (losses) of subsidiary	0	0	0
Total Other Expense	(83)	0	0
INCOME (LOSS) BEFORE INCOME TAXES	(141)	3	3
Total Income Tax Expense (Benefit)	0	0	0
NET INCOME (LOSS)	(141)	3	3
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests	0	(2)	(3)
NET INCOME (LOSS) ATTRIBUTABLE TO CHESAPEAKE	(141)	1	0
Other comprehensive income	0	0	0
COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS) ATTRIBUTABLE TO CHESAPEAKE	(141)	1	0
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries | Reportable legal entities | Oil, Natural Gas and NGL
REVENUES AND OTHER:
Revenues	762	19	23
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries | Reportable legal entities | Oil, natural gas and NGL production
OPERATING EXPENSES:
Cost of goods and services	84	0	0
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries | Reportable legal entities | Oil, natural gas and NGL gathering, processing and transportation
OPERATING EXPENSES:
Cost of goods and services	20	7	8
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries | Reportable legal entities | Marketing
REVENUES AND OTHER:
Revenues	0	0	0
OPERATING EXPENSES:
Cost of goods and services	0	0	0
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries | Reportable legal entities | Oil, Natural gas and NGL and Marketing
REVENUES AND OTHER:
Revenues	762	19	23
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries | Reportable legal entities | Other
REVENUES AND OTHER:
Revenues	$ 3	$ 0	$ 0