Whole Chicken Yield: How Much Meat You Get From a Chicken
A whole chicken gives about 0.44 lb of cooked, boned meat with skin per pound purchased, or 0.36 lb without skin (USDA Food Buying Guide). A 4 lb bird therefore yields about 1.8 lb of cooked meat with skin, or about 1.4 lb of skinless meat. Bone is about a third of the raw weight (USDA nutrient database: 32%), and whole birds kept 78% of their weight when roasted in USDA data.
USDA yields for whole chicken
From the USDA Food Buying Guide: how much ready-to-use or cooked product one pound as purchased gives.
| As purchased (USDA description) | Result, as USDA states it | Yield | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken, Whole, fresh or frozen; Without neck and giblets | 1 lb AP = 0.44 lb cooked, boned, chicken meat with skin (cooked) | 44% | FBG table |
| Chicken, Whole, fresh or frozen; Without neck and giblets | 1 lb AP = 0.36 lb cooked, boned, chicken meat without skin (cooked) | 36% | FBG table |
Cooking yield by method
USDA cooking tests: cooked weight as a share of the raw weight of the cut as described.
| Cut | Method | Yield | Samples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken, broiler-fryer, whole, including skin | Roasted | 78% | — |
| Chicken, broiler-fryer, whole, including skin | Simmered | 75% | — |
How much is waste
USDA’s nutrient database (SR28, NDB 05006) lists 32% of “Chicken, broilers or fryers, meat and skin, raw” as refuse: bone.
How much to buy
At 44% (cooked, boned meat with skin), for 6 oz portions:
| Portions | Cooked | Buy as purchased |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | 3.75 lb | 8.52 lb |
| 25 | 9.38 lb | 21.3 lb |
| 50 | 18.8 lb | 42.6 lb |
| 100 | 37.5 lb | 85.2 lb |
Cost per usable pound
At 44%, the price per pound as purchased becomes:
| Price as purchased | Cost per usable pound |
|---|---|
| $1.50/lb | $3.41/lb |
| $2.00/lb | $4.55/lb |
| $2.50/lb | $5.68/lb |
Example prices. Put yours in the food yield calculator.
Run your own numbers
Good to know
- The Food Buying Guide figures are for birds bought without the neck and giblets.
FAQ
How much meat is on a whole chicken?
About 44% of its purchased weight as cooked meat with skin, or 36% without skin, per the USDA Food Buying Guide: roughly 1.8 lb or 1.4 lb of cooked meat from a 4 lb bird.
How many whole chickens do I need for 20 people?
At 6 oz of cooked meat with skin each, 20 people need 7.5 lb of cooked meat. At 0.44 lb per pound purchased, that is about 17 lb of whole chicken, or five 4 lb birds with a little to spare.
How much does a chicken shrink when roasted?
Whole broiler-fryers kept 78% of their weight when roasted and 75% when simmered in USDA cooking-yield data, losses of about 22% and 25%.
Sources
- USDA Food and Nutrition Service, Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs (yield tables; public domain)
- USDA Agricultural Research Service, Table of Cooking Yields for Meat and Poultry, Release 2 (2014)
- USDA Agricultural Research Service, National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 28 (refuse)
USDA figures are averages; size, grade, trim, ripeness and cooking change them. Weigh your own main items before you cost a menu on them.
Last reviewed October 11, 2026.