How Much Does A Chicken Thigh Weigh: A Complete Guide

Continue reading to learn about the average size of chicken breast as well as why chicken breasts have been getting bigger in the past decades, how to measure a chicken breast, and much more

Chicken Breast: Benefits And Uses

Chicken breast is one of the most versatile and easily accessible proteins

Chicken breast is also inexpensive compared to other proteins and a good ingredient to include in a healthy and balanced diet

Chicken breast is a great source of protein

Chicken breast is also a good source of such vitamins and minerals as vitamin B6, vitamin B3 (niacin), selenium, calcium, zinc, phosphorus, and iron

Chicken breast is very popular among people who work out as it helps to build muscle mass

Consuming chicken breast regularly can promote bone health and improved heart health

Flavor-wise, chicken breast is a blank canvas

Pairing chicken breast with other foods is easy

From rice to veggies to cheese, chicken breast pairs nicely with many different flavors

You can also enhance the flavor of the chicken breast by using such ingredients as garlic, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, and basil

But no matter how you cook chicken breast, it is always good to know how much it weighs, how many calories, and how much nutrients it adds to your meal

How much a chicken breast weighs on average is an important piece of information for people who want to count how many calories, how much protein, fat, and other nutrients they are getting from their meal

But how do you know how much a single chicken breast weighs?

The weight of a chicken breast depends on many factors, such as whether it is skinless or not, boneless or bone-in, cooked or raw, frozen or thawed

Chicken breast weight is also closely associated with the method of growing chicken, ie, if the chicken is homegrown or commercially grown, with the latter being bigger

The key factor that affects the weight of the chicken breast is whether it still has the bones or is boneless

While many people prefer buying the boneless type for the ease of use and the little time it takes to prep the protein for cooking, others buy bone-in chicken breast

Bone-in chicken breast has two advantages

First, bone-in chicken breast retains moisture better and longer

With bone-in chicken breast, you are getting a better flavor for less money

Thus, if you have the time and skills to remove the bones from chicken breast yourself or simply like cooking it with the bones, buying bone-in chicken breast is certainly a good idea

Cooked Vs Uncooked Chicken Breast

Cooked chicken breast weighs less than uncooked chicken breast

Cooked chicken breast loses around 1/4 of its weight as a result of the cooking process

Experienced home cooks know this and this is why they never chop chicken breast too finely even for stir-fires

If you are not cutting the chicken breast into smaller pieces, you may not always notice the difference in size

A bigger 8-ounce chicken breast, on the other hand, will go down to 6 ounces

In fact, the bigger is the chicken breast the more it shrinks

How much the cooking process causes the chicken breast to shrink also depends on the cooking method you use

Boiling, for example, causes the least shrinkage – around 5% of the initial weight of the chicken

Sauteing chicken breast reduces its weight by around 20%

You may wonder if you should weigh chicken breast before or after cooking it

You might need to weigh the cooked chicken breast in the cases when the recipe states the amount of cooked chicken breast you need to use for the dish

Frozen Vs Thawed Chicken Breast

There are no weight differences between frozen and thawed chicken breast so long as the chicken was properly sealed before going into the freezer

But even when there is a little bit of frozen water in the bag with chicken breast, the weight differences are not major – only a matter of a few grams

So, if you are cooking with frozen chicken breast, you can go out and weigh it before it thaws without having to worry about wrong measurements

Average Size Of A Chicken Breast

An average chicken breast now weighs more than it did four decades ago

This is why your grandmother might be surprised at the sizes of chicken breasts sold at supermarkets nowadays

As mentioned above, the weight of chicken breast depends on different factors

Here is a chart indicating the weight of an average size chicken breast depending on whether it is boneless or not and is skinless or still has the skin on

How Much Does A Boneless Chicken Breast Weigh?

On average, boneless chicken breast that is also skinless weighs 6-10 ounces depending on the size of the breast

If the chicken breast is boneless but still has the skin on, it may weigh between 7-12 ounces

If you are counting calories and want to know what nutrients you are getting from your meal, you should weigh the chicken breast using a kitchen scale

Here’s how to measure a chicken breast using a kitchen scale

Defrost the chicken breast

You can weigh the frozen chicken breast too

Put the chicken breast in the bowl using a pair of tongs or your hands

Record the weight of the chicken breast in the bowl

How To A Weigh A Chicken Breast Without A Scale

If you don’t have a scale and need to measure a chicken breast to evaluate the calories and nutrients in your meal, you can check the label on the package with chicken breasts

All you have to do is to divide the weight indicated on the package by the number of chicken breasts in it

While this won’t give you the exact answer for each chicken breast, it will provide you with a close estimate

For example, if the total weight of the package is 25 ounces and there are four chicken breasts in it, each will be approximately 625 ounces

If, of course, the chicken breasts appear to be of the same size

In general, the total weight of chicken breast packs differs as the breasts don’t come in a single size

So, if you don’t have a scale, you may need to do these calculations each time you are opening a new pack of chicken breast

After a few times of deciding the weight of chicken breast or weighing it using a kitchen scale, you will have enough expertise to eyeball it

In recent years, many people have raised the question of overly big chickens

Chickens today are nearly twice as big as they were half a century ago

Chicken parts, including chicken breasts and thighs, are getting bigger too which concerns many people conscious about their health

Luckily, there is an explanation for chicken breasts getting bigger

Chickens now grow bigger thanks to the improved breeding system and living conditions

This information will put many health-conscious people at ease as they think hormones are what make today’s chicken breasts so big

What Is The Serving Size For Chicken Breast?

While chicken breast is a healthy protein to include in your diet, you should know how much chicken breast makes a healthy serving size

Restaurants usually serve more chicken breast than the USDA recommends a person to eat per day

A healthy serving of chicken breast is 3 ounces

Considering that adults should eat 5-65 ounces of protein a day, a single chicken breast can supply half of the amount of protein you should eat per day

If you don’t have a scale in your kitchen, imagine a serving size of chicken breast to be the size of a deck of cards

A serving of chicken breast (85 grams) contains 140 calories

How To Choose The Best Chicken Breast

When choosing chicken breast many people go for the boneless and skinless type

Chicken breasts with no skin and bones are easy to prepare for cooking and they can be used in a number of ways too

Additionally, skinless chicken breasts are lower in fat

We recommend picking bone-in chicken breast with skin if you want maximum flavor and don’t mind the extra fat

The size of the chicken breast is not something to consider so long as the product checks all the boxes as far as the quality and freshness are concerned

Here’s what you should look for when buying chicken breast

The pinkish hue of the chicken flesh is the first indicator of the chicken breast being fresh

Never buy chicken with grayish flesh as it is certainly stale

Fresh chicken breast is firm and springy to touch

Press on the chicken breast and if it comes back to its original shape, then it’s fresh

When possible, smell the chicken breast before buying it

Fresh chicken breast doesn’t have a distinct odor

Stale chicken breast, on the other hand, has an apparent bad smell

Pay attention to the amount of liquid in the package with chicken breast

How many chicken breasts are in a pound depends on the size of chicken breasts and if they are boneless and skinless or not

For example, there may be two 8-ounce chicken breasts in a pound (16 ounces)

If the chicken breasts are smaller, you may find three of them in a pack

As cooked chicken breast shrinks and gets lighter, you will need to cook more of them to make a pound of cooked chicken breast

Chicken breasts are always packaged using a see-through plastic wrap

Additionally, the manufacturers give detailed information regarding the weight of the pack and how many pieces of chicken breast it contains

If the cooking instructions you are following tell you to use a pound of cooked chicken breast, it might be a good idea to cook 4 chicken breasts

If they are on the smaller side, cook 5 chicken breasts to make up a pound of cooked chicken

In this article, I’ve put together everything you need to know about weights, calories, and serving sizes of chicken breast

Use the easy-to-follow charts to quickly work out and find the information you’re looking for, including weights with and without skin and find out how much weight a chicken breast loses when it’s cooked

How Much Does One Chicken Breast Weigh?Chicken Breast Weight And Calorie ChartHow Many Chicken Breasts Are In A Pound Or Kilogram?How Much Weight Does a Chicken Breast Lose When Cooked?When Should You Weigh Chicken Breast?How Much Chicken Breast is in a Serving?How Much Does Chicken Breast Skin Weigh?More Chicken Breast Weight FAQs

I weighed individual raw chicken breasts with and without skin to find an average chicken breast weight and the results were as follows:

The average weight of one skinless and boneless chicken breast is around 180-200g/635-705oz

The average weight of one boneless chicken breast with the skin on is around 210-230g/74-81oz

A chicken breast of this size contains 299-327 calories (in kcal)

Use the table to find more conversion weights of one average-sized whole raw chicken breast which is either skin-on or skinless, in both metric and imperial weights:

Weight TypeWeight of one average chicken breast(skinless)Weight of one average chicken breast(skin-on)Grams180-200g210-230gKilograms018-02kg021-023kgOunces635-705oz74-81ozPounds04-044lb046-05lb

Chicken Breast Weight And Calorie Chart

The table below shows chicken breast weights and calories for various serving sizes and portions of chicken breast

This information is based on the mid-range weight of an average-sized chicken breast (see above) being 190g/67oz (skinless) and 220g/776oz (skin on)

The calorie information is based on official nutrition values and using the assumption that skinless chicken breast contains 105kcal per gram and chicken breast with the skin on contains 142kcal per gram

How Many Chicken Breasts Are In A Pound Or Kilogram?

The charts below will help you to work out how many chicken breasts are in either a pound or kilogram

Number Of Chicken Breasts In A Pound

Number Of Chicken Breasts In A kilogram

How Much Weight Does a Chicken Breast Lose When Cooked?

The amount that chicken reduces in weight when it’s cooked, depends on the quality of the chicken and whether it has added water

As a general rule, good quality free-range chicken breast with no added water will reduce in weight by around 25% when it’s cooked, whereas chicken with added water can reduce in weight by up to 40%

I did an experiment using a supermarket brand chicken breast weighing 200g and cooked it dry in an oven until cooked through, to see how much it reduced in weight

As you can see from the image below, the chicken breast reduced in weight from 200g to 123g, which is a reduction of 385%

As a general rule, you should weigh chicken before it’s cooked when you’re calorie counting because calorie information is usually based on the raw weight

Although chicken does reduce in size and weight during cooking, this is mainly water weight and does not hold much calorific value

The exception to this rule is when you buy chicken ready-cooked because the nutritional information on the pack should be based on the cooked weight and not the raw weight

How Much Chicken Breast is in a Serving?

If you’re meal planning or calorie counting and you need to know how much chicken breast is in a serving, then here’s the information:

The recommended portion size of chicken breast is around 3-4oz or 85-115g per person

This is equal to around half a good-sized chicken breast

If you’re meal planning, then as a general rule allow half a chicken breast per person for a small portion or one whole chicken breast each for a large portion or if you want leftovers

How Much Does Chicken Breast Skin Weigh?

When you buy chicken breasts they’re either sold with the skin on or skinless, If you need to know how much the skin on a chicken breast weighs, then here’s the information:

An average chicken skin weighs around 30g/11oz in total, chicken with the skin on contains more calories than a skinless breast due to the fat content, and an average skin-on chicken breast contains around 299-327 calories (in kcal) compared to 189-210 without the skin

If you remove the skin from your chicken breasts before eating and you’re calorie counting, use the skinless values in the table above

More Chicken Breast Weight FAQs

Does cooked chicken breast weigh the same as raw chicken breast?

No, a raw chicken breast weighs around 25-40% more than a cooked chicken breast due to liquid loss during the cooking process

How many chicken breasts are in a kilogram?

Based on an average chicken breast weighing around 190g/67oz, there are around five chicken breasts in a kilogram

Based on an average chicken breast weighing around 190g/67oz, there are around two and a half chicken breasts in a kilogram

Chicken Meat Weights & Calories (All Types In Charts)

Chicken Drumstick Weights, Calories & Servings (In Charts)

Chicken Thigh Weights, Calories & Servings (In Charts)

Chicken Mini Fillet Weights, Calories & Servings (With Calculator & Charts)

Chicken Leg Weights, Calories & Servings (In Charts)

Chicken Wing Weights, Calories & Servings (In Charts)

Counting the chicken breast weight, either for cooking purposes or daily diet?

Chicken is among the favorite protein meat because of its low saturated fat and calories

But how much does a chicken breast weigh in grams, anyway?

A typical chicken breast has an average weight of 3 to 8 oz raw

The weight may decrease to somewhere between 1 to 2 ounces after being cooked

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts could weigh between those numbers

Boneless and without skin chicken breast will weigh between 6oz and 8oz

Knowing its weight is paramount for people who want to serve it pretty equally and evenly

Normally, sizes tend to vary with each chicken; however, they may grow but won’t exceed 12 oz

Read Also; How Much Does A Chicken Thigh Weigh?

Knowing what you are eating involves weighing and approximating ingredients such as chicken

Chicken being one of the easy-to-cook meals, comes in many parts which weigh differently, but most people go for highly nutritious breasts

On average, a chicken breast weighs 174g or 603oz

However, to determine the actual weight of a breast, there are many variables you need to note

State of the chicken (cooked or raw)

The temperature of the breast (frozen or thawed)

Type of the breast (with bones or boneless)

Measuring different types of chicken breasts:

These breasts are sometimes referred to as split chicken breasts

As their name implies, bone-in breasts have a bone tucked in the middle of meat fibers

Typically, the weight of a bone-in breast hovers around 283-425g or 06-09 lb

So, the bone in a bone-in chicken weighs almost 012lb

Boneless chicken breasts

Boneless chicken breasts are widely consumed in the USA from the 16 billion breasts processed annually

But do you know the weight of a single boneless breast?

A boneless chicken breast tips the scale at 03-06lb or 170-283g

Nonetheless, its weight varies, and you will find some chicken producing very heavy breasts two times the size of normal breasts clocking in at 8oz, while smaller cuts at only 4oz

One may ask, how many chicken breasts is a pound?

Similarly, others may want to know how much chicken breast is a pound

Each bundle the breasts come in should provide the total weight

It will depend on how big your chicken breast is, though you can tell that two chicken breasts are equal to 1 pound

Two 8 ounces of chicken breasts are equivalent to 1 pound in weight

Remember that 8 oz chicken breast is relatively big

When comparing, a 4-ounce raw chicken breast has the same size as a deck of cards

In fact, an 8 to the 10-ounce breast is about the size of the biggest iPhone

Most of the time, a pack of chicken breasts provides weight measurement in g

Roughly 100 grams is the serving size of a poultry breast

The smartest way to nail down this measurement is to consider a pack that weighs close to 1 pound

You can get the exact weight of each chicken breast

Generally, a typical chicken breast is equal to three ounces

This also answers your question, how many ounces is one chicken breast?

This depends on the breast’s size, but ordinarily, ½ breast weighs around 8 to 10 oz

bundles, which is about 5 to 6 half chicken breasts

We will take you step-by-step through how to weigh your raw chicken breast

First things first, wash your hands, then defrost your chicken breast

Place your chicken breast in the bowl and record the weight using a pair of tongs

Subtract the two weights, and get the weight of your chicken breast

Freezing chicken breast slightly adds up the weight, but cooking it using any method affects it significantly

Cooking meat reduces its weight because water and fats drain off the meat

Any cooking method will reduce the weight of the chicken breast by shrinking it

This means that when you want to eat 500g of breast, you must buy at least 700g of chicken breast

Like 40 years ago, chicken used to be considerably small in size

The average weight was around 25 pounds

So, chickens are growing bigger

The demand for protein has increased, and chicken parts like thighs and breasts are equal to the task

Still, the breasts could be much larger as farmers work to create healthier chickens to suit the demand

With the rise of broiler chickens, producers, and poultry farmers have held their focus on size

The muscle is found on each side of a chicken chest

That’s why you’ll hear about chicken breast halves

If you come across a recipe indicated as breast halves, keep in mind that it’s a synonym for chicken breast

A chicken has no parts called nipples, but they have muscles

That part attached to the ribs is what we call breasts

Typically, frozen chicken doesn’t weigh more when compared to thawed meat

This anti-clamping coating is what increases the weight of a chicken breast

Freezing breasts for future consumption does not affect their weight though you will note a few changes

The breast will transform from a soft piece of meat into a stone-like lump covered in ice

Raw Weight Vs Cooked Chicken Breast

Cooking meat will shrink and lose some natural weight

Since a lot of fat and water is cooked away, the breast will weigh less than the original meat

Chicken isn’t different, and when cooked, it will behave just like beef or fish

Size is one primary factor affecting weight after the meat is cooked

Though the difference isn’t always noticeable, a 4 ounce of the breast will shrink down to 3 ounces while 8 ounces will go down to about 6 ounces

Some cooking methods like frying or drying will affect the weight of chicken breast-others like braising and boiling cause little shrinking when preparing your delicious meal

Portion your chicken breast into cuts for cooking

Chicken breast halves are lean meat on the chest muscle of a chicken that is separated during butchering

The halves are sold as a single breast

How much does a chicken breast weigh: This ultimate guide is full of tips and tricks on how to correctly measure a chicken breast’s weight!

I cover everything from the variables that affect their weight to the different types of weight so you can quickly figure out how much chicken you need!

Measuring A Chicken Breast’s Weight

If you are curious to know how much a chicken breast weighs, then you’ve come to the right place!

It’s important to learn how to properly measure chicken so that you are able to calculate the nutritional values and determine how much you need to buy!

With a few tips, tricks, and my easy reference chart, you’ll know exactly how to determine the weight of a chicken breast!

Whether you are cooking bone-in and skin-on chicken breasts or boneless skinless chicken breasts, all the information you need can be found below!

Jump to:Measuring A Chicken Breast’s WeightHow Much Does A Chicken Breast WeighRaw vs Cooked Boneless vs Bone-In Skinless vs Skin-On Frozen vs Thawed Average Weight Of A Chicken BreastEquivalent MeasurementsEasy Ways To Measure A Chicken Breast🐔 Best Chicken Breast Recipes💬 Comments

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If you are looking for some easy and tasty chicken dinner ideas, I’ve gathered a list of my favorite chicken breast recipes!

Also, I have a full list of what to serve with chicken that includes the most delicious sides to make your chicken breasts a well-round dinner!

How Much Does A Chicken Breast Weigh

On average, a chicken breast can weigh anywhere between 4-12 ounces depending on the size

However, there are a few factors that will alter the weight of a chicken breast such as – if it’s raw or cooked, boneless or bone-in, skinless or not, frozen or thawed

When you cook a chicken breast, its weight will decrease by around 20-25%

This is because some of the water and fat content of a chicken breast is cooked out, meaning it decreases in weight and shrinks in size

The amount of shrinkage will depend on the method that you choose to cook your chicken breast

Oven roasting and grilling cause the most water loss while broiling and braising chicken breasts will cause less

The larger the chicken breast is, the more it will shrink

Therefore, a raw chicken breast will always weigh more than a cooked one

An average raw chicken breast will weigh between 4-8 ounces and a cooked chicken breast will weigh between 2-6 ounces

A huge factor in a chicken breast’s weight is whether it comes with the bone in or out

The bone in a chicken breast accounts for about 20% of its weight, so it will weigh a lot more than a boneless breast

Bone-in chicken breasts (without skin) will typically weigh between 10-15 ounces

Bone-in or ‘split chicken breasts’, are typically cheaper in price but you might get a slightly lower amount of consumable meat than boneless

Boneless chicken breasts are more commonly purchased and a lot easier to prepare

The skin on an average chicken breast weighs around 1 ounce or 28 grams

If you prefer to have a crispy crust on your chicken breast, it really won’t make a huge difference in weight compared to the bone

Frozen chicken can weigh more than thawed chicken if there is an ice layer present

As long as the extra water is cooked out, then it will weigh very close to the same amount as a thawed chicken breast or a fresh one

If you purchase pre-frozen chicken from the grocery store, it often will have a special coating so that each breast will not stick together

This coating will cause the chicken breasts to weigh more

Leave your chicken breast out at room temperature for a few minutes before cooking it to help draw out moisture

Average Weight Of A Chicken Breast

The average boneless and skinless chicken breast weighs approximately 174 g (6 ounces)

Follow this helpful chart that breaks down the average weight of chicken breasts in grams, ounces, and pounds:

Type Of Chicken Weight (Grams)Weight (Ounces)Weight (Pounds)Boneless & Skinless113-283 g4-10 oz025-063 lbBoneless & With Skin142-312 g5-11 oz031-069 lbBone-In & Skinless284-425 g10-15 oz063-094 lbBone-In & With Skin311-454 g11-16 oz069-10 lbAverage Chicken Breast Weight In Grams, Ounces, and Pounds

Easy Ways To Measure A Chicken Breast

There are a few easy methods to use when measuring the weight of your chicken breasts

Most scales have the option to set your weight in grams or ounces, then you can convert it to pounds with some simple math

When you’re at the grocery store, you can determine the approximate weight of each chicken breast from the overall weight of the package

Divide the total weight of the package by the number of chicken breasts in it

Note that packaged chicken is usually weighed in pounds

For example, let’s say that your package of chicken weighs 16 pounds and there are 4 individual chicken breasts inside

There are 16 ounces in 1 pound, so multiply 04 x 16 and you get 64 ounces per individual chicken breast

Lastly, you can use your hand as a visual guide to quickly measure chicken

An average chicken breast will be close to the size of your hand

Now you know everything about how much a chicken breast weighs and how you can measure them for your chicken recipes!

Do you have a favorite chicken breast recipe that you have tried?

🐔 Best Chicken Breast Recipes