chicken value - $3.99 /# for chicken breasts or $0.99/# whole chicken?

Question

was just wondering which would be the better value after you've ditched the bones and all.... OR: price per pound of MEAT from a whole chicken?

Answer 1

Ok, to start:
Average price for store brand whole bird: .79/#
Average price for store brand bnls breast (unfrozen) 3.99/#
" " (frozen) 1.99 - 2.29/#

Now, whole birds are handy to boil for soup stock, make beer can chicken (yum!) or rotisserie, but you lose a lot on the bones/sinew (approx. 1/3 of the weight). Also, with whole birds, you can see the difference between the parts on it and the parts sold separately (i.e. drumsticks sold by themselves are generally bigger than those on the whole bird, wings larger, etc.) Breasts are very handy for anything chicken, are quite lean (w/o skin), and you do not generally lose much in the way of trash pieces. Either one is great, but you need to buy for the recipe. FYI, frozen breasts are usually fairly cheap compared to fresh ones, and Bone-in breasts combine the best of both worlds. They are easy to bone out (simply lift the skin and run ur straight edge knife down the rib cage), which gives you a boneless breast, AND you get the ribs/skin/incedental meat to make stock.

Again, it all depends on the recipes you use. Do you like rice? Chicken stock makes an awesome base to cook it in, as is true for soups, beans, and anything you need water as a base.
Breasts are simple and lean. Nuff said.

Answer 2

The price per pound of meat is lower with the whole chicken, but not a lot lower if you're going to throw away the rest of the bird.

What do you figure a set of chicken breasts weigh? Together (from the whole bird) about 1/4 a pound? Maybe a little more? That's about a dollar at $3.99#--the cost of the whole bird. But you have to spend time and effort separating them from the bird. If you are just going to throw the rest away, you haven't saved any money and you have wasted time.

If you will use the rest of the chicken, or even some of it, and you don't mind the time spent on it, then it's definitely worth it to buy the whole bird. If you don't have the time, you pay more money. That's why breasts cost more alone--you're paying someone else to labor for you.

I find that it's very easy to make 4 or more meals for 2-4 people from a single 3# whole bird, so there's an additional savings there.

Answer 3

This depends on what part of the chicken you like. If you only eat white meat, then don't buy a whole chicken. The rest would go to waiste. Cost doesn't matter that much when you consider how much of it you will eat. Eating only part of a whole chicken, versus eating all the chicken breast, it makes more sense to buy only what you like to eat.

Answer 4

It's always cheaper to buy the whole bird. when you buy just breasts, you are also paying for the time someone spent in unwrapping the whole chicken, cutting it, separating the parts and re-packaging, weighing and labeling. That's why it costs more for pieces rather than buying the whole bird.

Answer 5

It's always less expensive to purchase the whole bird. And it's very easy to cut it up in whatever manner you wish. Plus, when you buy the whole bird, you get to keep the backbone, etc. Pop all of these bits into a ziploc-type freezer bag, and whenever you want, you can make your own chicken stock.

Answer 6

You are very lucky, here in Australia chickn breasts are anything from $10.00 per liko [approx 2 pounds] to $13.00 add approx 1/3 for the US dollar equivalent and you will see that whatever you are paying is fine.

I wish we had your costs here

cheers from OZ

Answer 7

It doesn't just depend on the bones, there's usually alot of water and blood in that bag with your chicken too. you can buy your whole chicken, take it out of the bag, butcher it however you like, and then weight it out. that way, you see how much weight you're left with, and exactly how much it cost you over all, and can compare it to the chicken breasts.

Answer 8

Holding the size equal in both cases, obviously the whole chicken.

Answer 9

You have to remember, too, that you're paying for the convenience of not having to spend the time cutting it up yourself. It's just like purchasing any bulk food: the less packaging, the lower the cost.

Answer 10

I get a Pedue oven roaster on Sale and split it in half and get two meals. You can also cut for the breast een filet it and use the rest for soup or anything.