Is Buying a Whole Chicken Cheaper than Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast?

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I have finally proved if it’s cheaper to buy boneless skinless or whole chicken. My theory was that the extra fat and the bones of a whole chicken, plus extra cook time and preparation efforts, would cancel out the savings from the lower price point.

Being the numbers girl that I am, I set out last week to determine if the boneless skinless chicken breast that I usually buy is cheaper or if the whole chicken is cheaper. You’ll be able to use the information here to decide which is the best purchase for your family.

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Experiment
I usually buy my boneless skinless for $1.27 – $1.29/lb.  My max price to pay is the everyday price at Walmart of $1.78/lb. I’ve consistently gotten 58% of the starting weight in cooked meat. If I cook 5 lbs. (purchased for a total of $6.35) and glean 2.9 lbs, I’m paying $2.19 per cooked lb. of chicken.

Whole Chicken Experiment
I have only cooked  a whole chicken once in my life- last Thursday! I purchased a 5.06 lb. bird for $.67/lb. ($3.39 total) I cooked it in the crockpot for several hours and picked every tiny morsel of meat from the bones, gleaning 1 lb. and 13.1 ounces. That’s only 36% of the starting weight, or $1.86/lb. of cooked meat!

The difference between buying boneless skinless and a whole chicken was only $.33 per pound of cooked meat!  With a meat serving size of 4 oz, most families will only serve 1 lb. per meal.  We don’t typically eat gravy, and I can get chicken stock from the boneless skinless (although it may not be as high quality) if I want chicken stock.  I know I can earn more money through swagbucks in the same amount of time it would take me to prepare the whole chicken and glean the meat instead of just seasoning the boneless skinless. There just isn’t a good reason for me to put in the extra time and effort without any significant savings- unless we want dark meat. If that’s the case, I’m perfectly happy buying boneless skinless chicken thighs!

Update April 2012: Split Chicken Breast Experiment
I started with 4.05lbs. of split chicken breast bought for $.88/lb.($3.56 total). I cooked it in the crockpot just like I cooked the whole chicken.  Then I made chicken broth from the bones and fat. It was much easier than the whole chicken. After cooking, I gleaned exactly 2 lbs. At 50% of the starting weight, that’s $1.78/lb. of cooked meat. That’s a winner for the cheapest price per cooked lb. of meat, ease of cooking, and being able to make your own chicken stock. 

Now, I know that not everyone can get boneless skinless for $1.27/lb or a whole chicken for $.67/lb.  I did this experiment so I’ll be armed with the knowledge I need to determine which is the best choice no matter the price, and you will be too! Here’s how to figure it out at the store.  Just use the calculator on your phone-

Multiply the lbs. of your boneless skinless package by .58. Then divide the purchase price of the package by your first answer. This is the price you’ll pay per cooked lb.

Divide the lbs. of your split chicken breast package by 2. Then divide the purchase price of the package by your first answer. This is the price you’ll pay per cooked lb.

Multiply the lbs. of the whole chicken by .38. Then divide the purchase price of the package by your first answer. This is the price you’ll pay per cooked lb.

Now you have all the info you need to determine which is the better buy for you!

Comments

  1. Anonymous says:

    I buy the chickens when they are around .80 a lb and I think you are right the meat saving is not that great but when I can make $8 or $10 worth of stock and 2 meals or so with a $3.00 chicken then I see savings…

  2. I always boil the bones down and make stock from them also.

    I’ve actually seen a post comparing split chicken breasts/chicken breasts for the ease vs still having the bones to make the stock from….I’ll try to find it.

  3. Anonymous says:

    No way you are getting boneless/skinless chicken breast this cheap. Whole chickens give you much more bang for your buck and taste better because they are less processed.

    • Dear Anon,
      I most certainly do get my boneless skinless for that cheap. If you’d like photo proof I will be glad to go to Walmart and send you a pic of the price here in Tyler, and also of the ad when Super 1 runs it this cheap again. It’s about time for it to come up again. As far as more bang for your buck it would depend on if you want the whole chicken for more than just the meat, which is usually all I want it for. Taste I’ll give you because I prefer dark meat over light. :-)

      • Just saying says:

        In New England we typically see over $2 /lb. for boneless chicken… the best sales are usually $1.99/lb.. sometimes $1.89/lb.. so I think it matters where you live and what is available to you. Like you said in your original post …”Now, I know that not everyone can get boneless skinless for $1.27/lb or a whole chicken for $.67/lb. I did this experiment so I’ll be armed with the knowledge I need to determine which is the best choice no matter the price, and you will be too!” :-)

        • You’re exactly right! If the price for boneless skinless is $1.88/lb. when I run out on occasion, I want to know how to truly compare that with the bone in or whole chicken. Now I can!

  4. ChickenLover says:

    If you cooked the entire chicken in the crock pot for several hours, you most likely overcooked the meat, drying it out. The loss of moisture from overcooking will result in a loss of weight, but it does not mean there is less meat.

    • If the chicken wasn’t sitting in a bath of it’s own juices I’d be inclined to agree with you chickenlover. But it was extremely moist and tender. That is something I hadn’t thought to consider though when doing cost comparisons – thanks for the reminder!

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