Weighing frozen chicken

skrog4

I eat a lot of frozen chicken tenderloins, etc.
The package says 1 serving is 4 oz. Is this 4 oz of cooked, raw, or frozen chicken?

SoyD986

I have the same question - can any one enlighten? Thx!

MontyMuttland

You would need to check that with the brand you're buying because it varies from one to the next. Often the packaging will state which it is if you read everything on it.
In most cases, if nothing else, the packaging should indicate the food nutritional value per 100g of the product as provided (calories, protein, fat, carbs, etc), so you can still calculate your portion sizes.
Just don't assume that if one brand is saying 4oz means raw, then all others are the same, because it won't be correct.

SoyD986

Bummer - I've checked the packages of both brands and it has oz and grams but doesn't say whether it's meant to be cooked, raw (thawed) or frozen ... will go with thawed b cause it seems most logical.

Oh labels - why do you smite me so!?!

unrelentingminx

Most weights tend to be before cooking like how a 'quarter-pounder' burger weighs a quarter pound before cooking but will shrink duing cooking.
If the chicken is suitable for cooking from frozen, I would guess the serving size they've given is the raw, frozen weight. Since it'll lose a little weight through water loss during cooking, at worst you'll over estimate the calories slightly.
Perhaps as a one-off experiment, weigh the chicken when it is frozen, again when its defrosted and when it's cooked. There may be very little in it.

MontyMuttland

It's also worth remembering that portion sizes on package labels doesn't actually mean a lot.
Food manufacturers neither know nor care what your nutritional needs are, besides which everyone's needs are different.
Their portion sizes are often far different from what anyone would actually eat, but it looks nice for the manufacturer if they can say something like "A 45g portion contains ONLY 150 calories and 5g of fat".
It's irrelevant to them if nobody would actually eat as little as their portion size.
In some cases foods are even individually packaged inside the box/carton in "portions". Even in these cases you should weigh what's inside if you're keeping track of your calories, because a pre-packed 4oz portion needs only contain a minimum of 4oz to avoid them getting in trouble with food regulators and will likely actually weigh more.

livingleanlivingclean

We freeze chicken in portions - it's weighed, bagged, labelled and frozen. The weight doesn't change when it's frozen,or defrosted. There is sometimes a bit of "juice" in the bottom of the bag, but it's minimal...