Ounces, pounds, and servings

2bfit4lif

I have a recipe that calls for a 4-5 pound whole chicken and that it serves 4. The chicken I used was a 5 pound whole chicken which states on the packaging that a serving size is 4 oz and that total servings varies. If I'm correct, the recipe is stating that each person would get roughly a pound of chicken. I tried to use my not so good math skills to figure out how many servings there would be if everyone got the 4 oz. serving size. I came up with 18 servings in a 5 pound chicken. That sounds like too many servings - does anyone have an idea if I figured that out right?

malibu927

It would be 20 servings. However, you're also including the carcass and other inedible parts in that weight, so it's unlikely to be that many servings total.

2bfit4lif

Good point....maybe that is why the recipe states 4 servings. I guess I will have to pull apart the chicken before everyone gets their portions so I can get some what of an idea how much a 5 lb chicken would feed without the bones and such.

2bfit4lif

So I "de-chickened" my chicken and it turned out that out of 5 lbs (just went off the package didn't actually weigh it), 10.6 ounces of it was inedible stuff. So my chicken was basically 4.3 pounds, so it would be 16 servings correct? (in 4 oz serving sizes)

lorrpb

4.3 lbs of deboned chicken comes out to about 17 4-oz servings. 4 oz of chicken isn't much for many people. I can't imagine serving 16 people from one chicken.

deannalfisher

I think you are mixing up recipe serving size and chicken serving size (which is typically 4oz no matter what and it’s confusing

Use the recipe builder - input the amount of chicken plus other ingredients; set thecserving size to 4 and move on

Lounmoun

If you are cooking a whole chicken and cutting it up and serving it then it might be better to just weigh out 4 oz of meat for yourself and log that.
After you have had the dish you can note how many servings you really got out of the chicken and save it as a recipe if you think you will have it again. As a rough guide a 4-7 lb chicken should serve 5-7 people according to https://www.recipetips.com/knowledge.asp?content=t--371/chicken-quantity-to-buy.asp .
My family is 3 people and I would expect 2 meals at least out of a whole chicken. There might be some extra but not 10 more servings worth. Of course I am the only one weighing out my portion so the others may be taking more than I do but not more than 8 ounces I would say. Event planning sites recommend figuring 8 ounces of meat per person. 1 lb per person would be a big serving.

2bfit4lif

Thanx. I thought 16-18 sounded like a lot or a measly chicken and 4 oz of chicken is not a lot, but it seems most places I look go off that 4 oz portion size. We have 3 people in our family and get two maybe three meals out of it (depending what we make with it). The only reason I was so inquisitive about the serving size really was because that is a big part of how the recipe builder determines calories and the macros so I didn't want to deviate too much. I agree I am probably mixing up the recipe serving size and chicken serving size so I will have to work on that. Thanx for the website link, I think it will be helpful and 8 oz is probably closer to a correct portion. Thank you everyone.

lynn_glenmont

I can't imagine getting over 4 lbs of cooked meat from a 5 lb raw chicken. You've taken the chicken off the bone? Did you pour all the pan drippings and fat back on the chicken and count that? Did you leave the skin and all the fat pockets tucked in various spots on?

If you're going to use the recipe builder, you need to be sure that the database entry matches the product you're using. (weighed raw or cooked? if cooked, cooking method? meat only, or meat and skin? meat, skin, and fat? bones included in weight?

Here's a USDA link for roasted chicken, meat only (that means you would weigh only the meat, after it is cooked and pulled from the carcass).