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Why do whole chickens have more calories?

Francl27
Francl27 Posts: 26,368 Member
edited February 13 in Food and Nutrition
Someone explain this to me.

I buy chicken at Wegmans, they put cooked calories on their nutrition, which is just fine with me. So, cooked chicken breasts are 130 calories for 3oz. Cooked chicken thighs are 140 calories for 3oz. But I buy a chicken to roast, and suddenly the calories are 200 for 3oz... Why???? I'm totally going over my calories tonight because of this, even though I'm mostly going to eat breast and no skin, but this makes absolutely no sense. Is it just the skin? I mean, it's just chicken! Oh and their rotisserie chickens are 170 calories for 3oz.

I'm totally confused.

Replies

  • sunnyeuphoria
    sunnyeuphoria Posts: 85 Member
    Maybe they add calories by injecting the chicken with a solution... check the label and see what the ingredients are.... most whole chickens say - injected with a solution up to whatever percent- on the label... that's the only reason I can think of that it would be higher. Or maybe they expect you to eat the skin and account for such.
  • rejectuf
    rejectuf Posts: 487 Member
    I would say that it's probably due to some parts of the chicken we normally don't buy individually having to be averaged in, but the rotisserie chicken being significantly lower than that would seem to rule that theory out.

    That's certainly weird labeling. Perhaps just plug in generic data for whatever part you eat (breast, thigh, etc.)
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
    The cooked chicken has rendered out some fat. The uncooked chicken still has it.
  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,237 Member
    Probably the giblets and whatever else comes in that Baggie of nasty stuff in the guts. Rotisserie chickens don't have that. The difference from the plain breasts/thighs would be fat/skin.
  • jayjay12345654321
    jayjay12345654321 Posts: 653 Member
    Whose to say they are being honest about the calories in the cooked chicken? You have to understand, the manufacturer chose what to be analyzed. The only portion of all of the chicken sold that ever measured exactly like the nutrition facts is that one 3 oz sample. Maybe there was no skin or little skin when it was submitted. One ounce of chicken skin has 90 calories, 73 of which are pure fat. That would just about fill your gap.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,368 Member
    Ok I just entered the breast using the MFP data. Whatever... lol.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Someone explain this to me.

    I buy chicken at Wegmans, they put cooked calories on their nutrition, which is just fine with me. So, cooked chicken breasts are 130 calories for 3oz. Cooked chicken thighs are 140 calories for 3oz. But I buy a chicken to roast, and suddenly the calories are 200 for 3oz... Why???? I'm totally going over my calories tonight because of this, even though I'm mostly going to eat breast and no skin, but this makes absolutely no sense. Is it just the skin? I mean, it's just chicken! Oh and their rotisserie chickens are 170 calories for 3oz.

    I'm totally confused.

    You are fretting over a measly 30 calories? It's all an estimate...and 30 calories is downright negligible.
  • momtastic2014
    momtastic2014 Posts: 99
    I pull all the skin off before cooking and log the parts of chicken I eat.
  • lcfairbairn74
    lcfairbairn74 Posts: 412 Member
    Perhaps they are including the weight of the bones into the equation? Assuming the thighs you purchase are usually boneless.
  • _Terrapin_
    _Terrapin_ Posts: 4,301 Member
    Skin SKin SKin Give me some skin......let it soak the fat in...give me some skin....chant before Redskins games.....because these calories matter sooooo much, how about they leave the skin on? Plausible if not its okay....next caller.
This discussion has been closed.

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