Whole Chicken
Chicken in the Midwest · down 9% this week
Per a typical 140g serving, scaled from the per-100g figures in USDA FoodData Central (Chicken, broilers or fryers, meat and skin, raw).
Buying whole chicken in the Southcentral saves about 47% versus the Northeast this week.
- How to pick a good one
- Look for a plump, evenly proportioned bird with intact skin and no tears. Check the label for added solution, and note the giblets in the cavity if included. Larger birds are almost always cheaper per pound than smaller ones.
- What a good price looks like
- Whole chickens run $1 to $2.50 a pound and are frequently the cheapest way to buy any chicken. Under $1.50 is a good price. Compare it honestly: at $1.29 a pound whole, the meat works out around $2.15 a pound once you allow for the 60% yield, still well under boneless breast, plus you get the stock.
- What you actually get
- A 4 lb bird gives roughly 2.5 lb of cooked meat, around 60% — the rest is bone, skin, and rendered fat. That serves four to six. The carcass makes about two quarts of stock, which is a real part of the value and the reason a whole bird outperforms its price.
- How to store it
- One to two days refrigerated, up to a year frozen. A large frozen bird needs a full day or more to thaw in the fridge, so plan ahead.
- In the kitchen
- Breaking one down is eight cuts and no sawing: skin between leg and body, pop each hip joint back until it dislocates, cut through it, then take the wings at the shoulder joint and run a knife down either side of the breastbone. Every cut goes through a joint or along a bone, so if you are meeting resistance you are in the wrong place.
- Getting the most out of it
- Buying whole and breaking it down yourself is the single biggest saving available in the meat case — you get two breasts, two thighs, two drumsticks, two wings, and a carcass for stock, usually for less than the breasts alone would cost. It takes about five minutes once you have done it twice.
- Skillet Roasted Chicken with CabbageRecipe by The Modern Proper~$1.17 / serving 2 in-season
- Slow Cooker ChickenRecipe by Budget Bytes~$1.61 / serving 2 in-season
- Marisa's Spicy Chicken TostadasRecipe by Pinch of Yum~$1.62 / serving 4 in-season
- Chicken Grilled Under a Brick with Harissa MarinadeRecipe by Foodie Crush~$1.62 / serving 2 in-season
- Whole Coconut Curry ChickenRecipe by The Modern Proper~$1.67 / serving 4 in-season
- Country Chicken StewRecipe by Pinch of Yum~$1.82 / serving 4 in-season
See all 38 recipes with whole chicken →Filter by diet, time, budget, and macros.
Price from the USDA weekly retail meat report (conventional, per lb). Nutrition per typical serving, computed from USDA FoodData Central.
Whole Chicken — FAQ
What's the price of whole chicken this week?
As of the week of September 4, 2026, the price of whole chicken in the Midwest is $1.49/lb, down 9% from last week. Prices come from the USDA's weekly retail meat report.
Which region has the cheapest whole chicken right now?
The Southcentral has the cheapest whole chicken this week at $0.98/lb — about 47% less than the Northeast, where it runs $1.85/lb.
How much protein is in whole chicken?
A typical 140g serving of whole chicken has about 26g protein and 301 calories (21.1g fat), per USDA FoodData Central.
What can I cook with whole chicken?
SeasonSort indexes 38 recipes using whole chicken, each priced per serving from this week's data — starting from about $0.77 a serving. The cheapest are listed on this page, with a link to the full filtered list.