95%
Chicken breast yields 95%
You buy chicken breast by its whole weight, but you only plate 95% of it. That 5% loss is real cost the invoice never shows — here's the math.
Yield is the fraction of an ingredient that actually reaches the plate after you clean, peel, and trim it. What you pay is the AP (as-purchased) price; what it costs on the plate is the EP (edible-portion) price.
Bone, skin, and trim are the loss. A whole bird costs less per pound but yields far less usable meat than a portioned cut.
Say your invoice shows $3.80 per lb of chicken breast (an example AP price).
At 95% yield, your real cost is $4.00 per lb EP — because $3.80 ÷ 0.95 = $4.00.
AP price is illustrative; the EP figure is computed (AP ÷ yield). Use your real invoice price below.Market readconfidence medium · as of 2026-06-01
About $1.37/lb (wholesale reference, single source), up +9.1% over the recent window.
Sources · 3
Sourced: CIA Standard Yield Tables, via the Plate Cost Calculator · what yield means · edible portion