60%
Whole chicken yields 60%
You buy whole chicken by its whole weight, but you only plate 60% of it. That 40% 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 $1.60 per lb of whole chicken (an example AP price).
At 60% yield, your real cost is $2.67 per lb EP — because $1.60 ÷ 0.60 = $2.67.
AP price is illustrative; the EP figure is computed (AP ÷ yield). Use your real invoice price below.Market readconfidence low · as of 2026-06-01
About $0.83/lb (wholesale reference, single source), down -31.8% over the recent window.
Sources · 2
Sourced: CIA Standard Yield Tables, via the Plate Cost Calculator · what yield means · edible portion