When it comes to chicken recipes, there are many different ways to measure the ingredients. If your recipe calls for chicken in ounces, I’m here to help you translate that into cook-friendly terms. So, how much chicken is 4 ounces?
How do I Know How Much Chicken to use?
Whether you are making chicken salad, chicken tenders, or a chicken casserole, you will need a specific amount of chicken.
I’m always stumped when a recipe calls for ingredients in ways other than cups or tablespoons.
This also depends on if you are starting with a whole chicken, a boneless skinless chicken breast, or a skinless chicken thigh.
Recipes that originate from other countries might use the metric system or weight instead of volume (cups).
So I’ve created this informational post for you (and me!) to decipher any chicken recipe you come across.
How do I measure 4 oz of chicken?
4 ounces of raw chicken equals approximately 1/2 cup or 113 grams and is the recommended serving size.
If you are looking for 4 ounce portion size of cooked chicken in a recipe, you will need to cook 5-6 oz. of raw meat to yield the correct amount.
You can measure your chicken in cups or use a food scale to measure in ounces or grams. If using a scale, make sure your chicken is not frozen.
Place a bowl on your scale and note the weight. Place your chicken in the bowl. Your chicken will be the weight minus the weight of the bowl.
Some scales have a “tare” feature that will zero out the weight of the bowl. If you don’t have a scale, keep in mind that 4 ounces of meat will be about the size of your palm of their hand, or a deck of standard playing cards.
This applies to boneless skinless chicken breasts or boneless skinless chicken thighs.
So to sum it up:
4 ounces = ½ cup = 113 grams
8 ounces = 1 cup = 226 grams
Is a chicken breast 4 ounces?
An average chicken breast is a little more than 4 ounces – usually weighing in around 6-8 ounces or 174-226 grams.
However, once cooked, the average chicken breast would be around 4 oz.
A small chicken breast would be around 4 ounces – about the size of the palm of your hand (not with your fingers) or the size of a deck of cards.
If your chicken breasts are large, then a 4 oz portion would generally equal about half of one breast. And, just FYI, the average chicken tenders are about 3 ounces each.
How much is 4 ounces of raw chicken cooked?
As stated above, 4 ounces of raw chicken is about ½ cup or 113 grams.
When you cook your chicken, you will lose about a quarter of the weight, so four ounces of raw meat will give you about three ounces of cooked meat.
However, once your meat is cooked, the amount of protein, number of calories, and grams of total fat will increase.
4 ounces of raw chicken breast has 26 grams of protein, 1.5 grams of fat, and 120 calories.
A 4 oz chicken breast (cooked) gives you so much protein at 33 grams, 2 grams of fat, and 150 calories.
How much chicken do I need to end up with 4 ounces of cooked chicken?
If your recipe calls for 4 ounces of cooked chicken, you will need to cook approximately 5-6 ounces of raw chicken.
As previously discussed, you will lose 25-30% of the weight, so you will need to start with more raw chicken to end up with the correct amount of cooked chicken.
The average weight of a chicken breast is 8 ounces.
4 oz of chicken breast will only give you roughly 3 ounces of cooked chicken breast. A 4 oz chicken thigh will give you roughly 2.5 oz of cooked meat due to to the higher fat content.
Four ounces of chicken looks different. Here is a table of chicken pieces based on 4 ounces raw or 3 ounces cooked.
- 1/2 split chicken breast (with bones and skin)
- 1 small chicken breast (boneless, skinless)
- 1 regular chicken thigh (with bones)
- 1 small boneless chicken thigh
- 1 medium sized chicken drumstick
- 1 whole chicken wing
What is the best kitchen scale?
Using a food scale to weigh your chicken (and other foods) will give you the most accurate measurement.
If you don’t have a food scale and love to cook, I recommend getting one right away.
I personally have a digital one that is really a postal scale but use it as a kitchen scale. The digital is easier to read and converts to grams easily.
I bought mine years ago and still use it every day!
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We’ve solved the mystery of measuring chicken so let’s get cooking!
So, now that you can accurately measure your chicken, you will want to try these amazing chicken recipes!
- Easy Chicken Salad
- Chicken Macaroni Salad
- Ultimate Chicken Casserole
- Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Chicken Spaghetti
- Mini Chicken Pot Pies
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