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Ingredient prices

Chicken breast price per pound

Boneless chicken breast, US city average. The default protein on most American menus and typically the most price-stable of the major proteins.

Also known as boneless skinless chicken breast or chicken.

October 2026 · US city average

$4.20

per lb

1 month
+0.7%
3 months
+0.5%
12 months
+0.7%

2024-01 to 2026-09

4.443.95Jan '24Sep '26

What the last 12 months did to a plate

Representative portions and volumes — substitute your own. The point isn't the exact figure, it's that a +0.7% move on one ingredient turns into a specific annual number on a specific dish, and that number is usually larger than it feels.

DishUsesCost todayChange per platePer year at 310/wk
Grilled chicken sandwich6 oz$1.58+$0.01+$187.40
Caesar with chicken5 oz$1.31+$0.01+$79.59
Chicken parmesan8 oz$2.10+$0.02+$88.66
Chicken tacos (3)4.5 oz$1.18+$0.01+$86.14

Volumes differ per row — each is a plausible weekly count for that dish. Computed from the BLS series above; your supplier price will differ by region, volume and grade.

What moves this price

  • Feed costs. Corn and soy dominate; broiler production responds faster to feed prices than beef does, which is part of why chicken is steadier.
  • Short production cycle. Six to seven weeks from chick to processing means supply corrects quickly — shocks fade faster than in beef.
  • Breast-vs-wing demand. Wing demand spikes (football season, wing promotions) can pull whole-bird economics around and move breast pricing indirectly.

Buying notes

  • Before switching specifications, compare whole versus boneless chicken cost using measured edible yield, prep time and the cuts your menu can sell.
  • Portion-cut breast costs more per pound and removes both trim loss and prep labour. Compare on prime cost, not food cost alone — the pre-portioned option often wins once labour is in the picture.
  • Breast size drift is a real and under-noticed cost: cases sold as "6–8 oz" that arrive mostly at 8 oz raise every plate's cost without any price change. Weigh a sample per delivery.
  • Thigh is materially cheaper per pound, cooks more forgivingly on a busy line, and works in most applications where the breast isn't the point of the dish.

This is the national average. Yours is the one that matters.

Review a supplier invoice and the affected recipe in Marji to check your own plate cost. Quantities, units, usable yields and ingredient costs need review before a margin can guide a price decision. Ongoing costing starts with a free 14-day trial, with no card required; continued costing access requires a paid plan.

Start a 14-day costing trial →See it in the index

When a price change means a new menu price, a free QR menu lets you update it without reprinting.

To cost a recipe with your own purchase price and usable yield, compare free recipe costing apps and their plan limits. The guide includes a calculation you can check before entering your full menu.

Recent ingredient cost and pricing guides

Put market changes in context, check a dish with your own costs, and decide how to explain a menu price change.

Related terms