Hi guys! I just began calorie counting at the start of this week. So far, so good! But I have a question I was hoping you could help me out with. About how many calories are there in 1 chicken breast? I looked it up on thedailyplate and it said about 142 calories per 1/2 chicken breast. Does that sound about right? The reason I ask is because the chicken breasts I have come packaged in twos, so in one package you have both breasts. So I'm wondering if by 1/2 chicken breast, do they mean 1/2 of ONE chicken breast, or 1/2 of the package (1 full breast)? Does that make any sense? Haha! I would just weigh it but I don't have a food scale yet.

Thanks!

TxBrittany,

3 oz of chicken is about the size of a pack of playing cards. Estimate the total weight of your chicken breasts from that.

FYI: An ounce of cheese is about the size of your thumb. Half cup of pasta is smaller in diameter than a fist (unless it's a very small fist). A cup of pasta is about the size and diameter of a tennis ball.

Kim

Does the package have the weight on the price sticker? Usually chicken breast is priced by the pound, so the total weight of the two breasts should be on the outside of the package. That's what I usually go by, since chicken breasts can vary so much in size.

Yeah, you need to weigh them. It's the only way.

A scale is *vital* for the calorie counter. If you don't have one, it's worth the investment.

Technically a a whole breast would be the two pieces. A chicken has only one breast not two. They are usually split it two for sale. I agree with everyone here though, go by weight it's more accurate. 3oz is considered a serving. From What I can find online raw chicken breast is approx 34 calories per oz. It was hard to find a per oz calories count though, so I'm not sure how accurate that is.

i usually go more by the cut up cup version. I haven't bought any scales yet, so when I need to know how many calories are in my chicken breast, i cut it up and put it in a measuring cup. One cup of cubed chicken breast is 221 calories. that's how i measure mine.

I disagree that a food scale is vital to calorie counting. I do have a food scale and it is very handy, especially for weighing meat, but you can successfully calorie count without one. I lost close to 25 pounds counting calories and got almost to my goal weight before I invested in a food scale (although when I did finally make the investment, I was glad I did--I use my food scale with every meal and a lot of snacks).

As for the chicken, the package is required by law to state the weight. Both the chicken breast halves are probably about equal in weight, so just divide the total by 2 and you'll have the weight of each halve. During the year or so that I didn't have a scale, this is how I figured the weight of my chicken.

While a food scale isn't a necessity, it sure is helpful! I can't trust my eyes for an accurate portion. To me, a serving of cereal is a full bowl. Weighing it to the gram gives me an accurate portion size.

A good online database for different foods (and restaurants) is calorie king . com. I searched for chicken and then was able to change the portion size to the ounce, etc.

Kimberly

I bought a kitchen scale this weekend, and I love it! It's been very helpful!