Fried Chicken Food Cost Calculator
A fried chicken plate is costed by the piece, and bone-in chicken bought by the case has trim and breakdown loss, so the usable yield matters as much as the price per pound.
This three-piece plate uses about eighteen ounces of raw bone-in chicken with seasoned flour, buttermilk, frying oil, a biscuit and coleslaw; a busy fryer changes the oil allocation, so set it from your own oil spend.
Editable example: quantities are a typical standard spec and prices are plausible US wholesale estimates, not supplier quotes or current market data. Replace them with your own.
Example ingredient spec
Purchase and usage quantities use the same unit named in each row. Batch portions: 1.
| Ingredient / unit | Purchase qty | Purchase cost ($) | Used | Yield % | Line cost ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bone-in chicken pieces (oz, raw) | 640 | 90.00 | 18 | 95 | 2.66 |
| Seasoned flour (oz) | 400 | 12.00 | 2 | 100 | 0.06 |
| Buttermilk (oz) | 128 | 4.50 | 3 | 100 | 0.11 |
| Frying oil allocation (oz) | 560 | 40.00 | 1 | 100 | 0.07 |
| Biscuit (each) | 48 | 14.00 | 1 | 100 | 0.29 |
| Coleslaw (oz) | 80 | 9.00 | 4 | 100 | 0.45 |
Example menu price
Example cost per plate: $3.64. At 30% food cost, the unrounded price is $12.14. Suggested price rounded up to the next $0.50: $12.50, giving 29.14% actual ingredient cost.
These example prices exclude labor, overhead and tax. The ingredient table and suggestion describe the starting spec; edit the calculator to cost your own version.
Formula
Ingredient cost = purchase cost ÷ purchase quantity × quantity used ÷ (yield % ÷ 100). Plate cost = total ingredient cost ÷ portions.
More to cost
Calculated free at thehospitalityinsider.com/food-cost/fried-chicken