How Many Chicken Breasts is 2 Cups of Chicken? (2024)

By Laura Fuentes on Updated

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If recipes that call for ‘2 cups of shredded chicken’ leave you confused about how many chicken breasts you’ll need, I’ve got your answer!

Knowing just how much chicken to make is a total meal saver. This post includes a chart plus additional tips for making perfectly shredded or cubed chicken. Let’s get started!

How Many Chicken Breasts is 2 Cups of Chicken? (1)

How Much Chicken is 2 Cups Shredded

To yield 2 cups of shredded chicken, you’ll need approximately12 ounces of cooked chicken or 1 pound raw.In terms of cooked meat, this looks like 2 chicken breasts, 4 chicken thighs, or the meat from half of a rotisserie chicken.

So, if your recipe calls for 2 cups of shredded chicken, make sure you grab the right amount, whether cooked or raw; this way, there’s plenty to go around.

Why do you need more raw chicken to yield the same amount of shredded meat as cooked chicken? Great question! As chicken cooks, water evaporates from the surface and causes the meat to shrink, so 1 pound of raw chicken will weigh less when cooked.

How Many Chicken Breasts is 2 Cups of Chicken? (2)

How Many Chicken Breasts by Cup

The following chart is based oncooked chicken breast weight(ounces and pounds). An average raw chicken breast at the grocery store is 6-8 ounces, which will cool down to 4 to 6 ounces.

Shredded Chicken by Cups Yield Chart

Chicken breastsAmount Shredded
6oz breast
(approx 1)
1 cup
8oz breast
(approx 1)
1 ⅓ cup
12oz breast
(approx 2)
2 cups
16oz breast
(approx 2-3)
3 cups
24oz breast
(approx 3-4)
4 cups

Preparing Shredded Chicken to Measure

Poaching is a great way to prepare chickenyou want to shred. Not only is it the most hands-free way to cook chicken, but it retains moisture and creates a black canvas for whichever sauce or dressing you plan to toss it with.

Best of all,shredding poached chicken is easy if you use one of these three methods.

How Many Chicken Breasts is 2 Cups of Chicken? (3)

How Many Chicken Breasts is 2 Cups of Cubed Chicken

For 2 cups of cubed chicken, you’ll need about 2 cooked chicken breasts, depending on how many ounces each chicken breast weighs. Just like with shredded chicken, every 6 ounces of cooked chicken breast will yield approx. 1 cup of cubed chicken.

Preparing Chicken Cubes or Pieces

Properly cutting raw or cooked chickenis crucial to keep it as juicy as possible.

To cube raw chicken, you’ll want tobutterfly the fillet first, then slice the meat against the grain to create long strips. Cut each strip into 3-4 pieces, and voila!

For cooked chicken, same thing. Allow the chicken to cool down for 10 minutes (if it’s just been cooked), then use your knife to slice the meat against the grain, followed by that last cut.

How Many Chicken Breasts is 2 Cups of Chicken? (4)

Recipes Using Shredded Chicken

Got your freshly measured 2 cups of shredded chicken? Use them for a warmChicken Taco Soup, to make this deliciousSalsa Verde Chicken Pasta, to assembleThai Chicken Lettuce Cups, or try these terrificBuffalo Chicken Quesadillas. Yummy!

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How Many Chicken Breasts is 2 Cups of Chicken? (2024)

FAQs

How Many Chicken Breasts is 2 Cups of Chicken? ›

For 2 cups of cubed chicken, you'll need about 2 cooked chicken breasts, depending on how many ounces each chicken breast weighs. Just like with shredded chicken, every 6 ounces of cooked chicken breast will yield approx. 1 cup of cubed chicken.

How many chicken breasts for 2 cups? ›

Four small chicken breast halves (like the ones pictured) will yield about 2 cups of diced cooked chicken. Thaw chicken breasts before baking. To thaw frozen chicken breasts, place them in the refrigerator overnight.

How many cups of chicken in 1 breast? ›

1 serving of chicken is equal to about 4 oz/ 100 grams/ ¾ cup. There is ⅓ pound chicken per cup of meat. 1 chicken breast is approximately 1.5 cups of chicken.

Is 2 chicken breasts enough for 4 people? ›

Typically I'd use 4 oz of boneless breast meat per person. 5 to 6 if using boneless thighs. Or you can stretch it out by doing something like chicken pinakbet. There you can use a lot of vegetables to bulk it up, then you can use 2 to 3 oz per person.

How many cups is 2 ounces of shredded chicken? ›

To convert 2 ounces to cups, you can simply use 1/4 cup as a substitute.

How much chicken do I need for 2 cups? ›

Raw: 12 ounces of raw boneless, skinless chicken will give you about 2 cups of shredded chicken, weighing 8 ounces cooked. You can boil the chicken or make it in a pressure cooker.

Is 2 chicken breasts too much for one meal? ›

Eating two chicken breasts can be a part of a healthy diet, but whether it's healthy for you depends on various factors, including your overall dietary choices, portion sizes, and individual nutritional needs.

How much chicken is in 4 chicken breasts? ›

Go to the fresh chicken aisle to estimate the weight of a chicken breast. Let's say four breasts weigh 1.5 pound or 24 oz (the weight at your supermarket may vary), then each breast weighs 6 ounces.

What is 2 servings of chicken breast? ›

Chicken Breast

The recommended single portion of chicken is 3 to 4 ounces, about the size of a deck of playing cards. Some people use the palm of their hand as a guide. Depending on the vendor, some chicken breasts are two or three times the recommended serving size.

Is 2 chicken breasts enough for 3 people? ›

Anywhere from 4 to 6 ounces of boneless, skinless chicken breasts is enough for one adult and half that amount for kids. Most people are used to being served a single chicken breast on a plate; and while some pieces are cut into a 6-ounce portion, others can be up to 10 ounces in weight!

How much is 4 cups of chicken? ›

As an approximation, remember that a cup, 8 fluid ounces, is about a half pound. So 4 cups of chicken would be something like 2 pounds. How much does a cup of chicken weigh? A cup of cooked chicken can weigh anywhere from 2 ounces (cut into big cubes) to 5 ounces (finely diced).

How many ounces are in 2 cups? ›

16 fl oz

How many calories are in 2 cups of shredded chicken? ›

There are 268 calories in 1 cup of Shredded Chicken.

Is 2 chicken breast one pound? ›

As a rule of thumb, you'll get about 2 to 3 chicken breasts to the pound. But it really depends on how big they are. One pound roughly equals 454 g.

How many cups is a can of chicken breast? ›

(1 cup equals . 40 pound). Chicken meat, canned, drained 5-ounce can equals almost 1/2 cup.

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