How much chicken for 50 people?

For 50 guests, order about 32.8 lb of raw bone-in chicken, which serves about 18.8 lb. That is roughly 3 full trays.

How much chicken for 100 people?

For 100 guests, order about 65.6 lb of raw bone-in chicken, which serves about 37.5 lb. That is roughly 6 full trays.

Catering portion guide

How much chicken per person?

In short

Plan on 6 oz of cooked chicken per person as a main. Bone-in chicken yields a little under 60 percent, so buy roughly 10 to 11 oz raw per person: 50 guests needs about 19 lb cooked from about 33 lb of raw bone-in chicken.

Buy more chicken than you serve

Bone-in chicken loses weight to bone and cooking. Roughly 1.75 lb raw yields 1 lb of cooked meat off the bone. Boneless cuts are closer to 1.3.

Planning factor: 1.75x. For every 1 lb you want to serve, order about 1.75 lb of raw bone-in chicken.

How much chicken for 10 to 100 people

Order is what to buy as raw bone-in chicken. Serves is what reaches the plate after trim and cooking.

Chicken quantities by guest count, showing purchase weight and served weight
Guests	Order	Serves	Trays
4	2.6 lb	1.5 lb	1 half tray
8	5.3 lb	3 lb	1 half tray
10	6.6 lb	3.8 lb	1 full tray
12	7.9 lb	4.5 lb	1 full tray
15	9.8 lb	5.6 lb	1 full tray
20	13.1 lb	7.5 lb	1 full + 1 half trays
25	16.4 lb	9.4 lb	1 full + 1 half trays
30	19.7 lb	11.3 lb	2 full trays
40	26.3 lb	15 lb	2 full + 1 half trays
50	32.8 lb	18.8 lb	3 full trays
60	39.4 lb	22.5 lb	3 full + 1 half trays
75	49.2 lb	28.1 lb	4 full + 1 half trays
100	65.6 lb	37.5 lb	6 full trays

These are standard food-service planning figures, not fixed constants. Real yield moves with cut, trim level, cooking method, and how long the food is held. Weigh your own results once and adjust the factor to your kitchen.

Things that change the number

Boneless skinless breast yields far better, so about 8 oz raw per person is enough.
Counting by piece instead, plan 1.5 pieces per person for a bone-in mixed cut.
Chicken dries out when held, so cook in batches for long service windows.

Common questions

How much chicken per person?: Plan on 6 oz of cooked chicken per person as a main. Bone-in chicken yields a little under 60 percent, so buy roughly 10 to 11 oz raw per person: 50 guests needs about 19 lb cooked from about 33 lb of raw bone-in chicken.
How much chicken for 50 people?: For 50 guests, order about 32.8 lb of raw bone-in chicken, which serves about 18.8 lb. That is roughly 3 full trays.
How much chicken for 100 people?: For 100 guests, order about 65.6 lb of raw bone-in chicken, which serves about 37.5 lb. That is roughly 6 full trays.

Working out a whole menu, not one dish?

The catering food calculator takes your actual dish list and guest count and returns quantities, tray counts, and a cost range for the whole event.

Open the catering food calculator