Does Trader Joes sell whole chickens?
The combination of all these positive attributes adds up to an extrordinarily delicious All Natural Whole Chicken. In fact, after tasting one of our Trader Joe's Heirloom Chickens, you may be surprised at how much flavor you've been missing eating standard chickens! Find them every day in our refrigerators.
Trader Joe's Organic Chicken Breasts come from chickens raised specifically for us primarily on family farms, under the strict USDA guidelines for Organic Certification.
The all-natural variety of chicken breasts sell for $4.49 per pound. But a 40-ounce bag of frozen chicken breasts is $6.99, which makes it just 17 cents per ounce as opposed to 28 cents per ounce for the fresh, all-natural chicken. There are exceptions.
A whole 3 to 4-pound chicken will feed 4 to 6 people, depending on ages and appetite. For Cornish game hens, which are very small chickens, count on one small (1.25 pounds) game hen per person or half of a larger (2-pound) game hen.
Breast Tenderloins | $2.99/lb |
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Boneless Skinless Thighs | $2.79/lb |
Bone-In Skin On Thighs | $.99/lb |
Drumsticks | $.99/lb |
Whole | $.99/lb |
Trader Joe's is definitely cheaper than the average grocery store, but you might have to wait in a longer checkout line to take advantage of them.
Based on nutrition alone, organic chicken isn't worth the money—but it is if you're worried about food poisoning, GMOs, or how the chicken was raised. To make sure any kind of bird is safe to eat: Note whether it's plump—which is good—or dry which is bad. Also, check to make sure it's not close to the "sell by" date.
Efficient distribution and supplier system. The company also cuts out the middleman and buys a lot of its food directly from the suppliers, which translates to lower expenses and more savings for customers. Suppliers send their food to Trader Joe's distribution centers, where it then gets sent out to the stores.
While there is no significant nutritional difference between organic and factory-farmed chicken, non-organic chickens who are frequently given antibiotics can develop antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria—plus they're more likely to be infected with salmonella.
Trader Joe's is more expensive than Aldi and Walmart for nearly every grocery item, with a few notable exceptions.
How much is a whole chicken per pound?
According to the USDA, whole chicken currently averages $1.28 per pound nationwide, which is considerably less expensive than boneless individual pieces, like thighs and breasts.
1) Seafood/Meat
The seafood and meat products at Trader Joe's are not worth buying because you can find the same items for much cheaper at other locations. For example, the Trader Joe's BBQ Cut Fresh Atlantic Salmon Filets are rather expensive and cost $9.99 per pound.

Prices for Chicken, 1997-2022 ($1.83)
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for chicken are 90.21% higher in 2022 versus 1997 (a $1.65 difference in value). The current national average price is $1.83 for "Chicken, fresh, whole, per lb. (453.6 gm)".
Another benefit of purchasing a whole chicken is the potential cost savings. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the current average price of a whole chicken is $1.69 per pound while a regular pack of chicken breasts averages $2.56 per pound.
Food Type | Approximate Amount for 50 Servings |
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Chicken, pieces with bone-in | 18-20 lbs |
Chicken, boneless, skinless, cut-up for casserole, soup, stew etc. | 16-18 lbs |
Turkey, whole, to roast | 40-50 lbs. (2-3 large birds) |
Bacon | 6 lbs., 12-20 slices per lb |
Instead, the store keeps the prices low on its famous rotisserie chickens and other staples as an incentive to get shoppers in the door. While the retail grocery chain is technically losing money on their famous chicken, the price is also subsidized by the fact that shoppers have to pay a Costco membership fee.
Walmart's store brand of fresh whole chickens aren't organic, but they are labeled cage free, they're also about 20 cents cheaper per pound, and you don't have to buy two, as you do at Costco.
The chickens are typically seasoned in factories before being shipped to Costco, which is what earns them their “processed food” title. Even Dr. Oz reassured viewers that the birds are some of the healthiest processed foods out there—and removing the skins makes them even healthier.
Trader Joe's competitors include Whole Foods Market, Fairway Market, Walmart, Meijer and NatureBox. Trader Joe's ranks 1st in Overall Culture Score on Comparably vs its competitors.
They've both owned by the same people. According to Reader's Digest, Trader Joe's founder Joe Coulombe sold his business to Theo Albrecht in 1979, officially making the Albrecht family the proud owners of both prosperous markets.
Is Aldi as good as Trader Joe's?
Aldi is for customers looking for major savings and the absolute lowest grocery prices, and Trader Joe's is for customers willing to pay a premium for specialized products. Both chains use their private-label brands in pursuit of these distinct groups of shoppers.
Free-range and organic chickens are more expensive because they cost more to produce – feed accounts for about 70 percent of the cost to rear a chicken and these birds are eating for double the amount of time.
(Organic birds are also raised without any antibiotics.) Why the higher cost? Organic chickens are more expensive primarily because of the feed, most of which has to come from overseas because we don't produce enough in the U.S. Prices vary, but you can expect it to cost about twice as much as conventional.
Organic Roasted Chicken (Average Weight of Whole Chicken 2-2 1/2 lbs)
Reasons against buying organic food
Organic food is more expensive to buy than non-organic food. Many people believe that organic food does not allow the use of any chemicals. Contrary to popular opinion, organic food production does allow a limited number of chemicals to be used.
- Favorite Beverage: Non-Dairy Oat Beverage.
- Favorite Cheese: Unexpected Cheddar.
- Favorite Entrée: Mandarin Orange Chicken.
- Favorite Sweet or Dessert: Hold The Cone! ...
- Favorite Produce: Teeny Tiny Avocados.
- Favorite Snack: Peanut Butter Filled Pretzels.
- Favorite Home, Bath, and Beauty: Scented Candle Tins.
Organic items worth buying if money is no object: Asparagus, avocados, bananas, bread, broccoli, cauliflower, cereals, sweet corn, kiwi, mangos, oils, onions, papaya, pasta, pineapples, potato chips, and sweet peas. Also included are packaged products such as canned vegetables and dried fruit.
While some consumers say organic chicken is healthier and tastes better, that's not necessarily true. The taste issue, in particular, can be hard to discern. It's easy to distinguish organic milk from non-organic milk.
At Perdue, We Raise More Organic Chickens than Anyone in America. Our organic products exceed the rigorous standards of the National Organic Standards Board and have earned the certified USDA Organic seal–that's just the Perdue way.
Organic chicken is also injected. How, you may ask? The USDA and the FDA list water and salt as organic. This allows organic chicken to be injected as well.
Does Trader Joe's sell rotisserie chickens?
Although Trader Joe's doesn't sell rotisserie chickens per se, many TJ devotees love its "spatchcock chicken" for roasting at home.
The price point of rotisserie chickens has captured consumers' interest almost as much as the chickens themselves. At a typical supermarket, it might cost $7 or $8, the same as a fresh whole chicken in the refrigerator case.
Yes, the Grilled Chicken Fully Cooked Strips from Trader Joe's qualify as a nutritious option. Chicken is an excellent source of protein and nutrients, and rotisserie chickens purchased from a grocery store offer a quick and cost-effective alternative to other fast food alternatives that are less healthful.
The price of the Trader Joe's Spatchcocked Lemon Rosemary Chicken depends on the store and how big the bird is. It is roughly $3.99 – $5.50 per pound, making each pack around $15.
The company uses a more humane slaughter method than the industry standard in its Nebraska plant, its contracts with independent farmers are more fair than average, and at $4.99 per bird, no one could accuse the company of price fixing.
Rotisserie chickens are also a loss leader according to retailers such as Rowe Farms. This means grocers actually lose money on them, and sell them below cost as a way to get customers into stores to ostensibly buy more items.
- Meat and seafood. “It's so much more expensive, and honestly, I think the packages don't have a ton in them,” Greutman says — especially the chicken. ...
- Rice. ...
- Frozen sides. ...
- Vitamins. ...
- Certain cereals and snacks. ...
- Organic milk.
A 5 to 9 pound chicken will serve approximately six to nine people. Chicken Wings: One pound of raw chicken wings will serve approximately 1 ½ people.
Another benefit of purchasing a whole chicken is the potential cost savings. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the current average price of a whole chicken is $1.69 per pound while a regular pack of chicken breasts averages $2.56 per pound.
As a national chain of neighborhood grocery stores, we are proud to donate 100% of products that go unsold but remain fit to be enjoyed to local food recovery organizations, in addition to a wide-range of community-based non-profit partners, seven days a week.
What should I know before buying from Trader Joe's?
- Trader Joe's doesn't have sales or accept coupons. ...
- A majority of their products are private label. ...
- Their frozen aisle is unmatched. ...
- Every price tag is designed by hand. ...
- Some stores have a fun raffle. ...
- They're often ahead of food trends.
What Is a Spatchcocked Chicken? To spatchcock a chicken is exactly the same thing as butterflying a chicken, but with a name that is way more fun to say! Either way, this simply means to cutting out the chicken's backbone and pressing the bird flat so that it cooks in a single layer.
Why spatchcock chicken? Spatchcock chicken cooks more evenly as it's on a level surface, so the breast and thigh meat are done at the same time. The chicken also cooks 25% faster when butterflied, and because it's on a flat surface, there is maximum exposure to heat, which results in more crispy, golden brown skin.
Description. Frozen whole spatchcocks are very small whole chickens weighing in at an average of 550g or 650g each. Ideal when you want to serve a whole chicken per serve.