KFC Chicken Breast: Price & Calories (À La Carte)
A single KFC Original Recipe chicken breast runs about $5.49 and carries 390 calories with 39 grams of protein: gram for gram the best protein buy on the menu at $1.41 per ten grams. It is the piece the bucket math is measured against.
◐ REFERENCE FIGURES · INDEPENDENTLY TRACKED · 31 AUG 2026
Grade = this item's percentile across the whole menu: 40% price-per-calorie + 40% price-per-protein + 20% sodium penalty. Full formula.
KFC Chicken Breast price
| Option | Price | Calories | Data |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single | $5.49 | 390 | ◐ REF. |
National reference pricing on the audit date. Franchises set final prices; a spread of about a dollar between locations is normal.
The Ledger · price history on recordWhat this item has cost
| Date | Price | Move |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 2026 | $5.49 | opening entry |
Opened on this ledger at $5.49 on the audit date; the row below it gets written the day the price moves, publicly. Bone-in pricing tracks the chicken commodity more closely than anything else on the board; a la carte pieces move first.
Fact checkWhy other sites disagree about this item
Piece pricing is where menu sites disagree most violently, because many quote combo or meal-embedded prices as if they were à la carte: $3.99 breasts from decade-old value cards still circulate alongside $6.49 quotes lifted from high-cost markets. Our $5.49 is the standing national app reference; the two-tier truth is that à la carte pieces everywhere cost dramatically more than the same pieces inside buckets, and that's the number that matters.
Full nutrition, per serving
| Nutrient | Per serving | % daily value |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 390 | 20% |
| Protein | 39 g | 78% |
| Carbohydrates | 11 g | 4% |
| Total fat | 21 g | 27% |
| Saturated fat | 5 g | 23% |
| Sodium | 1,190 mg | 52% |
| Sugars | 0 g | 0% |
| Fibre | 0 g | 0% |
Where the sodium lands
1,190 mg, half the daily value in one piece, brined deep before the coating goes on. The drumstick at a third of the sodium is the piece for salt-watchers; no bone-in piece qualifies as light.
AllergensAllergens
Contains: Wheat, Soy, Milk, Egg. Shared fryers and prep areas mean cross-contact is possible; confirm with the restaurant if you have a severe allergy.
What is in a Chicken Breast?
The largest piece in KFC’s bone-in lineup: a whole breast in the Original Recipe pressure-fried coating, the 11-herbs-and-spices one the company built itself on. One breast eats like a small meal: this is the à la carte order for people who want the chicken and nothing else’s opinion.
Extra Crispy is the same breast open-fried in a heavier crust: roughly a third more calories, more crunch, same price. Most locations fry both all day.
How it is made
Bone-in pieces come out of pressure fryers in batches, and the breast, being thickest, is the piece that rewards asking what’s fresh: a just-up breast against an hour-old one is a different food. Counter staff will tell you honestly if you ask which batch is newer; it’s the single most useful question in the store.
Who it suits, and who should skip it
Macro-driven orders end here: 39 g protein for $5.49 beats every combo, sandwich and bowl on the board; the tenders combo‘s celebrated ratio still costs 43% more per gram. It’s also the natural add-on when a bowl needs to feed a bigger appetite.
Buying three or more? Stop: the 8-piece bucket at $18.99 makes every individual piece above two look like a rounding error.
Is it worth the price?
The protein king, with a hard ceiling at quantity two.
$1.41 per ten grams of protein is untouched anywhere on the menu: the grade-B letter reflects calories-per-cent, where lean meat never shines. The verdict flips entirely at volume: one breast is the menu’s smartest single piece, two is defensible, three is $16.47 of denial that the bucket exists at $2.37 a piece. Order accordingly.
Order hacks
- Ask which batch is freshest: the breast rewards it more than any piece.
- Original Recipe for macros, Extra Crispy for crunch: same price, ~130-calorie gap.
- Two breasts max à la carte; at three you’re ignoring bucket math.
- Pair one breast with a large side for a complete high-protein meal under $9.
- Late evening pieces sell from older batches: this is a lunch-hour order.
Compare with similar items
KFC 8 pc. Chicken Meal
$29.99
· 2,300 to 4,800 whole meal cal
KFC 12 pc. Chicken Meal
$39.99
· 3,450 to 7,200 whole meal cal
KFC 8 pc. Bucket (Chicken Only)
$18.99
· 1,720 to 3,000 whole bucket cal
KFC 12 pc. Chicken-Only Bucket
$25.99
· 2,580 to 4,500 whole bucket cal
How to order the KFC Chicken Breast
| Route | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Status | Standing menu item as of 31 Aug 2026; participation can vary by franchise. |
| KFC app & website | The reference price on this page, plus app-only offers and Rewards points. The cleanest way to see your own store’s price before ordering. Official listing. |
| Counter & drive-through | Franchise-set pricing: a spread of about a dollar around the reference is normal. AK, HI and CA run higher on KFC’s own note. |
| Delivery apps | Marked up over counter price and no Rewards earning; the delivery page ranks the routes. |
| Also inside | KFC 1 pc. Chicken Fill Up ($5.99): the builds that bundle it. |
| Cheaper routes | the $10 Tuesday bucket is the week’s only standing chicken discount; current deals change without a schedule; the app row is the truth; the standing value board (Taste of KFC, $5 Bowls, Fill Ups) usually beats a promo code. |
KFC Chicken Breast FAQs
How much is a single chicken breast at KFC?
About $5.49 à la carte for Original Recipe: the same breast inside an 8-piece bucket effectively costs $2.37. Individual pieces carry the menu's steepest solo premium.
How many calories in a KFC breast?
390 for Original Recipe with 39 g protein; Extra Crispy runs about 530 with the heavier crust. Both hold 21 g fat or more: fried is fried.
Is KFC chicken breast good protein value?
The best on the menu: $1.41 per ten grams, ahead of every combo and sandwich. Nothing else KFC sells beats it without buying in bulk.
Original Recipe or Extra Crispy breast?
Original for lighter macros and the classic seasoning; Extra Crispy for crunch at ~130 more calories. Same price, both usually available all day.
How much sodium in one breast?
1,190 mg, 52% of the daily value, mostly from the brine. The drumstick at 400 mg is the gentler piece.
Can I buy just pieces without a meal?
Yes, every piece sells à la carte. The register won't suggest it, but the option is standard everywhere.
Why is one piece so expensive versus a bucket?
Deliberate menu architecture: à la carte prices push volume toward buckets, where per-piece cost drops 55 to 60%. One piece is convenience-priced; eight is the real price.
What's the freshest time to order pieces?
Meal rushes, when batches cycle fastest. The breast's thickness makes batch age more noticeable than on smaller pieces: asking costs nothing.
Where every number came from
THE KF MENU · SOURCE SLIP
chicken-breast · audit 31 AUG 2026
independent guide, not affiliated with KFC Corporation