{"id":900991,"date":"2026-09-22T06:48:18","date_gmt":"2026-09-22T06:48:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/900991\/"},"modified":"2026-09-22T06:48:18","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T06:48:18","slug":"coles-and-woolworths-roast-chickens-now-in-pre-cut-half-and-quarter-portions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/900991\/","title":{"rendered":"Coles and Woolworths roast chickens now in pre-cut half and quarter portions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Supermarket<\/a> shoppers accustomed to grabbing a traditional hot roast chicken<\/a> for an easy weeknight dinner<\/a> may have noticed a new look in the deli warmer lately.<\/p>\n

Both Coles<\/a> and Woolworths<\/a> have started rolling out half and quarter chicken cuts, offering a whole new level of convenience for Australians looking for smaller, single-serve options. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

A major roast chook shift is taking place in multiple supermarkets.\u00a0Jo Abi<\/p>\n

With consumer demand for effortless meal solutions surging, downsizing the iconic \u201cbachelor\u2019s handbag\u201d is a clever strategic shift for Australia\u2019s retail giants.<\/p>\n

Price tags and limited availability<\/p>\n

A whole roast chicken at Coles and Woolworths currently sets shoppers back $13. Over at Coles, a half chicken is priced at $7. This represents a tiny 50 cent premium for the convenience of buying a smaller portion, rather than the full bird.<\/p>\n

\"Coles<\/p>\n

Coles and Woolworths sell approximately 20 million roast chickens each per year.\u00a0Jo Abi<\/p>\n

However, these smaller cuts are currently limited and are not stocked across every single store, as supermarket chains increasingly tailor their inventory to match the specific demographics of individual locations.<\/p>\n

Flavours, alternatives and dietary needs<\/p>\n

While Coles and Woolies both stock a variety of seasoned options alongside their traditional hot roast chickens, the new half and quarter cuts are predominantly kept to the original recipe.<\/p>\n

A Coles spokesperson highlighted just how integral the hot chook is to households, noting the original RSPCA Approved Hot Roast Chicken is the supermarket\u2019s second highest-selling product overall, with over 20 million units flying off shelves last year. <\/p>\n

\"roast<\/p>\n

The smaller roast chicken cuts are available at select locations only.\u00a0Nine<\/p>\n

\u201cAussies love a bachelor\u2019s handbag for an easy, affordable meal, and it\u2019s easy to see why. The original Coles RSPCA Approved Hot Roast Chicken is our second highest-selling product, with more than 20 million sold last year. And at Coles, there\u2019s more than one way to bring one home.<\/p>\n

\u201cCustomers can choose from our classic RSPCA Approved Coles Hot Roast Chicken, our limited-edition Butter Chicken Hot Roast Chicken, or the Lilydale Free Range Sage & Onion Roast Chicken.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor those who don\u2019t need a whole chook, we\u2019re making mealtimes just as easy, with convenient roast chicken halves and quarters also available.\u201d<\/p>\n

Woolworths has similarly confirmed the rollout of half and quarter pieces for its standard Country Style Hot Roast Chicken and Macro Free Range Hot Roast Chicken in select stores. <\/p>\n

Woolworths\u2019 seasonal flavour rotation, which currently features a Smokey BBQ Hot Roast Chicken, is also accessible in half and quarter cuts at participating locations. The retailer stocks halal chickens in select stores as well, though notably, neither Coles nor Woolworths currently offers a gluten-free roast chook option.<\/p>\n

The psychology of convenience over cost<\/p>\n

The move toward portioned poultry reflects broader changes in modern shopping habits. Today\u2019s consumers are making smaller, more frequent trips to the supermarket and prioritising speed, a trend also evident in the growing rows of pre-peeled and pre-cut fresh produce in stores.<\/p>\n

Dr Jana Bowden, a consumer psychologist from Macquarie University, previously told nine.com.au these emerging supermarket strategies tie directly back to evolving consumer lifestyles. <\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

Consumers are making smaller, more frequent supermarket trips and prioritising speed, evident in the rise of pre-cut and peeled fresh produce.\u00a0Jo Abi<\/p>\n

\u201cMost families now are dual-income, we are pressed for time, we have children, there are many pressures on life and the time that we have,\u201d she told nine.com.au.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether or not that\u2019s the right choice for the consumer depends on the lifestyle they\u2019re leading. Obviously, it saves time, but you spend more money doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Younger shoppers in particular are all about saving time.<\/p>\n

\"roast<\/p>\n

Seasonal flavours of the iconic hot chooks are also available in smaller portions at select locations.\u00a0Nine<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s always a market for grab-and-go when it comes to our young generations seeking convenience,\u201d Dr Bowden said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the alternative to that is going out to a restaurant, where you are up for $100 for a family, where you spend even more than buying a ready-made meal and if it is something you wouldn\u2019t normally have, there is a market for reward and self-treating without the additional cost of going out to a restaurant.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Supermarket shoppers accustomed to grabbing a traditional hot roast chicken for an easy weeknight dinner may have noticed…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":900992,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[64,63,99],"class_list":["post-900991","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-business"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/900991","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=900991"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/900991\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/900992"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=900991"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=900991"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=900991"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}