High protein, low calorie, ready-to-eat Costco chicken breast bites!
I’m reviewing the Costco Fresh Additions Fully Cooked Chicken Breast Bites. I got these from Costco because they look like a really convenient snack or lunch option. I usually cook chicken breasts for the week as part of my meal prep, but sometimes it’s nice to have something like this in the fridge for those times when you need something quick and don’t have anything already ready.
Similar convenient items from Costco are the Pinty’s Buffalo Chicken Flings, Dom Reserve Singles Steelhead Salmon Poke, Connie’s Kitchen Burgers, Costco Spudler’s Breakfast Hash and the Fontaine Sante Mini Hummus.
Location in Store
You can find the Costco Fresh Additions Fully Cooked Chicken Breast Bites in the refrigerated deli section, by the fresh pasta and refrigerated appetizers. The item number is 5051501.
Taste
These are not as good as baked chicken breast at home. They taste a little processed. They’re salty, moist, seasoned well and flavorful. I love that some pieces have a strong grilled/smoky flavor. You can eat the chicken breast bites completely plain and they’re not tasteless or dry like chicken breast can be sometimes.
I did find many pieces of gristle and a few very rubbery, tough pieces in my packs. I’m glad I tried these, but when it comes to taste, I prefer less gristle and less processed-tasting chicken. When I bake chicken at home I can also control how much salt I use, so if I’m watching my sodium I use less salt. If you’re too busy to cook your own chicken these are a great second choice!
Cost
There are 10 individual 100-gram packs of chicken that are all joined together to make one large pack. I paid $19.49 for the chicken breast bites.
Convenience
These are SO convenient for lunch or a snack on the go or even if you live alone and want to have some chicken in a wrap or salad for lunch or dinner. The best before date is about three weeks from the date we purchased the chicken bites and they need to be kept refrigerated.
I like adding these to salad, eating them with avocado or pairing them with pasta.
Nutrition
Calories
Each pack contains 100 grams of chicken and there are 150 calories, four grams of fat, 24 grams of protein, 470 milligrams of sodium, zero grams of sugar, zero grams of fibre and three grams of carbohydrates in the serving of chicken. These are a little high in sodium, but they’re high in protein and low in carbohydrates.
Ingredients
I don’t love the addition of canola oil, but that’s to be expected when it comes to packaged products like these. Otherwise the ingredients list isn’t too bad at all, with chicken and seasoning as the main ingredients. They’re also gluten-free.
Scoring
Taste: 7/10
Cost: 7/10
Convenience: 10/10
Nutrition: 9/10
Overall
Give it a try.
These are perfect for times when you need a high protein, low calorie, reasonably healthy snack. If you’re too busy to cook your own chicken these are a great second choice!
Have you tried these fully cooked chicken breast bites? What do you think of them?
Please note that this review was not paid for or sponsored by any third party. This product was purchased by Costcuisine for the purpose of producing this review. The opinions in this review are strictly those of Costcuisine. Costcuisine is not affiliated with Costco or any of its suppliers. In the event that Costcuisine receives compensation for a post from the manufacturer of a product or some other third party, the arrangement will be clearly disclosed (including where the manufacturer of a product provides Costcuisine with a free sample of the product).
I am on Nutrisystem and this product is a great addition to the meals that I have to consume. This product provides great protein and flavor to many of my weightloss meals.
Unimpressed with the product, tried one package and returned the rest to Costco. Too much gristle and flavor not the best.
I’m a bit surprised at your nutrition rating given the very high amount of sodium in a small serving size. Then there’s the excessive amount of plastic packaging. Way too much over processed food when it couldn’t be any easier to cook up some boneless chicken breasts. This is definitely a “no go” for me! But I do appreciate your efforts. Thanks!
Do they really last until the Best Buy date?? That seems like a long time for packaged chicken!
Do these need to be cooked before eating? Couldn’t find anything regarding recipes or cooking instructions.
Nope. You can eat them cold.
No, they don’t. I use them fresh or cooked, depending on what I’m making.
My Costco isn’t carrying these any longer. Does anyone know if any other retailers carry these?
I cannot see any information on the package as to where this chicken product
is made? Is it a product of the USA or elsewhere?
Hey Jeff! I would reach out to company online and ask!
The company (Fresh Additions) is located in Canada. 😊
I absolutely love these. Taste great and super convenient for this on the go mom. Love taking to my son’s football practice or game for a quick bite, or tossing on a salad if I do not have time to cook. Great source of protein, ready at the fingertips. No cooking, no fuss. Definitely plan on buying these again!
So glad you like them Heather! 🙂
Can it be frozen?
You could but the texture change and not be great.
I freeze them and then usually use them for reheated preparations. It works out great and I can’t tell the difference in texture.
Has anyone freeze these?
I have. No issues. I use them to make my own Greek gyros with tomatoes, feta, red onion, sprouts & tzatziki sauce. Yum! I’ve not yet found any gristle. They seem like real chicken breast instead of some of the spongy questionable “meats” that attempt to be pre-cooked chicken breast.
I have they freeze very well, I take them for lunch at work, by lunchtime there thawed and ready to eat, I love them.
My family loves these chicken bites. We put them on everything. My kids love them in the school lunches. Costco needs to keep these year round!!!!
The smell from the packaging is because they are “gas flushed”. Gas flushing means they replace the oxygen in the packaging with
a gas such as l nitrogen which keeps the product fresh without preservatives. However, when you 1st opened the package do you smell the nitrogen and then it dissipates.
I agree that they smell a little weird. My favorite way to use them is to upgrade a bag of Ajinamoto Yakitori Chicken Fried Rice into a dinner-size portion.
My mom gave me two packages and I just had the first one. I am impressed! These are perfect for a quick and easy lunch. I am happy with the flavor and texture. While I would not make them a regular part of my diet, I will buy during busier months when I have less time to make healthy meals.
I love these. I open one pack at a time and idd it to my Bistro Cesar salad with a few croutons. Perfect lunch!
I just bought a package at the Humble Texas Costco on Saturday, July 17 2021 and they are great.
Why do they have an awful smell when l initially open up the porch to eat? Just curious
Ohh I’m not sure! That might be a bad batch.
I purchased these for the first time a few days ago. I had such high hopes for the perfect little size and convenience. Unfortunately, the consistency is definitely a little “off” and two of the 3 packs I’ve opened had grizzle pieces that went to the dog. The flavor and convenience are good but I won’t be buying them again. 😒
I also found a few pieces like that in mine.
I thought the same thing!! The smell was so bad that I ended up googling this item just to see if anyone else was experiencing the same thing or it was just a bad batch. It really doesn’t taste as but as it smells but the smell is enough to make me hesitate buying it again. I don’t even like opening it around other people because of it.
These are ok but I find Tru Grill products to be much better in taste and quality
I enjoy the taste and convenience of the product, but the chicken has a really unpleasant odor. Upon opening a package, I was hit by the smell. I immediately examined the chicken to determine if it was spoiled. It was not. The meat wasn’t slimy. It was firm and consistent with what one would expect from a properly manufactured food product. The other day, my granddaughter wanted a package. After opening it for her, she immediately turned up her nose and refused to eat it. As you may surmise, I encountered the unpleasant odor with each individual package of the ten included. This will cause me not to purchase the chicken again.
How recently did you purchase these at Costco? My Costco, Covington, WA has been out of them the last few times I’ve been there. Have they been discontinued?
Hi! This is quite an old post, but I just purchased these for the first time, so they’re not discontinued. I live in eastern Washington.
Just bought the Fresh Additions Chicken Breast Bites. They have been very helpful with trying to get back on track because it’s already portioned and ready. In the morning I open 2 packets and season them, slice a little onion and sauté them in a pan just to give them some extra flavor. They are salty so I use seasonings low in salt. Overall pretty good but I agree when I have time I will make these myself from scratch!