The Costco Kirkland Signature Rotisserie Chicken is well known for being cheap and convenient. People line up to get one warm off the rotisserie! Why is this chicken from Costco so famous and popular? Find out here why customers flock to this product!
When Sean and I were in Hawaii years ago we went to Costco for quick and easy dinners. One dinner we came up with was this Costco Kirkland Signature Seasoned Rotisserie Chicken with the Costco Kirkland Signature Quinoa Salad. This is the first time I was introduced to the rotisserie chicken from Costco and I’ve had it a handful of times since. I picked one up recently and decided to review it here!
Other pre-made meals from Costco are the Kirkland Signature Roasted Garlic Chicken Legs, Kirkland Signature Chicken Pot Pie, Kirkland Signature Chicken Tacos, Kirkland Signature Chicken Chow Mein, Kirkland Signature Chicken Penne Alfredo and the Kirkland Signature Seasoned Chicken Wings.
Location in Store
You can find this in the pre-made meal and deli section at Costco, the item number is 347937.
Taste
The Costco Kirkland Signature Rotisserie Chicken definitely has tasty parts such as the white breast meat but I also find it has parts I find unappetizing. For example, there are some fatty and inedible pieces as well as gristle. All the oil and congealed liquid in the bottom of the tray kind of turns me off.
The chicken is seasoned really well, and that saltiness is addictive. I like chicken skin in small quantities and like that the skin is crispy and golden brown.
You can tell there’s a lot of oil in the chicken, it’s very shiny and glistens and also tastes pretty oily. Even the breast meat is suspiciously super moist! Day to day I prefer my chicken less oily and not so salty for health reasons. But I do admit the parts of the rotisserie chicken that are edible are pretty darn tasty.
Cost
For $7.99 Canadian, you get an entire Costco Kirkland Signature Rotisserie Chicken. The price is really reasonable. Even though there are bits of chicken I don’t eat, it’s a lot of chicken for $7.99.
One reason Costco chicken is so popular is that Costco hasn’t raised the price of rotisserie chicken despite inflation. The chickens aren’t actually profitable for Costco but they make money off the numerous other products shoppers pick up when they go in to buy a chicken. It’s hard to enter Costco and only buy one item and Costco knows this!
Convenience
This is the most convenient way to buy chicken. You can do so much with one! Enjoy it with some rice and vegetables, and use it to make sandwiches, casseroles, soups or even your own chicken pot pie. I think a lot of people pick these chickens up when they’re out of ideas for dinner, have a busy night or need to find something that’s quick, reasonably priced and easy.
The best-before date is only one day after it’s packed. The chicken either needs to be stored at four degrees celsius (40 degrees Fahrenheit) or lower. Alternatively, it can be stored at 60 degrees Celsius (140 degrees Fahrenheit) or higher.
To reheat the Costco Kirkland Signature Rotisserie Chicken, remove the packaging and transfer it to a microwaveable plate. Then heat on high for three to five minutes in the microwave until the temperature reaches 74 degrees celsius or 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Nutrition
Calories
A 100-gram edible portion (this means no bones) is 140 calories, seven grams of fat, 350 milligrams of sodium, two grams of carbohydrates, one gram of fibre, zero grams of sugar and 18 grams of protein. A 100-gram serving isn’t actually that much so it seems easy to eat a decent amount of fat when having the Costco Rotisserie Chicken.
The amount of protein is always good because it keeps you full for longer and chicken is notorious for being high in protein!
Ingredients
I think there’s a reason the rotisserie chicken tastes so good and that’s because there are a lot of things added to it! The Costco Kirkland Signature Rotisserie Chicken definitely isn’t your healthiest chicken option. There’s the fatty skin, the dark meat,. added oil and a lot of sodium. It’s not the worst option for a meal, but also not as healthy as some may think.
There are also a few ingredients that I’m not in love with the sound or Google-sourced description of, like tetrapotassium pyrophosphate, silica and sodium triphosphate.
Scoring
Taste: 8/10 (The parts that are edible are pretty tasty).
Cost: 10/10
Convenience: 10/10
Nutrition: 3/10
Overall
Must buy!
If given the choice, I prefer to make my own chicken at home using Costco Kirkland Signature Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts. However, if you need a quick, convenient meal and want lots of protein, I definitely wouldn’t hesitate to recommend a Costco Kirkland Signature Rotisserie Chicken just based on the price alone!
What are your thoughts on the Costco Kirkland Signature Rotisserie Chicken?
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).
Has anyone else noticed that the Costco Rotisserie chickens taste like disinfectant lately? I bought two at my local Costco, about two weeks apart, and they were inedible. Then, a few weeks later, I was at a friend’s house about 300 miles away and we bought a Costco chicken. Again – tasted of disinfectant and everyone was very disappointed at our dinner. Let me know if anyone else has experienced this!
I have never been disappointed with a Costco Rotisserie Chicken !!! They are delicious!!!
Costco rotisserie chickens are worth every penny. They are close to 4 pounds for $4.99. That’s a lot of good eating. Consumer Reports and Eat This Not That both rate the Costco chicken number one.
The pink color near the leg bone is from the brining. If in doubt just place in your oven for 30 min and check with a meat thermometer. Anyone who gets sick after eating any kind of chicken should keep what is left and report it to both the store and the county health department.
You shouldnât get any congealed mess at the bottom of you eat it the day you buy it without refrigerating it. Which is intended. Anything sold to you hot is intended to be eaten while hot or at least while warm. Chill and reheat at your own risk, always. Same with restaurant meals.
My mother was out to costco, brought home a rotisserie chicken.. we sat down to eat and the chicken was RAW I am so very disgusted to see this happen.. my mother is in her 70s what if she was alone and did not see well enough to notice ( she does have health problems) I sure hope this does not happen to anyone else..
Are you sure it was raw or was it pink because Costco chicken is usually pink because of the bone marrow leaking into the chicken when cooking
I am nearly 70! I have excellent eyesight II (Lucky me). The chicken I purchased had RAW LEGS. I phoned the local Costco where I purchased it from, and they told me if it was pink; its just the brine. I said parts of it were pink; but I was refering to the meat that wasnt cooked; as in RAW chicken. I was so disgusted and turned off by it; the dogs and cats will benefit from my mistake of purchasing it. When I phoned and complained, they said return it and they would give me another one.(Shudder !!). Not a chance in hell I will buy another; I dont even want to be GIVEN one!! My advice…steer clear.
A hard pass on the Costo chicken. I pay twice as much for a properly cooked chicken and another grocery store…however it is cooked, delicious and we get twice the amount of meat.
I strongly suspect that if Costco chickens weren’t “properly cooked” and prepared, the various health departments around North America would be letting us all know in a hurry.
My chicken was not cooked well slimy and we ate a few pieces my husband an I and threw up and had 30 bathroom trips we are older people were sick for 3 days willnever purchase ther chickens again
Huh… Properly cooked? And you get twice as much meat from somewhere else? Maybe you work for that company? Do tell.
Costco has a team of people who handle hundreds of chickens each day at each location, day in, day out. Along with the latest technology to help them cook things.
The other grocery stores in my area (SF Bay Area) sell chickens that are almost the size of a Cornish hen and charge twice as much, and, although they are not bad, they are not as good as a Costco chicken. The others are right….the gel at the bottom of the container comes from leaking bones and is a terrific addition of you make stock out of the carcass. The pink near the bone is not indicative of a raw chicken. They are the best and I just placed an order for one tonight.
I don’t buy them often but have never been disappointed–a good price. Of course it has gristle and fat and other inedible parts–it’s a whole chicken! I save and freeze the skin and bones etc. for when I make stock. I carve and use the breast meat for sandwiches and the rest chopped for chicken fried rice and/or chicken soup.
If Costco just charged mire and made a much better chicken. They could sell so many more and bring in so many more people to make up the difference.
The first thing I do when I get that bird home is put about five folded paper towels in the bottom of the tray to soak up the liquid. Five isn’t enough, you say? Then add more.
I cut the string, discard the skin, and strip it to the bone. I use the lid for discards, and then dump them back into the bottom and put the lid back on before tossing.
Best weekly purchase I make, and the price can’t be beat.
Tip: Use one of those plastic bags to put the bird box in before taking it home. It won’t leak all over.
The reason there is lots of liquid in the bottom of the container is because it is a hot chicken in an enclosed container which will allow the heat to rise, create condensation and then itâll run down to the bottom of the container. This cannot be helped unless you want dry cold chicken.
Instead of tossing all that, why not freeze it all and save it from other chickens. It makes great chicken soup. Three chickens makes loads of chicken and rice soup.
J find the meat on these chickens has a pasty mouth-feel. Just can’t abide it. Too bad bc they are so handy.
Best chicken ever, because of the pink meat I always thought it was undercooked as well but itâs not! Itâs the brine. You cannot pull apart uncooked chicken meat ever! Costco rotisserie chicken is not only cheaper but bloody delicious and fast!
I bought this costco chicken and I have to say this is the 3rd time that I find that the chicken is not fully cooked, there are parts that are still so pink that I had to re-cook them to ascertain they were safe to eat
Useless team at Costco Kitchens if you cannot ensure that the chicken you serve out there is not safe to eat
I agree 100% their chickens are never fully cooked. Have to cook them longer at home. Mentioned this to the Manager and tried telling me they are supposed to be like this……I have stopped buying their chickens for almost 2 years now.
thats the brine making it stay pink…uncooked chicken does not come off the bone…Ten years and never had a raw one yet and they are all pink like that
You probably think that smoked meat is raw as well.
The “not fully cooked” comments are mistaken. The confusion is understandable, and I also made this mistake, at first.
The issue is the use of brines and/or enzymes to soften the chicken. Excessive concentration and/or time can cause the pink colour and a soft, slippery texture, both of which can give an impression of being undercooked.
My experience has been that Costco rotisserie chicken are the worst offenders for this among all supermarkets – by a wide margin. The price is lower, but the salty taste and awful texture put Costco rotisserie chickens into a distant last place.
I can’t abide costco rotisserie chicken. Too salty snd worse yet, the horrible pasty mouth feel is disgusting.
Sorry but i disagree. The manager tried telling me they are supposed to be pink. When the pink is tough and not tender it is undercooked. I had to cook it longer
Stopped buying them all together…….Valumart has the Best Rotissiere Chickens ever.
The amount of salt, 350mg on a almost 4 oz. Serving is not high! About half the salt of 4oz. Of Honey nut Cheerios.
Same here, the chicken has not been cooked the last two times, we got it. This time, my daughter ate some without us noticing right away that it was raw. She was terribly sick from it! We definitely will never buy a Costco chicken again! As i said this wasn’t just once.
We have been buying and enjoying Costco’s Kirkland Signature rotisserie chicken for years. We have never been disappointed…the chicken is always hot, tasty and cooked to perfection. I take most of the skin off before we eat the chicken. We hope to enjoy eating Costco’s rotisserie chicken for many more years đ
the last two rotissere chickens we bought were NOT done. thighs and part of the breast were red and did not look or feel done. had to pitch most of it. what is going on?
Worst chicken ever bought!
Not cooked thoroughly, thighs and legs still red.
Threw in in the trash after one bite.
$4.99 is just what you get, garbage.
I bought a Costco rotisserie chicken yesterday after several months of abstaining.
Well, they’ve finally done it. The chicken was so salty that it was not fit for human or dog consumption! In an effort to try to save it for my dogs, I have broken it apart and am soaking it in warm water, which I will discard, and do again.
Sorry to say my days of buying Costco rotisserie chickens is OVER!
I am in Central California.
Oh, I hate to write a negative review, because we have bought so many Costco Rotisserie Chickens that have been moist and fantastic, perfect!! But today that was not the case. Makes me wonder if the meat counter is actually even open on Sunday. The front ‘window’ was well stocked with chickens, and they all looked about the same as I have come to expect… couldn’t wait to take ours home and have it for lunch. It was totally DRY!!! The breast (white meat) was ‘chewy’.. chicken gum…. đ … the drumstick was ‘better’, not as dry, but definitely not what we have always known to be the case ‘moist’… not really moist, just not chewy, like the breast. So now I wonder if they don’t really cook these on Sunday?? I didn’t pay any attention, but maybe they were set out and not freshly cooked… Has anyone else ever had DRY rotisserie chicken from Costco.. a huge disappointment!!
These chickens are cooked to temperature so nothing is under cooked. They have times on the label, and donât stay in the warming shelf over 2hrs. Costco cooks 7days a week, unless there is a holiday. My wife brings home one a week. She works in the âchicken â room, so I know all about the process. Some members are a little fussy
Hi Arthur – at the Canadian Costco? Can she confirm what the wheat contamination might be from?
My daughter is celiac and loves these chickens but the label says âmay contain wheatâ so isnât safe for her to eat but I canât figure out what may have wheat – would love if your wife had any insight?
Food technologists use starches in the brining solution in poultry to help the salt penetrate, and improve the moisture uptake.
Dear June, did you continue buying Rotisserie Chicken from CostCo after that one disappointment ?
I disagree with the health issue. You can always remove the skin. Common misconception is that thighs are unhealthy. It is primarily calories in vs calories out and some fat is acceptable. I do agree that costco chicken is a very convenient and cost effective way to get a well cooked multi purpose chicken.
Itâs soaked in oil