Confession: I’ve been buying tiny chickens from other grocery stores for years. They’re all right, but they’re not Costco. Between the latest federal jobs report (recession incoming?) and my profligate DoorDash spending, it’s time to cut costs. I have to buy chicken from the cheapest wholesaler, and that’s Costco.
Honestly, I thought I’d be getting rotisserie chicken for about the same price as every other retailer. A little spice here and there, enough to portion out a dinner or two (I’m a twenty-something guy, for reference). Same old, same old. Turns out, nothing could be further from the truth.
1. Costco chicken is the best value
Whole Foods, Sprouts, and other grocers have nothing on Costco chicken when it comes to value. I did a double-take when I had a three-pound chicken delivered to my door. (Thank you, Costco same-day delivery.) It was heavy, much heavier than typical pre-cooked poultry.
For a measly $5, that chicken fed me for days. Chicken sandwiches, chicken tacos, and chicken salads. A frankly mind-boggling value for something so cheap. It was so affordable, I Googled it to make sure it wasn’t horrendously unhealthy or something (you never know, these days).
Turns out, it’s just regular chicken that Costco uses to entice shoppers. It’s what the business world calls a loss leader. It’s a cheap item Costco sells to lure buyers into buying higher-margin products. Even without earning credit card rewards and Costco Executive member cash back, it’s a deal.
Alas, the chicken isn’t perfect. For me, its biggest downside is the high sodium content. Apparently, it’s part of what makes the bird so juicy. I think the extra salt is worth the perks, but some folks might call that a dealbreaker, and that’s understandable.
2. The rotisserie chicken is convenient
Prior to my recent air fryer purchase (thank you again, Costco), I cooked most of my chicken in skillets. While delicious, it took a long time to cook the chicken, and it was a messy affair, one that typically ended in juice splatters and liberal paper towel usage.
Costco chicken has made preparation easy. You buy it hot, fresh, and ready to eat. Arguably, it’s best this way. It arrives pre-seasoned, and it’s easy to remove meat from the bone. The smell is mouth-watering, a bit peppery, and a lot savory. My housemate and I have likened our descent upon the fresh Costco chicken to that of hungry wolves. It’s good.
The Costco chicken saves me time I might otherwise spend roasting, seasoning, and prepping my poultry. Cleanup is simple. Anything we don’t eat right away, we place into Tupperware. Scraps are contained within the packaging, easy to throw away. It’s the kind of convenience I’m usually happy to pay up for. But somehow, it’s only $4.99 per chicken?
3. It’s tasty, with good mouthfeel
Costco’s rotisserie chicken literally falls apart in your mouth. I can’t say that for any other grocery chain’s chicken. It’s juicy, tender, and flavorful. The seasoning is mild and tastes as good as it smells.
But my favorite part is the skin. It’s crispy, and much of the seasoning is trapped there. I know it’s far from the healthiest part of the chicken. But if I’m eating rotisserie chicken instead of eating out, I can afford to treat myself to some crunchy, savory goodness. The texture feels good, contrasting nicely with the tenderness of the meat beneath.
I don’t taste any chemical weirdness (nor do I know anyone personally who does), but some people claim to. If you’re sensitive to that sort of thing, you may not like the flavor of Costo’s rotisserie chicken. Also, Costco sources chicken from more than one supplier, so the quality of your local store’s chicken may vary.
Costco has high quality standards, but there are bound to be duds. Honestly, if my first Costco chicken tasted like chemicals, I wouldn’t go back either.
Costco’s rotisserie chicken is the real showstopper
Fans tout Costco’s legendary $1.50 hot-dog-and-soda combo as symbolic of Costco’s values (read: great prices on everything). While the combo is dirt cheap, I’d argue Costco’s rotisserie chicken is the real showstopper. Cheap, convenient, and delicious chicken is a staple.
I’ve mentioned my terrible DoorDash habit. I’m phasing ordering out by using Costco Same-Day Delivery to order groceries. It’s way cheaper. My only gripe is that Instacart’s fees make same-day delivery more expensive than ordering through Costco.com. (Instacart is Costco’s same-day delivery partner.) In-store prices are cheaper, too.
Napkin math: I get more meat from a Costco chicken for almost half the price. (My local Sprouts offers whole roast chicken at $9.99. Vons sells it for $8.99.) I save a conservative $5 when I buy a Costco chicken. A $60 Costco Gold membership would pay for itself after 12 chickens, or one a month.
I order at least twice that number — worth the annual membership price. A good thing, too. I’m one of the few who avoids buying Costco’s cheap gas (it’s inconvenient).
I’ve given the best reason to buy Costco’s rotisserie chicken. But there are many other reasons to try the wholesaler. If nothing else, it’s got great prices on many items.