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The Daily Insight

Is Costco chicken good for you Consumer Reports?

Author

Sophia Koch

Updated on February 27, 2026

In a word, CR's warning is sodium. “Costco's rotisserie chicken has 460 mg of sodium per standard 3-ounce serving, one-fifth of the maximum amount that adults should consume in a day (2,300 mg), according to CR's January 2022 issue.

Are Costco chickens healthy?

But while roasted rotisserie chickens are convenient, tasty, and easy on your wallet, they're often not so good for your health. As CR previously reported, a salt solution is often injected into the cooked chickens to enhance flavor and tenderness. Costco's rotisserie chicken has 460 mg of sodium per 3-ounce serving.

Is Costco chicken any good?

Additionally, there are recipes upon recipes devoted to meals that star these chickens. Rest assured, Costco's rotisserie chickens really are healthy-ish wins for consumers.

Where does Costco chicken come from?

Costco gets most of its chicken supplies from its own chicken farm and processing facility in Nebraska. Costco sources all of its chickens from this Nebraskan facility, including the broilers that will be used for rotisserie chicken, organic chickens, and Kirkland Signature brand.

Why is Costco chicken so cheap?

Instead, the store keeps the prices low on its famous rotisserie chickens and other staples as an incentive to get shoppers in the door. While the retail grocery chain is technically losing money on their famous chicken, the price is also subsidized by the fact that shoppers have to pay a Costco membership fee.

CONSUMER REPORTS: Is rotisserie chicken healthy?

What's wrong with Costco rotisserie chicken?

“Costco's rotisserie chicken has 460 mg of sodium per standard 3-ounce serving, one-fifth of the maximum amount that adults should consume in a day (2,300 mg), according to CR's January 2022 issue. Sodium-loaded rotisserie chicken is not unique to Costco.

Is Costco chicken hormone free?

It's important to note that Whole Foods' chickens are both organic and hormone-free. Could this halo effect make the meat actually taste a little better? Feedback from reviewers certainly suggests this is possible. Costco rotisserie did beat out Whole Foods (and all other brands) in an Eat This, Not That!

Why is Costco chicken so good?

If you've ever tasted a Costco chicken before, you know they can be incredibly salty (and, in turn, incredibly tasty). That's because they're injected with a special saline solution to add flavor. The birds pack in a total 460 milligrams of sodium each. These are the Costco shopping perks you need to know about.

What breed of chicken does Costco use?

Costco's Nebraska plant is vertically integrated, which means that through the company Lincoln Premium Poultry, Costco orchestrates the entire process, from hatching to slaughter. According to Lincoln Premium Poultry, its farms in Nebraska and Iowa supply about 40 percent of Costco's rotisserie chickens.

Does Costco get their meat from China?

Does Costco meat come from China? Costco meat doesn't come from China, and the majority of the beef sold by Costco is from the US. Costco imports some of its beef from Australia and Canada. The company's chicken comes from suppliers in the United States, including Tyson and Perdue Farms.

Is Costco frozen chicken good?

If you're loading up on boneless, skinless chicken breasts for your freezer stores, be sure to grab a bag of Costco's frozen chicken thighs, too. They're inexpensive (a 6.5-pound bag is about $15), and they're particularly great for weeknight cooking: they thaw more quickly and stay juicier than chicken breasts.

What is the healthiest rotisserie chicken?

Rotisserie chickens from BJ's Wholesale Club (Perdue rotisserie chicken), Boston Market, Publix (Deli Original), Safeway (Signature Cafe Traditional), Stop & Shop (Nature's Promise and “honey”), Walmart (traditional), and Wegmans (nonorganic plain) have less sodium, ranging from 170 to 368 mg.

Is it good to buy meat at Costco?

The beef, chicken, and fish sold at Costco does tend to be of higher quality then what you'll find at many of your local grocery stores. This is especially true when you look at the Prime cuts that Costco sells. Their Prime section in general tends to have excellent marbling and delicious flavor.

Is Costco organic chicken really organic?

- Raised on certified organic land meeting all organic crop production standards. - Raised per animal health and welfare standards. - Fed 100 percent certified organic feed, except for trace minerals and vitamins used to meet the animal's nutritional requirements.

Is rotisserie chicken unhealthy?

You consume less fat than if it was fried.

Rotisserie chicken isn't all that bad—after all, it's definitely a healthier option than fried chicken. Since the chicken is oven-roasted, it doesn't contain nearly as much fat as its counterpart that's dipped into a vat of frying oil.

Are Costco chickens raised humanely?

To its credit, Costco has moved toward a far more humane approach called controlled atmosphere stunning, so that birds are stunned before being shackled to the conveyor belt that takes them to their deaths.

Where does Kirkland frozen chicken breast come from?

Chicken hatched, raised and harvested in the USA.

Can I eat rotisserie chicken everyday?

Is it healthy? Yes, rotisserie chicken is a healthy choice. Chicken is rich in protein and nutrients, and store-bought rotisserie chickens provide a convenient and inexpensive alternative to less-healthy fast-food options.

Does Costco chicken have sugar?

The ingredient list of a Costco rotisserie chicken includes the following (in order): whole chicken, water, seasoning, potato dextrin, carrageenan, sugar, dextrose, spice extractives.

How do you eat Costco chicken?

Pull off the chicken breasts.

Kiersten Hickman/Eat This, Not That! While you could carve it off with a knife, the best way to do it is to pull off the chicken breast with clean hands. It's true—the chicken breast will come right off. Especially when you're dealing with a juicy Costco rotisserie chicken.

Is Costco chicken breast good quality?

1. Meat and Poultry. While Costco does sell good quality meat and poultry, their prices tend to be much higher than local grocery stores.

Does Kirkland brand chicken have antibiotics?

Poultry Antibiotic Update

By the end of 2022, 95% of Kirkland Signature chicken products (defined as frozen, sold in the meat case, rotisserie and raised with No Antibiotics Ever) sold in the U.S. will be raised without routine use of antibiotics important to human medicine.

Does Costco have its own chicken farm?

Costco opened its poultry facility in 2019 in order to save as much as 35 cents per bird on processing costs. That helps the company keep the price of its popular rotisserie chickens at $4.99 — a price that hasn't budged in more than ten years.