Costco slings a lot of rotisserie chickens. In 2022, they sold approximately 117 million, 11 million more than the year prior. The membership store is well known for its juicy birds, and many loyal customers flock there for the express purpose of picking one up along with other super-sized staples and seasonal items.
Store-prepared rotisserie chicken is a popular, cost-saving food convenience for consumers, since it comes cooked and seasoned and requires nothing more than a warm-up at home. The result is an easy weeknight dinner, whether it’s a plate of sliced chicken with mashed potatoes and glazed carrots, shredded chicken baked into a classic like chicken pot pie or chicken tetrazzini, or a delicious no-cook option like Chicken Chow Mein Salad or Ranch Chicken Tacos.
So What Is the Latest Costco Rotisserie Chicken Controversy?
But in recent weeks there’s been a buzz online about the flavor of Costco’s beloved rotisserie chicken. In a Reddit thread that now has more than 200 comments, user u/MillennialModernMan seemed to hit a nerve by asking, “What’s up with the rotisserie chicken lately?” In the post he writes of his recent Costco rotisserie purchase, “... it has a distinct chemical flavor to it, really off putting. Same thing happened last time, about 3 weeks ago.”
In the hundreds of comments that follow, Reddit users commiserate over the strange flavor they’ve noticed, describing the chicken as having a “weird chemical taste,” a “distinct chlorine-like taste,” or that the birds they purchased “tasted like the plastic they’re packaged in.”
Users hypothesized about why the flavor has run afoul, positing that certain regional chicken suppliers might provide a sub-par product, that Costco’s packaging or packaging process might have changed and impacted the taste, or the preservatives and safety protocols used on chicken are resulting in a strange-tasting bird.
Why Does Costco's Rotisserie Chicken Suddenly Taste Chemically?
A rotisserie chicken should taste roasted, briny, and tender, and be “juicy despite being well-done,” says J. Kenji López-Alt, chef and author of the best-selling cookbook The Food Lab. “Typically this means that the chicken would be either brined, marinated, injected, or otherwise treated with salt to help it retain moisture as it roasts and sits under the warming lamps.”
At Costco, where you can buy a rotisserie chicken for $4.99, even with inflation running amok, the chickens are injected with a concentrated saline solution to give them their distinctive taste that customers know and love.
And while some customers have discovered off-tasting chicken, not all have. In an article for Today.com on March 6, Washington, D.C.-based writer Joseph Lamour says of his recent Costco rotisserie chicken, “I can only describe what I tasted as … chicken.”
So why are some people getting chicken that tastes weird?
We reached out to Costco for comment but did not hear back, so we can only speculate and consider the other theories floating around the internet.
One theory explored in a glorious investigative piece by Li Goldstein at Bon Appétit considers the use of phosphates in the preservation process of chickens. Goldstein interviewed Harshavardhan Thippareddi, PhD, professor of poultry science at the University of Georgia, who explained that chickens are injected with phosphate to keep them juicy through the rotisserie preparation process, and some consumers may interpret this addition as a soapy or chemical-like flavor. Goldstein likens it to cilantro's similar effect, in which it tastes like soap to some but not others. While Goldstein did verify that phosphate is a listed ingredient in Costco's rotisserie chickens, she wasn't able to confirm without at doubt that it was the culprit. It's just one more possibility in this rotisserie mystery.
How to Make Juicy Chicken at Home If You Want to Skip the Store-Bought Bird
If you’re ready to take a break from investigating and eating grocery rotisserie in favor of something a bit more homemade, these mouthwatering chicken recipes are the ticket. If you have a rotisserie or spit and a grill, this recipe for Rotisserie Chicken gets rave reviews and only takes a little over an hour to make.Don’t have a rotisserie set-up? A Juicy Roasted Chicken can be the glorious centerpiece of your dinner tonight with just an oven, a roasting pan, and a few ingredients.
The retailer - despite selling 137 million rotisserie chickens in 2023 - has changed the packaging of the popular item. Previously the chickens were packaged in plastic “clamshell” containers, but now come in more environmentally friendly plastic food bags.
Costco recently made a big change to its rotisserie chicken (don't worry, they still cost $4.99). Well, not to the actual chicken, but to the vessel that it comes in. Instead of packaging the chicken in a plastic clamshell container, they are now sold in plastic bags.
Costco's rotisserie chicken is arguably the most controversial piece of poultry in America. In the span of just one year, customers have claimed that the rotisserie chicken tastes like chemicals and causes gastrointestinal issues.
To get its signature, addictive flavor, Costco injects its chickens with a salt solution. Similar to marinating or brining, this salt solution infuses the chicken with a salty taste in every bite, inside and out.
Bags will save 17 million pounds of plastic every year, the company said. And another, less obvious plus: “The bag also takes less space to transport; one pallet of the new bags is equivalent to five pallets of the old packaging, so Costco can remove 1,000 of its freight trucks from the road each year,” it said.
Goldstein interviewed Harshavardhan Thippareddi, PhD, professor of poultry science at the University of Georgia, who explained that chickens are injected with phosphate to keep them juicy through the rotisserie preparation process, and some consumers may interpret this addition as a soapy or chemical-like flavor.
Costco Wholesale's famed rotisserie chicken is noticeably smaller. While its been long rumored that Costco planned to move away from its large bins to bags to reduce plastic, the change to a smaller bird is a surprise.
He said that rotisserie chicken, prone to dryness in the preparation stage, is often injected by many poultry suppliers with the chemical compound to keep them extra juicy. Indeed, Costco's rotisserie chickens include phosphate among a laundry list of other ingredients with very long names.
Now, chicken fans might wonder how much profit Costco could make on a chicken that costs less than a limited-time $5 Meal Deal at McDonald's. The answer is not a lot; in fact the chickens are almost certainly a loss-leader for Costco.
The new bags are made of plastic, are not recyclable, and therefore do not eliminate the need for plastic; however, they use 75% less plastic than the rigid containers.
The complaint followed a 2021 undercover investigation revealing that Costco's chickens are bred to grow so fast that many can't stand under their own weight. On June 13, 2022, LIC's shareholder clients filed the lawsuit in Washington State's King County Superior Court.
We have chicken water seasoning, which isn't just salt, but it also has rice starch, sodium, tripoly phosphate, food starch, motivated, and potato, dextron, sugar, dextrose, natural flavors and so on and so forth.
The USDA explains that even fully cooked poultry can sometimes show a pinkish tinge in the meat and juices. This is particularly true of young chickens whose bones and skin are still very permeable. The chicken's feed and whether it's been frozen can also affect the final color.
Instead of packaging the chicken in a plastic clamshell container, they are now sold in plastic bags. The reason? Just, you know, the entire environment. Costco told Consumer Reports that the new packaging “will reduce its plastic use by 75% and resin use by 17 million pounds per year.”
The plant enables the company to manage the chickens from farm to production and ensures that the birds are grown to the correct size, typically around 3 pounds.
Even with additives, a rotisserie chicken is a far healthier choice than a fast food run, says Allers. “It's still lower in fat and calories than fast food. It's serving its purpose – it's fast, but it can still help you create a balanced meal.
In the June 2024 edition of its magazine, Costco Connections, Costco explained that the packaging switch would save millions of pounds of plastic each year. "You may have noticed a classic Costco item in a different container: Kirkland Signature™ Seasoned Rotisserie Chicken now comes in a bag.
Another reason why you might have to do a lap around the store before more chicken appears is that there is no limit on how many rotisserie chickens shoppers can buy.
The reality is, Costco keeps its rotisserie meat affordable because it's willing to take a $30 to 40 million financial hit to entice its 73 million members. The stores lose money on the item, rather than scramble to beat inflation, but they see the item as a tool to make back the cash in other ways.
Introduction: My name is The Hon. Margery Christiansen, I am a bright, adorable, precious, inexpensive, gorgeous, comfortable, happy person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Allrecipes-Costco-Rotisserie-Chicken-4x3-311c5152a1bd4efb99de651d2effa22c.jpg "What's Going On with Costco's Rotisserie Chickens? (1)")
