Why Costco's Butter Chicken And Naan Has Shoppers Split

If you're looking to load up your fridge with quick and easy meal options, you may want to plan a trip to Costco. In addition to its lineup of popular frozen meals, the grocery giant also offers a selection of affordable prepared foods that make meal prep a breeze. There's the fan-favorite Kirkland Signature meatloaf and mashed potatoes kit, the beloved beef-stuffed bell peppers, and, of course, the famous rotisserie chickens, which are restocked with a bell ring throughout the day to ensure optimal freshness. 

Costco also occasionally adds new meal kits to its prepared food section, such as the recently rolled-out butter chicken and naan package. The heat-and-eat version of the Indian culinary classic has caused quite a bit of buzz among shoppers — but unfortunately, not all of it has been positive. In fact, Costco foodies appear to be solidly divided on the meal deal, which features a generous portion of saucy butter chicken and naan at $5.99 per pound. 

To start with, customers can't seem to agree on the meal's value in relation to its price. In a Reddit thread discussing the new kit, one user wrote that it's "expensive AF," to which u/meyou942 responded, "As someone who likes to buy butter chicken from a local restaurant, this is quite a bit cheaper." As another commenter pointed out, the pack also contains "double or triple the amount of food" you'd typically get in a restaurant order. Of course, it's not just the price that has folks split.

When it comes to Costco's butter chicken and naan kits, opinions also vary on everything from the chicken's taste to the bread's texture to the palatability of the all-important sauce. Among Reddit reviewers, descriptions of the chicken run the gamut from "chewy and woody," to "moist and tender," while thoughts on the naan range from "overly hard" to "steamy, soft and very lovely."

Takeaways are equally mixed on the sauce. Some buyers consider its taste to be totally on point, while others dub it absolutely flavorless. "[It] did not resemble butter chicken to my taste buds but maybe the salt was just too much in the forefront where the spices weren't noticeable," bemoaned user u/ieatlions. On the flip side, the well-known Costco reviewers behind TikTok account @floridamomof3 were fans of the product, saying, "You can really taste all the different flavors [and] the spices."

So, what could be leading to these wildly different results? While it's not impossible that the quality of the dish simply varies by location, there's also a strong possibility that it has to do with different prep methods. The kit's instructions recommend heating the already-cooked chicken in the oven for 45 minutes, along with the naan, but some buyers seem to have gotten better results from pan frying, air frying, and even throwing it all in the microwave. The one thing everyone can probably agree on? You won't know whether you love or hate this new Costco meal until you give it a try for yourself.