The Worst Kirkland Frozen Meal At Costco Is A Hit In The Food Court

Costco is the land of convenient and delicious ready-made and frozen meals. Usually, frozen dinners and pre-made grocery store meals just don't deliver like a home-cooked meal, but Costco actually has several in its rotation that not only check the convenience box but taste amazing, too. Some of Costco's best frozen dinners are also featured menu items in the food court, giving customers the opportunity to compare flavor and quality between the fresh and frozen versions. Unfortunately, we ranked the most popular Kirkland brand frozen meals and had to put the frozen chicken bakes at the very bottom, despite the fresh chicken bakes taking the number one spot when we ranked Costco food court items. 

When comparing the two, the frozen are worlds away from the fresh version of Kirkland's chicken bakes that you get in the food court. Both have the same ingredients: Juicy chicken strips, mozzarella, provolone, parmesan cheese, bacon, green onions, and a creamy Caesar dressing all wrapped up in a pizza dough crust. The fresh version is a doughy pocket of melty, cheesy, creamy goodness, while the frozen version is an overly crunchy and salty mess. Our reviewer ranked the frozen chicken bakes at last place because of the inconsistency in product quality. Each box comes with six chicken bakes, which our reviewer noted is a great deal but not great enough to make up for the issues in flavor and texture.

If you're looking for a good deal and a reliable frozen snack or meal, we can't recommend the frozen Kirkland chicken bakes. If you're a fan of the food court version, you're just setting yourself up to be disappointed. Instead, try the brand's supreme cauliflower crust pizza. This topped our rankings because it was the cheapest item on the entire list and had a good flavor that our reviewer would return for, making it an overall much better deal than the frozen chicken bake. You can swing by the food court on your way out and pick up a hot and fresh chicken bake as a reward for avoiding the freezer aisle version. 

Feeling fancy? Then try making your own version of the chicken bake. Part of what makes Costco's food court chicken bake so amazing is how simple it is. Dough, cheese, creamy sauce, bacon, and chicken are a hard combo to mess up. Maybe you're more of a ranch person than a Caesar dressing fan — try using buffalo chicken breast instead of plain and swapping the Caesar for ranch to make a buffalo chicken bake. Go for a healthier version and add spinach, artichoke hearts, cauliflower, or any of your favorite veggies in addition to or in replacement of the chicken. As long as you have a great pizza dough recipe and some creativity, the sky is truly the limit.