Everything You Need To Know About The Quality Of Costco Rotisserie Chicken Meat

Costco's rotisserie chicken is somewhat of an icon. The three-pound bird still goes for $4.99 despite inflation, and since there are many delicious ways to use rotisserie chicken, its purchase is a budget-friendly way to get your hands on a good source of protein. But does the low price also mean low quality, or has Costco found a way to not compromise the standards for its chicken? Truth be told, the answer is twofold: While Costco's rotisserie chicken is a good example of quality in some respects, it's also an illustration of questionable practices in others.

Let's start with the good: The chicken is gluten-free, devoid of preservatives and artificial flavors or colors, and contains no hormones or steroids. It's also labeled as Grade A, the highest quality among the USDA's three grades. Grade A indicates that the meat was visually impeccable at the time of inspection, with no discoloration or any other imperfections. It also means that the bird had a good ratio of meat to fat, which ultimately results in a better result once cooked.

To be completely fair, Grade A meat is the standard in most grocery stores; nonetheless, it's great to know that Costco's low price doesn't come as a consequence of poor quality. In fact, the store reportedly takes a loss on the chicken to draw more shoppers to the store, who then purchase annual memberships and other more profitable items.

Despite the positive attributes of Costco's chicken, there has been much debate about animal welfare related to it, mainly led by the constant question of where Costco sources its rotisserie chicken. The place where the meat comes from inevitably sets the standards for both the quality and the treatment of animals, but the issue is that Costco doesn't get all of its chickens from one place.

After years of alleged disagreements with a massive poultry supplier, Costco partnered with Lincoln Premium Poultry and built its own production plant in 2019. Although the goal was to ultimately source almost half of its chicken supply from there, that has yet to happen. As of 2024, Lincoln Premium Poultry only supplies a very small amount of Costco's chickens. In the years since Costco's own chicken production was launched, multiple reports (including distressing undercover video footage) have exposed severely mistreated birds. Despite the backlash, Costco has consistently refused to sign the Better Chicken Commitment, which is otherwise signed by many big brands in the food industry, such as Burger King, Chipotle, Subway, and others.

Another issue has been the product's inconsistency, which is potentially also caused by the use of different suppliers. Several shoppers have highlighted that the rotisserie chicken sometimes tastes perfectly normal, but other times it comes with a strong off taste akin to chemicals or plastic. Costco has yet to offer an explanation for this problem.