Costco's Frozen Version Of A Food Court Fave Belongs In The Air Fryer

The Costco food court is an almost legendary place at this point. The $1.50 hot dog brought them international attention, and the founder's refusal to ever raise the price that made so many people want to try one. From a marketing standpoint, it was brilliant. But the food court at Costco is far more than attention-grabbing gimmicks. The food is actually really good, and one item stands above the others — the chicken bake. This delicious food court staple is also available in Costco freezers, so you can bring it home and cook it at your leisure. Just know that, if you do, you absolutely want to use your air fryer.

When we ranked every item available at the Costco food court, the pepperoni pizza ranked highly, as did the hot dog and drink combo. But nothing could touch the chicken bake. It's just that good. For those who haven't had the pleasure yet, a chicken bake is essentially an elevated Hot Pocket, a sort of calzone that is stuffed with chicken, bacon, three kinds of cheese, green onion, and the secret ingredient that pulls it all together: Caesar dressing. Packed inside a crispy, flavorful crust, the chicken bake is hard to beat and perfectly suited to the air fryer.

Kirkland Signature Chicken Bakes are meant to be cooked at home in the oven or microwave, but we all know what that means. It'll be edible, sure, but will it live up to the standards of the ones you get fresh from the food court? Not a chance. When our taste tester compared both chicken bakes, the frozen one did not match up to the food court version. But they tried a toaster oven baked one.

For that perfectly crispy exterior crust with the gooey, melty inside, 20 minutes in an air fryer is the ticket to a perfect chicken bake. Set the air fryer for 360 degrees Fahrenheit, and let it preheat for a couple of minutes. Then you just need to put the chicken bake in the air fryer basket. A little spray of oil might help it crisp up, or even an egg wash, but neither is necessary.

Because they're not designed for the air fryer, you can experiment a bit with time and temperature to get results that work best for you. Some recipes call for starting at a lower temperature of 320 degrees Fahrenheit for about 6 minutes and then finishing at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for another 8 minutes. There's some wiggle room, but because it's chicken, you want to make sure the interior gets up to 165 degrees Fahrenheit, so adjust your cook time as needed. To ensure even cooking, make sure you flip the chicken bakes halfway through cooking. If you want to spruce them up a little bit with more cheese, sprinkle some on top in the last few minutes.

It's worth noting that the frozen version of Kirkland Signature chicken bakes is not exactly the same as the food court version. Frozen chicken bakes have green onion included, and the food court ones do not. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the chicken bakes were made in store. Afterward, they were pre-made. Of course, that just means you can get one at the food court and then take a box home and compare the two.