These Are The 11 Best Frozen Chicken Brands In Stores, According To Reviews

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Whether they're looking for something fast to make for dinner or planning a more elaborate meal, home cooks often turn to frozen chicken for both convenience and flavor. As the frozen chicken section features a sea of brands and options that would take a long time to explore, sometimes it's better to turn to customers to find out which brands they like best. After you've run into brands that are tasteless, soggy, overly salty, and full of gristle, it can make you a little leery of trying something new. However, there's no reason to keep buying a just-okay brand when there are those that get stellar reviews.

When looking for great frozen chicken brands, we weren't just looking for ones that provide great breaded products like chicken fingers and chicken nuggets, but also brands that have good grilled and raw chicken options. Interestingly, some brands that made our list are kid-focused, but it turns out that the products are good enough that even adults like them. Plus, several brands on our list focus on natural ingredients and even include veggies to make their products more nutritious. All the kid-centric options fall into the category of healthier brands. While some frozen chicken products may cost more, the good news is that there are also budget-friendly options. So, if you're in the market to find better frozen chicken brands, you'll want to peruse our list of the brands reviewers rave about the most.

Applegate is known for its use of high-quality, organic, and real ingredients. The meat comes from chickens that were fed a vegetarian diet and weren't given antibiotics or growth hormones. Once upon a time, we only ever saw this brand in natural grocery stores like Whole Foods, but now it's gained more traction with people looking for healthier options that don't contain artificial ingredients and preservatives.

Applegate offers several frozen gluten-free chicken products that customers really enjoy, including its Gluten-Free Chicken Breast Tenders and Gluten-Free Chicken Nuggets. Customers like that the tenders use real chicken rather than ground and formed meat, saying that they remind them of homemade. The breading stays intact, and it isn't overly spicy. Customers find both the tenders and nuggets to be consistent and have a great texture and taste. They often choose Applegate because its frozen chicken products are the ones the whole family loves, including kids. Many find this brand to be the best they've tried, only complaining that the packages aren't larger.

Bettergoods is Walmart's private brand that often highlights trendier flavors and more health-conscious ingredients. This brand undergoes a lot of professional and customer testing at Walmart's Culinary and Innovation Center before products ever go on store shelves. So, it's not surprising that Bettergoods' frozen chicken items end up with ratings that are just as high as, or higher, than other top brands at Walmart. It's worth noting that there are many other Bettergoods food products worth trying.

The highest-rated Bettergoods frozen chicken products are its flavored chicken wings, Lightly Breaded White Meat Chicken Bites, and Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets. The wings come in flavors like lemon pepper, garlic butter, Louisiana-style, and spicy dill, which get the same high ratings from customers. They crisp well in the air fryer and already taste nice before adding the dry rub seasonings, which most find to be tasty and just right. Plus, the price is a better deal than at restaurants. Fans of the chicken bites love both the crunchy texture and flavor. While other brands are often cheaper, shoppers keep coming back to these for their superiority. Meanwhile, the gluten-free nuggets come with a lower price tag than some other gluten-free brands, which is great since they're flavorful and many customers like them better than other brands.

Another store brand that made our list of best frozen chicken brands is Great Value -– also from Walmart. Great Value is one of the private-label grocery brands that has earned a lot of loyalty from customers for not only being cheaper but also being just as good or better than name brands. This shouldn't be too surprising, as it turns out that there are often popular brands hiding behind Walmart's Great Value product labels. Many people suspect that Perdue, which is also on our list, might be the brand behind Great Value chicken due to a recall in 2010 that suggested Perdue produced the Great Value product involved in the recall.

There are quite a lot of Great Value frozen chicken items at Walmart, and nearly all of them rank 4.5 stars or higher. That includes the majority of the brand's raw frozen chicken as well as its grilled and breaded products. The prices tend to be reasonable, but don't leave you feeling like you're getting substandard products. Customers like that the raw products make meal prep easier since pieces already have the fat trimmed and aren't generally frozen together. Meanwhile, breaded products like the brand's famous chicken fingers get praise for often being the best customers have ever tasted, besides being of good size and price. Even the kids' dino nuggets are beloved, with many people liking them better than other brands.

Meanwhile, over at Target, customers rave about several Good & Gather frozen chicken products. Good & Gather is the Target-owned brand that focuses on current food trends and customer research to create budget-friendly and tasty food items that it thinks its shoppers will love. Like Walmart's Bettergoods brand, this brand undergoes a lot of scrutiny in the company's test kitchen. Not all Good & Gather frozen foods rank high, but many of its frozen chicken products do. Plus, the brand has a money-back guarantee if you don't like something you try.

Top-rated frozen chicken products under the Good & Gather label include Good & Gather popcorn-style chicken and dinosaur-shaped frozen nuggets. Shoppers often try these products looking for a more affordable alternative to other brands, and end up repurchasing them. However, some shoppers seem to like them better than the other leading brands, saying products like popcorn chicken have a great taste and homemade-like breading. Plus, they appreciate the lack of growth hormones and antibiotics in the chicken, which applies to both products. The dino nuggets are good enough that both adults and children seem to like them, praising their flavor and crispy texture when air-fried.

We've started to see the Just Bare brand of frozen chicken pop up on various grocery store shelves lately. If you haven't tried the products yet, you may want to rethink that decision, especially if you prefer to buy products without artificial ingredients. Knowing it's free from additives and preservatives, you won't have to scrutinize the ingredient list. Plus, the chickens are antibiotic-free. You can even find these highly rated products in larger packages at major wholesale grocery clubs for a fraction of the cost. In fact, Costco's store brand, Kirkland Signature, has already created its own copycat version of the brand's chicken bites to capitalize on Just Bare's popularity.

Lightly breaded Just Bare frozen chicken products with consistently high ratings include chicken breast strips, bites, and fillets. When cooked in an air fryer, reviewers say they resemble a deep-fried version. Despite being only lightly breaded, people find the breading to be sufficient. Plus, the chicken is juicy and flavorful with a great, crispy texture and no weird bits. Customers like the seasoning, with some comparing it to the slightly sweet flavor of Chick-fil-A chicken. Overall, these seem to have very few negative reviews, which is a testament to just how good the brand is.

Kidfresh is one of two kid-centric frozen chicken brands that made our list. It's a brand that's meant to appeal to kids' palates and their caregivers' desire to provide healthier meal options. The brand's frozen chicken items don't have any artificial ingredients or preservatives, and the products get kid-tested before ever making it to store shelves. As a bonus, all the products have hidden vegetables in them, making them even more nutritious than ordinary frozen chicken products and helping customers feel better about consuming and serving them.

Some faves include frozen sticks and nuggets, made with pureed cauliflower and whole grain breading. Chicken meatballs that are made with a mix of different vegetables are popular as well. While the names of these products are marketed toward kids, adults seem to like them, too. Even picky eaters who won't touch other brands seem to love these products, which can be surprising considering the hidden vegetables. The meatballs in particular seem to get a lot of praise from adults for being extremely flavorful and moist, whether served alone or with sauces. In fact, some fans have found their whole family to be absolutely addicted to these flavor-packed meatballs. So, you may end up buying these for your kids, but finding that you like them more than they do.

While Aldi's website doesn't feature reviews, that doesn't prevent devoted fans of Kirkwood frozen chicken to show their appreciation. Red bag chicken, as its fans affectionately call it, is so popular that it has its own Facebook fan club with nearly 26,000 members.

Though other Kirkwood frozen chicken products also have devoted buyers, Kirkwood Breaded Chicken Breast Fillets are especially popular. The obsession with the fillets is that many consumers claim they taste just like the ones used for Chick-fil-A sandwiches, inspiring them to tuck the fillets inside bread buns. A favorite way to scratch the Chick-fil-A craving itch is to combine it with a toasted Aldi brioche bun, pickles, and sauce.

Besides the fillets, Kirkwood has other favorites in the frozen chicken category. The company's nuggets, which also come in a red bag, regularly pop up in comment sections on social media and receive a lot of praise. Customers find that the nuggets are ideal for cooking in an air fryer. Many also enjoy the Kirkwood Crispy Chicken Strips that also come in a blue bag, while the green option (Kirkwood Parmesan herb encrusted chicken tenders) is especially popular for making chicken parm — if you can find it. So, if you're an Aldi shopper and don't care for the red bag chicken, your potential new favorite might still be waiting there for you.

Perdue has been a family-owned business for over 100 years. It's a company concerned with animal welfare, thus, its cage-free chickens get a vegetarian diet that doesn't include any antibiotics. There are many favorites in Perdue's frozen chicken portfolio that seem to preform well.

Among the highest rated frozen chicken products Perdue offers are its Simply Smart Lightly Breaded Frozen Chicken Strips as well as its regular crispy chicken strips and popcorn chicken. Many reviewers call the Simply Smart strips the best they've ever had, explaining how they remind them of the quality of homemade chicken strips. However, even the regular strips have become household favorites, with fans liking that they're both moist and crisp (especially when cooked in the air fryer). Perdue also gets compared to Chick-fil-A with its popcorn chicken.

Besides these classics, Perdue also adds veggies to its highly rated products tailored for children, including its Chicken Plus Panko Breaded Dino Chicken Nuggets. The dino nuggets have fans among kids and grownups alike, with many kids refusing to eat anything but this brand. Of course, parents appreciate getting to sneak in some extra veggies in the nuggets, adding that you can't taste that the veggies are there.

Soules Kitchen (previously John Soules Foods) got its start in 1975. The company is focused on providing its customers with flavorful, preservative-free foods that's meant to taste homemade. While you'll find some of its chicken products in the refrigerated part of the grocery store, others are reserved for the frozen section. Refrigerated options are great if you need to cook them soon, but frozen products don't have to be used immediately if you don't have a definite plan.

Some of Soules Kitchen's fully cooked customer faves are grilled items like flame-grilled chicken strips and fajita chicken, which would both make great meal starters. Meanwhile, other favorites are breaded, like the Southern-inspired chicken bites. No matter which item customers get, they are impressed with the quality of the meat. They especially like the versatility of flame-grilled chicken, mentioning how you can use it in a variety of dishes from salads and pasta to tacos and wraps. Comments also praise tenderness and the seasoning that isn't overly salty. The fajita chicken is similarly moist and tender and equally versatile as it can be used in pasta or rice dishes, soups, and salads. Chicken bites also get plenty of love, with many picky eaters deciding this is the only chicken bites they'll eat.

Tyson Foods was founded in the 1930s, and though it went public in the 1960s, it's still run by the members of the Tyson family. In a recent report, Tyson stated that there has been an increase in sales of its chicken products, proving that it's only growing in popularity. So, it's not surprising that there are currently various Tyson frozen chicken products that get top ratings.

Tyson's frozen chicken products rate highly at various grocery stores and wholesale grocery clubs. Honestly, it would be far easier to list the lower-rated than the higher-rated products since the list of the ones rating between 4.5 and 4.7 stars is long. We ranked Honey Chicken Bites as Tyson's best frozen chicken item, noting its great mix of savory and sweet flavors, juicy chicken, and great texture. There are plenty of examples of customer favorites, too. Reviewers like the texture, flavor, size, and versatility of products like oven-roasted diced chicken and grilled fajita strips. The latter has a mild seasoning that allows customers to use them in various Mexican-inspired dishes. Various breaded chicken options, including popcorn-style chicken, have become family favorites with people mentioning that the brand is actually improving in quality. Then, there are various flavored chicken wings that are quick and easy to make, with reviewers saying that these are restaurant-worthy wings. You'll also find breaded chicken sandwiches, which customers find to be filling, tasty, and easy to prepare.

Finally, we have Yummy Dino Buddies, which you can probably guess are targeted toward kids. The good news is that they're 100% all natural, rich in Omega-3, and don't contain antibiotics. The ingredient list is a big draw, as is the flavor and shape.

All the regular flavors of Yummy Dino Buddies rank fairly high, with reviewers saying the ingredients list makes them feel better about giving their kids chicken nuggets often. The original dinosaur-shaped chicken breast nuggets seem to be a favorite for many picky eaters. One reviewer even says they taste like McDonald's nuggets, despite being infused with vegetables. There's also a whole grain version of the dinosaur-shaped chicken breast nuggets, which has 45% less sodium than the original. Reviewers like having whole grain breading with plenty of crunch, and say they taste so good that the whole family loves them. Another fave is the alphabet-shaped chicken nuggets, which also have the same whole grain breading. Some find this shape more fun than the dinosaur version because they help learn spelling, and many picky kids seem to love them.

To determine which frozen chicken products to add to our list, we wanted to find the best of the best. Largely, we looked at customer ratings on the websites of grocery stores and warehouse club retail stores. However, we also relied on social media to find out which frozen chicken products people were talking about most, even if they weren't on a grocery store site that has ratings.

The brands we ended up adding to our list were the ones that have frozen chicken products with a consistent average rating somewhere between 4.5 and 4.7, as well as a high percentage of 4- and 5-star reviews. Surprisingly, this list ended up including several generic grocery store brands, excluding store brands at major wholesale clubs, as they simply didn't have sufficiently high ratings.