David Chang Never Adds Costco Kirkland Rotisserie Chicken To His Cart, And This Is Why

Grocery store rotisserie chicken may be a flavorful, convenient, ready-to-eat protein source, but according to chef David Chang, not all birds are created equal. When dinnertime strikes, he's avoiding Costco's bird at all costs ... even if that cost happens to be super affordable, actually. In a 2023 episode of his podcast, Chang opined that Costco's Kirkland Signature rotisserie chicken is "the worst rotisserie chicken," primarily because it's not properly seasoned and it does not taste good when it's cold. Indeed, the bird's nearly 500 milligrams of sodium per 3-ounce serving is one red flag we can't get over. That's ⅓ of the amount of sodium adults are supposed to eat in an entire day, per the American Heart Association.

"The reason why it's important to have it properly seasoned is you might eat it the next day cold — and it's gotta taste good cold," says Chang. "And there's something about all the nitrates and all the crap they pump into that chicken that makes the chicken breast even more disgusting the next day when it's cold. There's something terrible that happens to rotisserie chicken. It's inedible. It really is." Costco's rotisserie chicken is made from more than just chicken meat. Its 10 ingredients include whole chicken, water, and seasonings (salt, sodium phosphate, modified food starch, potato dextrin, carrageenan, sugar, dextrose, spice extractives). But, ultimately, Chang's skipping that rotisserie chicken for its blandness above all else. "To me, it's all about the seasoning," he says. "It has to be properly seasoned, and I think the Costco chicken is just not good." 

The chef is far from alone in his criticisms. A Reddit thread agrees, "Costcos is towards the bottom of [rotisserie] chicken in my book [...] Publix, BJs, and Sam's club were better chickens." Commenters echo, "The rotisserie chicken at Costco is beyond gross to me. It's inflated with brine and is generally a greasy, unseasoned mess. That's just me after having eaten about 100 of them in the last three or four years, though." Still, it's worth noting that some folks seem to genuinely dig the offering. Another post jokingly asks, "If you're not eating a whole rotisserie chicken alone in front of your kitchen sink ... did you even go to Costco?" Meanwhile, other customers complain about an "off," somewhat chemical taste. Costco is currently facing a lawsuit alleging that the company engaged in false advertising when it labelled its $5 rotisserie chicken as "preservative-free" due to the inclusion of the additives sodium phosphate and carrageenan. Talk about "fowl play" (sorry).

At the end of the day, there are myriad ways to use rotisserie chicken as a versatile protein source. If it's lacking in the seasoning department, that mild chicken can be zhuzhed up by other flavorful ingredients to make it more enjoyable. On busy weeknights, many of our go-to three-ingredient meals start with Costco's fan-favorite rotisserie chicken (chicken tortellini pesto pasta, anyone?). Plus, the price is right, an inflation-resistant $4.99 since 2009. Although for better flavor, folks might be better off hitting a different grocery store, according to Chang. As he shares in the podcast, "Sprouts has the best rotisserie chicken I've ever had in a grocery store."