Where Does Costco Rotisserie Chicken Rank Among The Best Cooked Poultry?

Shopping with certain brands creates a level of expectation for the quality they produce. Armed with its Kirkland Signature brand, Costco draws plenty of customers to its drinks, shampoos, and all other every day goods for offering reliable quality at a reasonable price. But can Costco rotisserie chicken be called the best of the best?

World explorer and foodie Chelsea Davis with Insider decided to answer just this by comparing Costco’s rotisserie chicken with that of Whole Foods, and Safeway. For this comparison, she considered price, flavor, ingredients, and texture – among other important traits to see which one ranked on top and why.

Costco and Whole Foods rotisserie chicken traded one trait for another

When reading the list of ingredients for any food, it’s comforting to recognize what’s gone into that concoction, especially because that concoction may be going into a person’s stomach. In terms of ingredients, Whole Foods, according to Davis, had a recognizable list of ingredients, simplified to mostly just salt and pepper. Reportedly, there were no antibiotics or hormones injected, both of which are added to promote growth in livestock. That’s where the good ends, though, according to Davis, because the taste and texture of the $10.99 bag left a lot to be desired, worsened by the lack of juices in the bag.

RELATED: Which Fast Food Chain Has The Best French Fries? Survey Says

Jump over to Costco, which asked for $4.99 to get a 3-pound rotisserie chicken. Of the three, Davis calls Costco the best deal of them all. However, some of the ingredients gave her pause. Those she researched served to preserve the chicken and add flavor. The final product was a very tasty bird, but there were areas of concern, like pockets of fat, and a white layer not present in other samplings.

It’s a safe bet to go with Safeway

Ultimately, Safeway was declared the best rotisserie chicken, flying by Whole Foods and managing to unseat Costco’s attractive price and appealing taste. The $8.99 price tag for a 2-pound bag provided an acceptable middle-ground for Davis and came with poultry that tasted better than any other, consistently so.

In the U.S. alone, 600 million rotisserie chickens were purchased in 2010. By 2018, that number jumped to 900 million. This is an especially good time to know which brand to try out, with summer settling fast and warm across the country and plenty of good seasonal meals to enjoy. On top of that, June 2 marks National Rotisserie Chicken Day every year! Which one will you be eating, and what is your favorite seasoning?

RELATED: Which Are The Best Boxed Chocolate Cake Mixes? A Professional Baker Weighs In