The Perfect Costco Find When You Don't Need A Whole Rotisserie Chicken

A trip to Costco isn't complete without a few important things: a $1.50 hot dog with all the fixings, a stop by every sample stand for free snacks, and, of course, a plump, juicy rotisserie chicken to take home. Costco's rotisserie chickens are well-documented favorites. For $4.99, you get a hefty, pre-cooked chicken, great for eating right off the bone or shredding for sandwiches, soups, and salads.

But sometimes, a whole rotisserie chicken isn't convenient enough. Your fridge may be packed too full for the awkward shape of a whole chicken, or maybe you know you'll be too busy to take the time to debone the meat. Costco has a solution: hand-pulled rotisserie chicken breast meat. 

Costco members can buy bags of pre-shredded rotisserie chicken — the same kind as the whole chickens sold in stores. It's all the deliciousness of the chicken, with none of the mess of prepping it.

While Costco's hand-pulled chicken is a solid option for those looking to save time or space, there are a few trade-offs to be aware of when choosing it over the whole rotisserie chicken. For one, the price — whole chickens are $4.99, but the meat off the bone comes in 2.62-lb bags priced at approximately $12.99 a pop (exact price may vary by region). 

You'll get more meat overall for that higher price tag, but you'll be paying almost $5 a pound. Compare that to the roughly $1.78 a pound you'll pay for Costco's whole rotisserie chicken at $4.99.

Dark meat lovers might have second thoughts as well, as the hand-pulled rotisserie chicken meat comes only with breast meat, rather than a mix of dark and white. (For those wanting to eat a bit healthier, this may be a benefit, though, as chicken breast meat has a lower calorie count and fat content than dark meat, as well as more protein.) The skin is also removed from the prepackaged breast meat.

There's no shortage of easy, delicious recipes you can make with pre-shredded rotisserie chicken. It can easily be made into tacos or burritos with accompaniments such as cheese and sour cream, or whipped into a tasty chicken salad recipe to serve on sandwiches or over lettuce. It can be added into soups and stews as well, from classic chicken and dumplings or chicken pot pie to spicy chicken tortilla.

Want to get even more creative? Use it to make a buffalo chicken dip for a party, or spice up boring instant ramen with a handful and some extras, such as green onions and soft-boiled eggs. 

Anywhere you need a little hit of protein, rotisserie chicken has your back. And one more great thing about the hand-pulled bags? They're easily frozen, so you can stock up and continue to enjoy your chicken for months to come.