Costco Chicken Shawarma - Delicious, But Not as Advertised?
Ruprecht’s Chicken Shawarma at Costco
Costco sells Ruprecht’s Chicken Shawarma for $6.89 a pound. The chicken shawarma can be found in Costco’s refrigerated deli area of the warehouse near other heat and eat items such as the Mediterranean Chicken Skewers, Pork Carnitas, and the Chicken Teriyaki Meatballs.
Costco’s chicken shawarma is sold in approximately 2 pound packages with a total price of around ~$13-$15. The chicken shawarma is made from tender and juicy chicken thighs marinated with a classic blend of aromatic herbs and spices.
The chicken shawarma is super easy to serve and you simply have to slice, heat, and enjoy!
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What is Chicken Shawarma?
Shawarma refers to a Middle Eastern dish that consists of thin sliced meat. The meat is usually lamb but can also be chicken, turkey, beef, or even veal. The meat is stacked on a spit or a vertical rotisserie and roasted slowly while turning.
This is very similar to how Al Pastor or Gyro Meat will be cooked.
Sous Vide Chicken Shawarma
Costco’s chicken shawarma isn’t cooked in a traditional method using a spit, but instead will have the standard chicken shawarma flavors while being cooked sous vide style.
The chicken shawarma may be lacking in some of that roasted flame flavor, but will be cooked to perfection and will be extremely tender and juicy.
Costco Cost Comparison
Costco sells the chicken shawarma for $6.89 a pound. This is right on par with most of the other heat and eat meals that are sold at Costco. Those meals can be pork, beef or chicken, and they usually fall in the $7-$9 per pound range.
Other comparable options in this price range include barbacoa, carnitas, and beef pot roast.
At $6.89 per pound for chicken, it can be on the pricier side as fresh chicken thighs at Costco go for $3.49 a pound.
This is nearly double the price for the marinated and pre-cooked chicken shawarma, but is still worth the money for a unique and fun meal.
Costco vs The Competition
I normally compare Costco’s prices to other major retailers such as Sam’s Club and Target, but in this case, regarding the chicken shawarma, they don’t have any comparable options.
If you like chicken shawarma, Costco is going to be the place to grab some.
DIY Costco Chicken Shawarma Pita Wraps
For $13.50, you get 2 pounds of Ruprecht’s chicken shawarma. For about $7 more, you can get a handful of pitas, some greek yogurt, and some fresh vegetables to make some chicken shawarma pita pockets.
For around $20, you can probably make 5-6 hearty sized pita wraps, which will normally be sold for $10 each at Mediterranean restaurants. This is a solid deal for DIY homemade chicken shawarma wraps.
Not as Advertised?
This was my first time with Costco’s chicken shawarma and my only experience with the product, so I was expecting to get full chicken thighs that I would have to slice up.
The image on the box shows full chicken pieces and the instructions do say that I would have to slice and then heat the chicken before serving.
What I actually received were chopped and diced up chicken thigh pieces. There was definitely less work involved because I could skip step 1 and just cook the chicken, but I think thin sliced chicken shawarma pieces that I would have to cut myself would have been more enjoyable in this meal.
I’m not sure if I got a bad batch or if this is what Ruphrect is putting out now, but I do feel that I was served a product that was different than what was advertised.
Anybody else have this experience?
Chicken Shawarma Taste Test
Very Very Good
I think I did receive a product that was not as advertised, but I still went ahead and cooked the chicken shawarma pieces.
The chicken didn’t crisp up as much as I would have liked them to and definitely not as much as thin sliced pieces would have, but overall the chicken was still extremely tasty.
Tenderness
Absolutely no complaints here on the tenderness of the chicken shawarma. The chicken was cooked sous vide and as long as you don’t over cook the chicken in the reheating process, you will get some amazingly tender chicken.
Each bite of chicken was very soft and the chicken was very juicy. Delicious!
Flavor
When you see this chicken in the packaging, you can see it is completely covered in marinade. The nice thing is that the flavor and marinade stayed on the chicken and was present even after the cooking process.
The flavors really seemed to have been absorbed by the chicken shawarma pieces.
The chicken pieces were super flavorful and did have the Mediterranean flare that made the chicken stand out.
The shawarma was tasty and unique, and I thoroughly enjoyed the taste.
Chicken Shawarma Pita Pockets
I was lucky enough to spot some new Pita bread at Costco on the same trip that I picked up the chicken shawarma and just knew it was meant to be.
I ate my chicken shawarma pita pocket with some hummus, feta cheese, tahini greek yogurt, onions, lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers.
All put together the meal was wonderful. The pita was packed with flavor that would hit you from all directions and this was easily one of my favorite of Costco’s heat and eat meals.
I have to say even when I was full, I went back for one more round of a chicken shawarma pita.
Costco Chicken Shawarma Cooking Instructions
There are two options when it comes to cooking this chicken shawarma. You can microwave the chicken or heat it on the stove top.
I, of course, will always try to avoid the microwave option if possible and I cooked this chicken shawarma on the stove top.
Stove Top Chicken Shawarma
- Remove chicken from the pouch and place on a cutting board.
- Thinly slice the chicken crosswise starting on the short edge.
- Lightly oil a non-stick pan and pre-heat to medium-high.
- Add chicken to pan and heat for 2-3 minutes or until hot, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from heat, rest for 1 minute, and serve.
Microwave Costco Chicken Shawarma
- Remove chicken from the pouch and place onto a cutting board.
- Thinly slice the chicken crosswise starting on the short edge.
- Place the chicken onto a microwave-safe dish in a thin layer, cover and heat on high for 3-4 minutes.
- Remove from the microwave, rest for 1 minute, and serve.
Ruprecht’s Chicken Shawarma Serving Suggestions
Ruprecht offers 5 different meal ideas for the chicken shawarma. I opted for the pita wrap as that seems to be the easiest for me and I had most of the ingredients on hand already.
Chicken Shawarma Pita Wrap
Warm pita bread spread with hummus and topped with sliced chicken shawarma, feta cheese, mixed greens, roasted red peppers, pickled cucumbers, and onion.
Chicken Shawarma Salad
Fresh mixed greens with sliced chicken shawarma, feta cheese, cucumber, kalamata olives, onion, and cherry tomatoes, tossed with a lemon vinaigrette
Chicken Shawarma Flatbread
A crispy flatbread spread with yogurt sauce and topped with sliced chicken shawarma, roasted red peppers, red onion, artichokes, and spinach.
Chicken Shawarma Nachos
Toasted pita chips topped with sliced chicken shawarma, feta cheese, tomato, kalamata olives, onion, avocado, and fresh cilantro.
Chicken shawarma Rice Bowl
Seasoned Yellow rice topped with sliced chicken shawarma, tomato, cucumber, roasted chickpeas, and garlic sauce.
Chicken Shawarma Nutritional Information & Calories
How Many Calories in Costco Chicken Shawarma?
One serving of chicken shawarma from Costco is going to contain 120 calories coming from 5 grams of fat, 3 grams of carbs, and 15 grams of protein.
This is an excellent overall nutritional profile but fairly standard for a simple chicken dish. Additional items such as pita or naan and whatever sauce you use may add in quite a few more extra calories.
Costco Food Database User Reviews
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Greg Larkin is the founder and managing editor of Costco Food Database, the premiere site for honest takes on all things Costco food. A self-proclaimed Costco super-fan since childhood, Greg turned his obsession in a mission to properly rate and review all of Costco’s delicious buys. When he’s not busy navigating Costco aisles, you can find Greg smoking Kirkland Signature meats, meal prepping, or perfecting his homemade jerky recipes.