Costco Spicy Chicken Sandwich - High Quality but Has Problems
The spicy chicken sandwich hype might have died down, but there is still big demand for this Costco chicken sandwich.
The La Boulangerie Spicy Chicken Sandwich is a frozen chicken sandwich that is the ultimate in convenience and customizability.
La Boulangerie Spicy Chicken Sandwich at Costco
Costco's Spicy Chicken Sandwich
Costco sells a 6 pack of La Boulangerie Spicy Chicken Sandwich for $12.99.
These can be found in the freezer section near the other breaded items such as the chicken wings, chicken nuggets and the chicken strips.
Some Costco’s also carry Just Bare Chicken Fillets, which are great for chicken sandwiches.
These spicy chicken sandwiches are made with all white meat. Unfortunately, they come with just the bun and chicken patty. You will have to add your own toppings and condiments.
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The Price is Right
The cost for each sandwich breaks down to $2.16. Most fast-food spicy chicken sandwiches go for $4 or more, so if this sandwich is halfway decent, it could compete in value with some of the major fast-food brands.
Chicken Sandwich War of 2019
Is the spicy chicken sandwich hype gone? Back in the summer of 2019, the spicy chicken sandwich was all the rage. Popeye’s released their chicken sandwich and the sandwich wars began.
Major fast-food chains threw their versions of the spicy chicken sandwich into the ring all looking to secure their spots on fast-food chicken sandwich tier lists.
Now, almost every chain has at least one chicken sandwich and spicy chicken sandwich on the menu. This has been great for consumers, but are we past the chicken sandwich hype?
Is Costco late to the game with the addition of La Boulangerie’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich?
La Boulangerie Chicken Sandwich First Impression
The Sandwich is on the Small Side
As soon as I pulled these chicken sandwiches out of the box, the first thing I noticed was how small each one is.
At $2.16 per sandwich, I was expecting something at least 30% bigger, but both the bun and actual chicken are on the smaller side.
Big Tall Brioche Bun
The buns are very big and tall. The brioche bun was probably close to 75-80% of the total sandwich height. The chicken itself pales in comparison to the bread.
La Boulangerie is a baking company, and I’m worried that the bread might be the star of the sandwich and not the actual chicken.
Will it Be Spicy?
The spicy chicken patty did have a nice orange colored breading. It didn’t look extremely hot, but there looks to be at least some spice.
My heat expectations are always tempered when it comes to mass produced food products. These claim on the box to be Medium heat which they have one step above mild, but I am expecting just a hint of spice and nothing too crazy.
Fast Food Value Menu Size
Unfortunately, I have to say I was severely disappointed with how these looked coming out of the box. The chicken looked good, but the sandwich was small and mostly comprised of bread.
While they aren’t exactly slider size, they are closer to sliders than they are to an actual chicken sandwich. I’ve dropped all expectations for this sandwich now and I’m just hoping for the best.
Weight Discrepancy
They are Small, but are They Too Small?
The nutritional information states that each sandwich weighs 5.3oz. Now, I did actually weigh one of the sandwiches and my scale said it only weighed 4.85oz.
The chicken itself weighed nearly 3 oz with the bread weighing 1.9 oz.
The difference between 5.3 oz and 4.85 oz is pretty substantial for a spicy chicken sandwich like this.
Not All Chicken Sandwiches are Created Equal
I did also weigh the remaining sandwiches and this one seemed to have been the smallest of the bunch.
The next lightest sandwich weighed exactly 5.3oz with the largest weighing 6.25oz. I think I’m going to chalk this one up to being the runt of the litter as it all did even out with the 6.25oz spicy chicken sandwich.
Costco Spicy Chicken Sandwich - Taste Test
Cannot Compete with Fast Food Chains
Originally I had high hopes for this Costco spicy chicken sandwich and this review.
I planned to compare the cooking methods and do a direct comparison to some national fast food chains’ chicken sandwiches.
After actually looking at this La Boulangerie chicken sandwich, I no longer feel the sandwich can compete.
Great in the Air Fryer
I opted to cook these from frozen using the air fry method for my first La Boulangerie Spicy Chicken Sandwich.
They list a few different methods to cook these, and I will go more in depth on the heating instructions later on.
I heated the chicken breast fillet for 9 minutes and the bun for 1 minute in the air fryer.
La boulangerie also included microwave and oven instructions, but like with most other frozen foods from Costco, I prefer to use the air fryer.
Easy to Assemble
The chicken patty came out heated through and the bun was warm and toasty. I re-assembled the chicken sandwich but it wasn’t appetizing without additional toppings.
Without any toppings, the sandwich was plain and I would pay a max of $2 for a fast food chicken sandwich like this. From Costco, I would expect the price to be $1.25-$1.50.
You Need to Add Your Own Toppings
I understand these may be premium ingredients with a brioche bun from La Boulangerie and whole white meat chicken for the patty, but the look is completely off for me.
I added some mayo and vegetables to make the spicy chicken sandwich be at least somewhat desirable.
Brioche Bun
Now the bun for this sandwich is huge, but at least it is tasty. The bread was fresh tasting, and did not seem to overwhelm each bite with bread.
The bun was crispy on the outside and super soft on the inside. I enjoyed the bun of this chicken sandwich.
Great Quality Chicken
The chicken patty was made with breast meat and is also rather tasty. The chicken was higher quality than I expected this sandwich to have.
It wasn’t just the typical chicken filling that a low quality nugget or patty would have, but this was real white meat chicken breast.
Very Light Spice
I do have issues with the chicken breading. The fillet breading lacked flavor, and I’m not sure if it was underseasoned or if the large amount of bread neutralized too much of that flavor.
The spice was mild at best. There was just a touch of heat, but in no way would I ever call it a spicy chicken. They missed the mark completely on spice level.
The Chicken Sandwich is Actually Very Tasty
The sandwich wasn’t bad tasting, but there are some downsides. The bread was high quality which was to be expected coming from La boulangerie, and it may be the best frozen sandwich bread in Costco.
The patty was made with quality chicken, but the problem was the lack of flavor and the size of the sandwich.
There just was minimal flavor for the chicken patty and there was almost no spice. I don’t want a sandwich that I have to flavor myself.
The Dealbreaker - Updated
I can live with some of these flaws, but the dealbreaker is that the Costco spicy chicken sandwich is just too small.
I would have to eat at least 2 if not 3 sandwiches for a meal. Now I’m looking at $6+ for the meal and way too many carbs.
Update: I am not satisfied with the portion size of the sandwich, and while still true, these are a significantly better option and provide better value than Costco Chicken Melts.
The Sandwich Bros chicken melts pale in comparison to these Spicy Chicken Sandwiches.
Update 2: I still consider the sandwich to be small, and I don’t think that is going to change. But, in thinking back on the quality of the sandwich, I have to say I am impressed and I am increasing the value score of the chicken sandwich.
A Cheaper More Filling Alternative
Now, I wouldn’t be doing my job if I just said there were better options out there without telling you what those options are. Looking at the $2 price per Costco spicy chicken sandwich, you can instead make your own chicken patty sandwich that will actually fill you up.
I enjoy Costco’s chicken patties that can be purchased for $2.60 per pound. For $1.30 you could get two chicken patties and the remaining $0.70 can go to bread, dressing, and condiments.
This sandwich does require trading quite a bit of quality for economical savings and a fuller belly.
Costco La Boulangerie Chicken Sandwich Heating Instruction
I will say, La Boulangerie does provide some comprehensive heating instructions for their spicy chicken sandwich. They have provided heating instructions for both a refrigerated or frozen Costco spicy chicken sandwich.
From Frozen
Chicken Sandwich Air Fryer Cooking Instructions (CFDB Recommended)
- Preheat air fryer to 370°F
- Remove sandwich from overwrap.
- Place chicken filet on tray, bake for 9 minutes.
- Place bun cut side down and bake for 1 minute.
- Remove and reassemble.
Oven Method (La Boulangerie Recommended)
- Preheat oven to 375° F
- Remove sandwich from overwrap
- Place chicken filet on a lightly oiled pan and bake for 14 minutes.
- Place bun cut side down on the pan and bake for 2 minutes.
- Remove and reassemble.
Microwave Heating Instructions
- Remove sandwich from overwrap
- Wrap chicken filet only in a paper towel and microwave for 1.5 minutes.
- Remove from microwave and let stand for 1 minute
- Place chicken in the bun and return to microwave to cook for 20 seconds
- Remove and reassemble.
Refrigerated Cooking Directions
Don’t keep refrigerated for more than three days.
Oven
- Preheat oven to 425°F
- Remove sandwich from overwrap.
- Place chicken filet on a lightly oiled pan and bake for 7 minutes.
- Place bun cut side down on the pan and bake for 1 minute.
- Remove and reassemble.
Microwave
- Remove sandwich from overwrap.
- Wrap chicken filet only in a paper towel and microwave for 1 minutes.
- Remove from microwave and let stand for 1 minute.
- Place chicken in the bun and return to microwave to cook for 20 seconds
- Remove and reassemble.
Air Fryer
- Preheat Air Fryer to 370°F
- Remove sandwich from overwrap.
- Place chicken filet on tray, bake for 6 minutes.
- Place bun cut side down and bake for 1 minute.
- Remove and reassemble.
Costco Chicken Sandwich Nutritional Information
How Many Calories in La Boulangerie Frozen Chicken Sandwich?
Each La Boulangerie sandwich is supposed to weigh 5.3 ounces and contains 340 calories. There are 9g of fat, 44g of carbs, and 20g of protein.
This is a significant amount of protein for how small the chicken fillet is, and there are definitely a lot of carbs. These sandwiches are on the smaller side so you can really rack up the carb count by eating multiple chicken sandwiches.
Heavy on the Sodium
The major red flag here is going to be the sodium at 1060mg per spicy chicken sandwich. This is 46% of the recommended daily values. One sandwich isn’t necessarily going to fill you up, but two sandwiches will be a sodium overload.
These are not healthy sandwiches. There’s a solid amount of protein in each spicy chicken sandwich but the carbs and the sodium are tough to handle as part of a healthy diet.
Final Thoughts
I had high hopes for these La Boulangerie Spicy Chicken Sandwiches from Costco, but was let down with these great tasting but mediocre chicken sandwiches. I don’t like the fact that you only get a bun and the chicken fillet and you have to dress the sandwich yourself.
The health benefits are not there, and for the price, I thought the sandwich was on the smaller end. This was a disappointing Costco purchase, and one item I most likely will not purchase again.
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.
I tried them for lunch today and if I had the receipt I would return the rest of the box. The biggest joke is the size of the chicken compared to the bun. Especially compared to the picture on the box, it’s totally false advertising. The flavor was extremely bland even after adding mustard, barbecue sauce, and Sriracha. I microwaved it from frozen and only did it for one minute 15 seconds instead of one minute 30 seconds and it was still chewy in places. Very disappointing and false advertising based on the picture on the box.