Is Costco Rotisserie Chicken Gluten-Free?
Costco rotisserie chicken is gluten-free. If you have celiac or gluten sensitivity, you can eat this chicken because it contains modified starch and dextrin derived from potatoes without gluten. The chicken is also made in a gluten-free facility; therefore, it’s not contaminated during cooking.
What Makes Costco Rotisserie Chicken Gluten-Free?
Costco labels its rotisserie chicken as gluten-free because of the ingredients used to make it. It’s also made in a facility that’s free from gluten to prevent cross-contamination.
According to the Kirkland Signature rotisserie chicken labels, Costco chicken is free of preservatives, colors, artificial flavors, MSG, or gluten.
For this reason, if you have wheat and gluten allergies, you can purchase this rotisserie chicken without any adverse effects.
Where Does Costco Rotisserie Chicken Come From?
If you are gluten intolerant, it’s good to know where your groceries and meat products come from.
Costco’s rotisserie chicken comes from its own chicken farm and processing facility based in Fremont, Nebraska.
Costco opened this chicken facility in 2019 to supply all its chicken products.
Because of this, Costco controls its supply, maintains quality standards, and follows humane regulations. Additionally, the poultry products are of good quality and are well-priced.
This facility includes hatcheries, feed mills, grower barns, processing facilities, and shipping services to distribute the rotisserie chicken to all Costco warehouses countrywide.
What Is Costco Rotisserie Chicken Made Of?
Costco’s rotisserie chicken contains whole chicken, water, salt, sodium phosphate, modified food starch, dextrin, sugar, carrageenan, dextrose, and spice extractives.
Also, the modified food starch and dextrin are extracted from potatoes; they don’t contain any wheat.
Costco’s rotisserie chicken was named one of the “healthiest processed foods” by Dr. Oz if you remove the skin.
Is Costco Canned Chicken Gluten-Free?
If you prefer to buy canned chicken from Costco, the Kirkland Signature chicken breast is sold in cans. However, the packaging does not clearly label whether the chicken is gluten-free.
Some customers have been concerned that the canned chicken might contain wheat, which is not ideal if you need gluten-free products.
Therefore, if you have celiac and can’t risk a slight trace of wheat entering your system, we recommend refraining from purchasing Costco’s canned chicken.
Is Costco Butter Chicken Gluten-Free?
Costco butter chicken is commonly found in stores in Canada, but according to customers who have bought it, the label does not indicate whether the butter chicken is gluten-free.
However, based on the label’s ingredients, it contains modified cornstarch, which might be safe if you don’t consume gluten. You can always confirm with the store’s staff.
Additionally, if the label does not state that the butter chicken is gluten-free, it may have been prepared in a facility with glutenous products nearby.
Therefore, if you’re celiac or extremely sensitive to traces of gluten, it’s recommended that you refrain from purchasing this product.
Is Costco Frozen Chicken Gluten-Free?
Depending on the brand of chicken you buy from the frozen section at Costco, frozen chicken may be gluten-free.
Usually, gluten-free chicken at Costco is labeled, making it easier to identify the brands to buy.
Is Costco Cooked Chicken Gluten-Free?
If you prefer to buy cooked chicken from Costco, it could contain gluten or be gluten-free, depending on the ingredients used to cook.
For instance, if the chicken is cooked using wheat, yeast, or wheat protein, it’s not gluten-free. However, if it contains other forms of modified starch, it’s classified as gluten-free.
Does Costco Stock Other Gluten-Free Products?
Apart from rotisserie chicken, Costco stocks other gluten-free products.
For instance, you can get gluten-free bread, snacks, cookies, granola, pasta, protein bars, prepared meals, desserts, crackers, chips, and other products.
Also, you can search for specific items if you are shopping online. However, if you purchase items in-store, you can consult the Costco staff to help you find the products.
How Much Does Costco Rotisserie Chicken Cost?
The price has remained unchanged since Costco rolled out the rotisserie chicken in 2009. Fortunately, despite economic inflation, Costco has kept the price at $4.99.
To keep the price low, Costco invested in a chicken farm and processing facility, significantly lowering the production costs. This enables the company to keep the price stable.
However, this has contributed to heavy losses because Costco sells chickens below market value.
Customers are worried that Costco might increase the price of rotisserie chicken due to inflation. However, this has not changed, and the price will remain unchanged.
Additionally, Costco stocks the rotisserie chicken at the back of the store, a strategy that ensures customers shop through several aisles before picking it up.
How Much Rotisserie Chicken Does Costco Sell in a Year?
Because of the health benefits, Costco’s rotisserie chicken is quite popular, contributing to high sales.
At present, Costco sells more than 100 million rotisserie chickens every year despite having the same price for more than a decade, and these numbers keep rising each year.
What Other Kinds of Chicken Does Costco Sell?
Costco stocks different types of products, including chicken. In the company warehouses, you can get raw or cooked chicken.
If you prefer the chicken raw, you can get various cuts. For the cooked options, Costco has whole, deboned, filleted, and spatchcocked chicken.
Apart from the rotisserie, the cooked chicken selections include wings, breasts, thighs, and more.
Depending on your preferences, you can order your favorite type of chicken from Costco.
Ian Colbeck is a writer for Costco Food Database. Born in Seattle and living in Salt Lake City. Ian enjoys everything outdoors.