What Really Happens To Costco's Leftover Rotisserie Chickens

You might think there is no such thing as a Costco rotisserie chicken that gets left unsold. After all, there have been tales of shoppers sprinting to the back of Costco stores where the chickens are made to get their hands on one when the signature Costco store bell chimes. The superstore giant reported that it sold 137 million rotisserie chickens in 2023; amazingly, there are still plenty that get pulled from the shelf after two hours (which is how long they are allowed to be kept under a heat lamp, for safety reasons). Once they are taken away and replaced by freshly roasted birds, the food preparation team gets busy turning them into other prepared meals.

This is appropriate and not surprising, considering that this is exactly why many shoppers buy these chickens in the first place: to use them in easy weeknight meals. Depending on the location, the leftover rotisserie chicken at Costco can end up in the company's enormous ready-to-bake chicken pot pies, containers of chicken noodle soup, chicken salad, oven-ready chicken alfredo pasta, chicken street tacos, salads, wraps, and enchilada bakes.

A lot has been written about the incredible value of Costco's rotisserie chickens. At $4.99 a pop for a bird that is around three pounds once it's cooked, it's one of the very few prepared foods that are actually cheaper to buy ready-made than to make it yourself. And, despite inflation, the chickens have been priced as such since 2009. The only better deal at the store is the food court's $1.50 hot dog and soda combo, which has cost the same since Marty McFly time-traveled for the first time in 1985.

To keep up with the high chicken demand, Costco has its own chicken plants in Iowa and Nebraska, and it sources some from California. Not only do they supply the rotisserie department, but the food court as well. Of course, the renowned Costco food court holds secrets of its own, including the fact that the popular chicken bakes are made with the same dough that makes its pizzas, and the chicken comes from the aforementioned farms (no word on whether it's taken from leftover rotisserie birds, though).

If you ever find yourself with leftover rotisserie chicken, you can take a cue from Costco and turn the meat into what they do. There are always great ways to use up your bird.