Videos have started appearing online that show a new spicy fried chicken at Costco's Food Court. With Food Courts specializing in meals like hot dogs, pizza, and chicken bakes, it would make sense if Costco added fried chicken.
However, you might be wondering whether this is a specialty item, one Costco is testing in a limited area, or something you might be able to purchase soon. Let's dive deep into Costco's new spicy fried chicken and look at some chicken meals from the warehouse that can satisfy your cravings.
The Background on Costco's Spicy Fried Chicken
Costco's spicy fried chicken makes its debut about 13 seconds into the video above. They cost about $3 (in U.S. dollars) and are featured next to clam chowder, seafood pizza, a bulgogi bake, and a pesto chicken sandwich.
Reviews of the spicy fried chicken have been quite positive, but as you can imagine from the names of all the other products in this video, the spicy fried chicken is only available at international Costcos. Specifically, it's a menu item at the Costco Food Court in Taiwan.
However, there have been a number of fried chicken meals appearing at different Costcos across the world, so this might give us a clue as to what Costco could have planned coming to a Food Court near you.
Wings Recently Left Canadian Food Courts
Canadian Costco shoppers have had chicken wings since 2016. The wings were sold in a 10-count for $8.99 (CAD) or a massive bucket of 30 for $22.99 (CAD).
Unfortunately, it appears that these wings began disappearing from Costco Foods Courts in Canada this summer. It's unclear why Canadian Costco removed wings from their menu, but price is likely the main culprit. Chicken prices have been skyrocketing globally and Costco would rather remove the item than raise its price. After all, this is the same company that's kept the price of hot dogs the same since 1985!
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If you look further across the world you'll find chicken items at different Food Courts. Costco's Food Courts in Japan are famed for their unique items, and they recently introduced a bucket of wedges and chicken tenders that sell for less than $7.
The Best Chicken to Buy at Costco in the United States Today
©MomsWhoThink /Eric Bleeker
Unfortunately, there is no fried chicken in Food Courts in the United States today. And worse, if you've gotten your hopes up that one might be coming to a food court near you, Costco's removal of chicken wings in Canada probably signal spicy fried chicken isn't making an appearance any time soon.
However, it is worth noting that Costco recently began selling nuggets under its Kirkland Signature brand in America, and they're wonderful. I taste-tested them against Chick-fil-A and found they compare very well. While they're not as flavorful as Chick-fil-A nuggets, they had more chicken meat inside that was quite moist.
It appears Costco is partnering with the company ‘Just Bare‘ to produce these nuggets. If Costco has a supply that provides nuggets and tenders and is testing a tender and wedges bucket in Japan, that could be an item that would make its way to U.S. Food Courts. By combining chicken tenders with wedges, Costco reduces the amount of cost tied to skyrocketing chicken prices, which would allow it to offer a chicken tender bucket at reasonable prices.
After the failure of its very expensive (relative to other items) roast beef sandwich, Costco will likely be looking for some items that are cheaper. My vote: it's time for some chicken tenders in U.S. Food Courts.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Mallika Home Studio/Shutterstock.com.
- The must-have convenient reference guide for every home cook!
- Includes more than 8,000 substitutions for ingredients, cookware, and techniques.
- Save time and money on by avoiding trips to grab that "missing" ingredient you don't really need.