The One Costco Food You're Eating In More Ways Than You Realize

Whenever the bell at Costco's deli rings, customers head over to the back of the store for a fresh batch of hot and sizzling rotisserie chickens. At just $4.99 a piece, it's no surprise that the bird has remained a bestseller over the years. In 2023 alone, Costco sold about 137 million of its famous rotisserie chickens, and sales have topped 100 million every year since 2020.

Here is the twist, though. Even if you buy just one to enjoy at home, you may already be eating Costco's rotisserie chicken in more places than you realize. Because of the retailer's strict turnover time, the cooked chickens stay on the shelves for no longer than two hours. However, any leftover birds aren't thrown away. One of the lesser-known facts about Costco's rotisserie chicken is that unsold chickens are repurposed into other poultry-packed deli items like chicken noodle soup and chicken salad. Chowhound reached out to two Costco locations to confirm this practice, but it's important to note that it may not be adopted by all stores.

Nonetheless, this genius strategy keeps the chickens in rotation by using them in Costco's other prepared foods, preventing them from going to waste. Despite Costco constantly re-shuffling its aisles, the chicken and other deli items have remained at the back of the store, which encourages shoppers to pick up a few extra items along the way. That hasn't deterred the crowd, though, who gladly (and hurriedly) make their way to the warmers in the hopes of securing the freshest, juiciest chicken and its various ready-to-eat offshoots.

Home cooks can follow in Costco's footsteps and repurpose rotisserie chicken in some similarly delicious ways. Thankfully, every single part of the chicken can be transformed into a completely new dish. The skin, for example, can be used as a crunchy topping for salads and sandwiches. Simply broil it for a few minutes on both sides until it becomes crispy. As for the chicken's carcass, simmering it for a few hours will result in a delicious chicken stock. 

And don't even get us started on all the possibilities with the shredded meat. Leftover rotisserie chicken slips right into a dozen weeknight standbys. Think tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas, and noodle bowls. Draw inspiration from Costco's prepared items and prepare chicken Alfredo pasta and protein-packed salads that fill you up. A simple chicken fried rice is another option, and one of the best shortcuts around, since the cooked meat offers salt and texture without extra steps at the stove. If you keep frozen rice and mixed vegetables on hand, that leftover rotisserie chicken can quickly be transformed into a takeout-inspired meal. 

Altogether, the same qualities that help Costco scale the rotisserie chicken repurposing program in-house are the ones that help you turn one $4.99 purchase into multiple delicious, filling meals. It saves time, reduces waste, and gives you a head start on flavor. No wonder that signature deli bell keeps drawing in a massive crowd.