Costco vs. Sam’s Club: Who Has The Better Rotisserie Chicken?

Consumer Reports recently put out an article looking for the best rotisserie chicken out there. (Unsurprisingly) Sam’s Club and Costco topped the list with Sam’s coming out on top. Now, there’s nothing wrong with the article. But it got our gears turning and wondering how their comparison holds up to a good old fashioned taste test. So, we decided to pit the two best rotisserie chickens against each other to see who came out on top. 

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Our taste test isn’t going to dive into the nutritional value of the chickens as CR already did that and they end up being just about the same. What I really wanted to look at was the flavor, texture, purchasing experience, and overall convenience offered by both brands. This isn’t just a look at the label comparison―this is eating the chicken and seeing how well it holds up to different heating and reheating methods. This is looking at how it would be used in the typical household. 

Picking The Bird

Costco: I went around 5, so a typically busy time, especially for getting the rotisserie chicken since anyone planning to have one is likely picking up around this time for dinner that night. (I have no room to talk, it was also my dinner.) I went to Costco first and it was your typical early evening kind of busy. When I got to the hot case, there were several fresh birds, as well as some other fresh off-the-rack ones being packaged for sale. I figured since they were nearly ready, I’d wait the 30 seconds for a fresh chicken. All in all, I was in and out with a good-looking bird pretty quickly.

Sam’s Club: Sam’s was a different story. They were about the same level of busy, but when I arrived at the hot case? No rotisserie chickens. And the oven cooking a batch? Still had 15 minutes to go. I didn’t feel like coming back another day, so I waited. And I wasn’t the only one. As the birds got closer to finishing, the crowd waiting for them grew. The meat area was pretty packed by the time the first chickens were slid into the case. And they were gone just as fast. I luckily secured one. There were some people being super picky about their bird but the one I grabbed was good enough. So Sam’s Club loses some points for lack of convenience.

The Taste

I think this is the most important part of comparing the two. You can compare labels until you’re blue in the face. But if the chicken doesn’t taste good, then what does the label matter? I worked with both birds as soon as I got home so they were still warm and moist. Both were easy to cut down. Truthfully, after cutting some slices, I just went at it with my hands and shredded the chicken. Both carcasses were easily picked clean―a sign of good cooking. 

Costco: The skin was good and flavorful. The meat lacked some of the flavor, but was still good and moist. The real con here is that the chicken just didn’t have a ton of flavor to it alone. And I love chicken, so if I think it’s a little bland, that’s saying something. It was still a solid bird though. 

Sam’s Club: The skin was flavorful and as crisp as you can get when it starts to steam inside its little rotisserie box. Honestly, it was really hard not to just pick the skin off in the car and eat it all because crispy chicken skin is my favorite. Even the meat had good flavor. Not too salty. Brined really well. Not dry. All-in-all a really good bird. 

Another important piece of the taste test is how the chicken tastes cold and reheated. Now, not everyone is a gremlin and snacks on cold chicken straight from the Ziplock―but I am and I will proudly state that fact. The sign of good rotisserie chicken to me is if it’s something I can snack on straight from the fridge. Both held up really well to the cold and I definitely took more than just a sampling bite of both brands because it was good. My only comments are the same as the warm test and that’s that Sam’s had a little more flavor. 

Leftovers

Now, one of the most popular things to do with a rotisserie chicken is to shred it for leftovers to use for another meal. How many times have you been scrolling through TikTok and seen a recipe calling for shredded rotisserie chicken? (Probably pretty often, for good reason. It’s easy.) I tried both chickens and they reheated well. I think the Sam’s Club chicken reheated a little better. I found that some pieces of the Costco chicken were starting to dry out when added to the leftover meal. 

It should be noted that Costco does have one benefit here that Sam’s Club does not. And that’s the fact that Costco offers pre-shredded rotisserie chicken. So if you want it just for a meal and don’t want to shred it yourself, you can get the package that’s already shredded. I find that some of those pieces tend to be really big, so I like to give the chicken a rough chop to make the pieces smaller―but that’s all preference, really. Sam’s Club―as far as I could tell and I walked the whole meat section―does not pre-shred their chicken for easy purchase. This is certainly a major point in Costco’s favor since it’s just convenient. Not everyone wants to take the time needed to hand-shred a whole chicken. 

The Verdict

So for all that, which would I go to when I have the option to pick? Honestly, Sam’s Club wins. The flavor is the biggest selling point to me. If flavor isn’t a big factor because it’s going into a sauce or something? I may go with Costco just for ease. But if I have the time and choice, it’s going to be Sam’s Club rotisserie chicken over Costco. Plus, price can’t really be a factor here between the two because there’s literally a penny difference. Sam’s Club is $4.98 and Costco is $4.99. So if you’ve got both stores near you and can’t decide, lean for the more flavorful and get yourself a Sam’s Club bird.