Justine Sterling
Ariana Losch
Deli chicken slices are better than sliced deli turkey. We won’t go on about how bland turkey can be—we’ve all had that conversation during the holiday season and it’s been done to death. Instead, we’re going to go on about how flavorful sliced chicken breast can be, especially when you find the right brands. We tasted over 20 different packages of thick and thinly sliced chicken to find the best deli sliced chicken for you.
How we sourced the sliced chicken breast:
This is our second time taste-testing deli chicken. Since we’ve already tried most of the big-name brands you know and see everywhere, a big focus of this update was trying sliced chicken straight from the grocery store deli counter. Obviously, those freshly cut slices aren’t going to last as long as the prepackaged options, so we really looked for recommendations actually worth the shorter shelf life. We also made sure to try other brands we missed and different flavors we skipped the first time around.
What we looked for in the best deli chicken:
Some people prefer thin, delicate slices to layer in sandwiches. Others want thick-cut sliced chicken breast that feels like it came right off a rotisserie chicken. It doesn’t really matter how you slice it. What matters is that you find:
- Moist (but not outright wet or slimy) slices with a real chicken meat texture
- Seasonings, roasts, smoky, and sweeter flavors that enhance the savory chicken without tasting “off”
- An overall fresh taste that doesn’t feel too processed or artificial
After tasting them all, here’s which deli chicken slices stood out from the rest.
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- Dietz & Watson Gourmet Chicken Breast
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Dietz & Watson is the brand behind our favorite sliced turkey, so I’m not surprised I liked their classic chicken breast enough to recommend here. Like Boar’s Head Golden, this has a very plain, standard savory flavor and moist, tender texture… but you can typically find it at a much better price point than Boar’s Head. By no means does this reinvent the wheel, but we’ve typically had good experiences with this brand!
Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon
- Sprouts Buffalo Chicken
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The Sprouts deli loves to offer delicate, super thin-sliced meat, and I simply can’t get enough of it. (I’ve already praised the Sprouts deli turkey for similar reasons, too.) The quality of Sprouts’ freshly cut deli-counter meat is really hard to beat—even if it’s here for a good time, not a long time. (Seriously, this deli chicken will expire fast, so make use of it!) The lightly spicy Buffalo sauce flavor is subtle but refined. This stuff just tastes expensive. Since Buffalo chicken is one of those flavors you probably won’t want to use all the time, pick up this chicken deli meat when you feel like mixing up your sandwich routine for a week. You won’t regret it! —Ariana Losch
Credit: Liv Averett / Sprouts
- Boar’s Head Golden Classic Chicken Breast
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If you’re looking for a classic cold cut—we’re talking low seasoning, standard poultry flavor, tastes like a deli sandwich from your childhood—then this is the Boar’s Head deli chicken for you. Personally, this is not my pick, but that’s because it reminds me a bit of deli turkey and we know how I feel about that. But other tasters felt that this list needed a classic cold cut pick. Here it is. —Justine Sterling
Credit: Merc / Ralphs
- True Story Thick Carved Oven Roasted Chicken Breast
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Don’t want to invest in a whole rotisserie chicken—or even half of one? This chicken breast deli meat from True Story (maker of some of the best prosciutto) is exactly what you need. Each package comes with thick (like, one-inch-thick) slices of roasted chicken breast. The meat tastes herby—like it was roasted with herbs tucked under the skin. It’s juicy. It’s meaty. It’s peppery. It’s easy to just throw on a salad. My only issue with it is that there’s not a lot of chicken in a package. It’s enough for one salad for two or one and a half sandwiches. —Justine Sterling
Credit: Merc / Target
- Boar’s Head Chipotle Chicken
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This chipotle-coated Boar’s Head deli chicken isn’t playing around. It really has quite a kick. The texture is good, too—not overly processed, but it holds together for a good sandwich or wrap. I’d roll this up with some blue cheese dressing, chopped lettuce, and thinly shaved celery for a faux Buffalo chicken wrap. —Justine Sterling
Credit: Merc / Ralphs
- Fork in the Road Oven Roasted Chicken
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There’s a Whole Foods in my neighborhood that lives right below a beautiful, modern, obnoxiously priced apartment complex. (The kind that doesn’t post rent prices online—you have to call them—it’s that astronomical.) A piece of me yearns to live there, because a piece of me yearns for direct 24/7 access to the Whole Foods deli. If you want sliced chicken breast with a small ingredients list, no preservatives outside of vinegar and lemon juice, a moist texture that’s cut slightly thicker than Sprouts, and an undeniably fresh flavor, this is some of the best deli chicken you can find. It tastes clean—which, if anything, means it’s a little bland. But deli meat, to me, is always a vehicle for other ingredients, so I’m completely unbothered by that. And look, yearning aside (be still, my beating heart), I refuse to join the Whole Foods cult. But I have to recognize a job well done when I see it. —Ariana Losch
Credit: Merc / Whole Foods
- Boar’s Head Everroast Roast Chicken Breast
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Head to the deli counter and ask your kindly deli person (or the nervous teen who really shouldn’t have access to a meat slicer—the kind of deli worker I once was), for a pound of this deli sliced chicken. Get it real nice and thin, because it has enough flavor that you don’t need a thick slice. It’s extremely savory and zesty—it almost has a ranch dressing thing going on. According to Boar’s Head, it’s chicken breast roasted with a “mirepoix of carrots, celery, onions, and a medley of spices.” Fancy! And really good. —Justine Sterling
Credit: Merc / Sprouts
- Oscar Mayer Carving Board Rotisserie Seasoned Chicken Breast
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I can’t believe how good Oscar Mayer’s thiccccc chicken slices are. Unlike True Story, this thick cut deli chicken isn’t in chunks, it’s still very much a deli meat—it’s just a much thicker cut. If you dream of Thanksgiving leftover sandwiches all year round (made with meat that actually tastes seasoned and good), then you need to try this thick-cut chicken breast deli meat. —Justine Sterling
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh Blackened Chicken Breast
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Oscar Mayer comes in again for the win. This is exactly what I want out of deli chicken slices. It’s not too thick, but it’s not paper thin, so it holds together on a sandwich or in a chopped salad. It’s savory but not salty. And it doesn’t have any of that funky deli meat sweetness like some cold cuts. The blackened edges add a zing of spice to the flavor, but it’s not spicy. You can bet I’ll be buying this chicken deli meat to my grocery lists and turning my back on turkey forever. —Justine Sterling
Credit: Merc / Instacart
Best Simple
Best Buffalo
Best Classic Cold Cut
Best Rotisserie Style
Best Spicy
Best Minimal Ingredients
Best Fresh Sliced
Best Thick Sliced
Best of the Best
Other deli chicken we tried:
Lunch Mate Deli Style Rotisserie Seasoned Chicken Breast, Great Value Thin Sliced Rotisserie Seasoned Chicken Breast, Kroger Oven Roasted Chicken Breast, Applegate Oven Roasted Chicken Breast, Buddig, Hillshire Farm Ultra Thin Rotisserie Seasoned Chicken Breast, Land O’Frost Oven Roasted Chicken Breast, Sprouts Oven Roasted Chicken Breast Pre-sliced, Sprouts Garlic & Herb Chicken Breast, Amazon Grocery Sliced Rotisserie Seasoned Chicken Breast, Dietz & Watson Chicken Breast Buffalo Style, Primo Taglio Oven Roasted Chicken Breast, Trader Joe’s Organic Sliced Chicken Breast
Gwynedd Stuart
Danny Palumbo
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!