How much is chicken breast per pound at Costco?

Costco has most cuts of chicken available either fresh or frozen on a daily basis, and in addition to the raw chicken, they also have a variety of marinated chicken, pre-cooked chicken, and chicken-related products. 

Continue reading for all of Costco’s fresh and frozen chicken prices, the benefits of their unique chicken packaging, and the secret to the discounted Rotisserie chicken! 

Check out our Costco Beef Guide for Prices, Value, and Tips on Costco’s beef. 

Does Costco Have the best Chicken Prices?

When you shop by price, one thing you’ll notice is that Costco isn’t always going to be the cheapest. Many times, grocery stores will regularly beat Costco on price and if a cut of chicken is a weekly special then it may be considerably cheaper. 

The big difference is going to be the quality of the meat. 

Costco Quality

I’ve had my local grocery store’s chicken and it didn’t look or taste as good. The chicken pieces were smaller and more grungy looking and the chicken was not butchered as neatly as it was at Costco.

I know when I’m going to Costco, I am paying a fair price and I’m getting an excellent piece of chicken (explained why below). This is the same for almost anything in the meat section.

Fresh Costco Chicken

Costco's Unique Chicken Packaging - The Best!

Before we get into the specific cuts of chicken, I want to touch on the particular packaging that Costco uses. It is atypical of what you would see in your everyday grocery store. 

Instead of selling their fresh chicken in foam trays that are plastic wrapped like most grocers, Costco sells their chicken in a unique and versatile packaging. 

Costco's chicken packaging is unique and convenient

The first thing to note is that all of their fresh chicken cuts are portioned into 6 individual pouches per package. Regardless of the chicken cut (breast, drumstick, bone-in chicken thighs, wings, or tenderloins) or weight, the pieces will be separated into the 6 pouches. 

These pouches are all connected when purchased and can be easily torn or cut off from one another. 

Great for Freezing!

This allows you as the consumer to buy Costco chicken in bulk and separate off the amount that you are ready to eat fresh and then refrigerate or even freeze the rest directly in its original packaging. 

The packaging is labeled as leak resistant and from my experience, it lives up to its name. 

Costco deserves recognition for the packaging, because it does make it easy to freeze or save the chicken for a later time, and this is especially important due to the nature of buying in bulk at Costco.

What is Air Chilled Chicken?

After the slaughtering process, chickens need to be cooled down to refrigeration temperatures. What makes Costco’s fresh chicken so special is that it is air chilled. 

A lot of other grocery stores and retailers cool their chicken pieces by submerging them in chlorinated water to bring down their internal temperature. 

Any way you spin it, chicken dipped in chlorinated water doesn’t sound appealing to me. 

Costco air chilled chicken is so good!

Costco doesn’t use this method for their fresh chickens, but instead cools them with purified air. This process takes a few hours, but there are a few strong benefits. 

First the chicken isn’t dipped in any water, so the natural juices and flavor of the chicken are not going to be diluted. 

Secondly, the chicken skin if it has any will dry out just a little bit. This allows for an extra crispy skin on the drumsticks or bone-in thighs. 

Kirkland Signature Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast

Price: $3.49/Pound

Considered the most popular part of the chicken, you can purchase fresh boneless skinless chicken breasts from Costco’s meat section. 

Costco Chicken Breast Price

The chicken breast sells for $3.49 per pound, while fresh organic chicken breast sells for $5.99 a pound. Both are typically sold in 7-8 pound packages, which can be broken off into 6 individual tear-off pouches. This leaves approximately 1lb+ per individual pouch. 

The individual pouches makes it easy to pick out how much chicken you want to use at a time. For me, my wife, and 2 small children, we usually use three pouches per cook and are left with plenty of leftovers for the next day. 

The Kirkland Signature Chicken Breasts are air chilled and contain no added hormones or preservatives. 

Note: Costco does not sell bone-in chicken breast.

Costco Boneless Chicken Thighs

Costco doesn’t seem to offer frozen boneless skinless chicken thighs anymore. That leaves their Kirkland Signature Air Chilled Fresh Boneless Chicken Thighs as the only boneless thigh option left in the warehouse. 

Costco sells their boneless chicken thighs for $3.49 per pound, which is the same price as their boneless chicken breast and tenderloins. 

There used to be a time in the poultry industry, where chicken thighs were more affordable than chicken breast, but it seems like the secret of dark meat chicken is out.

Check out our full review of Costco’s Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs. 

Thighs are Easier to Cook

Their popularity has increased significantly and in turn the price has gone up as well. Chicken thighs contain quite a bit more fat than white meat, but that fat allows for a more forgiving cook and a juicer and more flavorful meal. 

I love cooking boneless chicken thighs on a hot skillet or outside on the grill. They do a great job of soaking on marinades and are so versatile. They can be dressed up for almost any meal type.

Kirkland Signature Bone-In Thighs

Tasty and Versatile

My personal favorite of Costco’s fresh chicken selection. 

I consider the thighs to be the tastiest portion of the chicken and at only $1.29 per pound and with an average package weight of 10lbs, I can feed my family for just a few dollars.

These come bone-in with skin on and go great on the grill, air fryer, or oven. The meat is firmer, juicier and when cooked with a crispy skin, they are an easy family favorite and dinner staple.

Costco bone-in chicken thighs are the ultimate value item

Again, like Costco’s fresh chicken breast, these are partitioned off into 6 individual pouches. Typically we break up the 6 pouches into 3 separate meals, using 2 pouches per meal. 

We can have delicious crispy chicken for our young family of 4 for only $2 total.  

My favorite way to cook these Kirkland Signature Bone-In Chicken Thighs is going to be in the air fryer until the skin is golden brown crispy and the meat is tender. 20 min at 400°F. 

Chicken Drumsticks

Price: $1.29/Pound

Drumsticks aka chicken legs are very affordable, easy to cook, and full of flavor. Also coming in at $0.99 a pound, and in an 8-10lb package, they are a great mix up to bone in thighs.

Takes on Flavors

Kirkland Signature Drumsticks are going to be best cooked on the grill, deep-fried, pressure cooked, or in the crockpot. 

They are extremely versatile and do an excellent job of taking on additional flavors. Drumsticks are great with sauces, marinades, curries, and seasonings. 

We love to use these chicken drumsticks to make some easy homemade fried chicken.

Chicken Tenderloins

Price: $3.49/Pound 

A chicken tenderloin aka chicken tender or chicken tendies is a thin muscle that’s attached to the chicken breast. 

Costco sells these for $3.49 per pound and $5.99 per pound for organic chicken tenderloins, and each package usually weighs about 7 pounds. 

This is the same price as the chicken breast for both organic and non-organic.

What exactly are chicken tenders?

Chicken tenderloins taste very similar to chicken breast as they come from the same area and believe it or not are actually quite tender. 

They are thinner and smaller than chicken breasts which allows them to quickly take on marinades or additional cooking flavors, but in turn are also easily overcooked. 

How to cook chicken tenderloins

Chicken tenderloins are a great substitute for chicken breasts in recipes, but you may have to adjust the cook time down to ensure a moist juicy piece of chicken. 

My favorite ways to cook chicken tenders include deep frying them, using an air fryer, or cooking them on a skillet. They are best when cooked on high heat to sear the outside and seal in the juiciness.
I also love to make homemade breaded Costco chicken tenders either air fried or deep fried in oil. 

Costco Chicken Wings

Costco Chicken Wing Prices

Costco sells fresh Kirkland Signature Party wings for $2.99 a pound and in an approximately 8 pound package. 

The organic chicken wings go for $3.99 per pound which is only a $1 increase over its non-organic counterpart. For reference, the organic boneless chicken breast and thighs are double the non-organic price. 

Kirkland Signature Party Wings

When most people think of chicken wings, they think of what you would get at a chicken wing restaurant, either a drumette or a flat piece. 

Those pieces are actually called party wings, and an actual chicken wing is going to consist of the party wing pieces (drumette and flat) as well as the tip. The tip, which does not contain a lot of meat, is usually cut off from the wing, and the remaining pieces of drumette and flat are separated and served. 

Costco sells party wings, which means you don’t have to break down the wing yourself, nor do you have to remove or pay for the tip piece. These packs will have both drumettes and flats and are ready to be cooked with no additional butchering needed.

Whole Chickens at Costco

Not in the mood for a $4.99 rotisserie chicken – You can still purchase fresh whole chickens at Costco. Most Costco’s will usually offer both organic and non-organic whole chickens, and depending on your warehouse will sell them individually or in a 2 pack. 

The fresh chickens go for $.99 a pound, while the organic chicken will be priced at $2.49 a pound. One whole chicken usually weighs about 5 pounds.

Same Price as a Rotisserie Chicken

While you can get a whole cooked Rotisserie chicken for about the same price as an uncooked one, it is still a great deal at $.99 a pound. 

A whole chicken is going to be the same price as the most affordable cuts of chicken (the bone-in thighs and drumstick), but will also include the breast and the wings. 

By butchering the chicken yourself, you should be coming out ahead even when factoring in the carcass, which can and should be used to make some delicious and hearty chicken bone broth.

Garlic Marinated Chicken Drumsticks

In addition to selling fresh chicken, certain Costco’s will also sell raw garlic marinated chicken drumsticks. These are usually found in the deli area with other items such as the beef bulgogi, chicken street tacos, or shrimp cocktail or at the end cap of the poultry section.

Costco sells these for $1.49 a pound which is $.50 premium per pound over their fresh unseasoned chicken drumsticks. That is a hefty price to pay for some seasoning, and I personally think you are better off buying the $.99 drumsticks and seasoning them yourself. 

Check out my full chicken drumstick review.

Costco Chicken Prices - October 2022

Prices and average package weight will vary by warehouse. 

Weights are pretty standardized when it comes to regular fresh Costco chicken, but there is an extreme disparity in package weight in regards to fresh organic Costco chicken. 

I have seen 4 pound packages of chicken right next to 7.5 pound packages. If you want smaller packages of chicken at Costco, make sure to look around and do a little digging. 

Costco Chicken - Fresh or Frozen?

I have a family of four and we shop at Costco to buy in bulk. When I was single, I would also shop at Costco and buy in bulk. Regardless of where I am in life, I’ll probably always shop at Costco, and in doing so will always have to at least freeze some of the food that I buy.

Knowing this, I often have to make the decision of buying fresh items or their frozen equivalents. With so many options when it comes to chicken, it’s important to know the difference and make an informed buying decision. 

What is chicken plumping?

One of the major differences between fresh and frozen Costco chicken is going to be the “plumping” or injecting of solution. What is now a standard process in the chicken industry, plumping is when fresh chicken pieces are injected with a solution consisting of water, kosher salt, or even other ingredients such as chicken stock or seaweed extract. 

Oftentimes, chicken can be plumped up to 15-30% of its weight, meaning one pound (16 ounces) of chicken could actually be only 12 ounces of chicken with 4 ounces of water/salt solution. 

Plumping is not good for the consumer - Its a rip off

The industry claims this makes chicken more flavorful and juicy, but many critics would say this is more about plumping up their own wallets than it is about adding real benefit to the consumer.

When buying frozen chicken, it’s imperative to always make note of how much solution is injected into the chicken before buying it. 

If a bag of frozen chicken cost $20, you may be paying $3 for salt water and receiving only $17 of actual chicken. 

Additionally with an added salt and water solution, frozen chicken is going to have higher sodium content. There is no way around this, since it’s injected directly into the chicken. 

If this is a concern for your diet or health, then go with the fresh chicken which has no added solution, hormones, or additives. 

Benefits of buying frozen chicken from Costco

One benefit of frozen chicken compared to fresh chicken is that frozen chicken at Costco is frozen individually.

If I wanted to defrost, eat, and cook one single chicken wing piece, I could do that if I purchased the frozen bag of chicken wings. 

When purchasing fresh chicken wings, the realistic smallest portion I could have would be 1 individual pouch. Eating one chicken wing may be an extreme example but this applies to all chicken pieces as well. 

I could easily take one chicken breast out of a frozen bag vs having to use the 2-3 breasts that may be in an individual pouch. Make sure to factor in the normal portion size for your family as well as your affinity towards leftovers, when making the decision between fresh or frozen chicken.

Why its better to buy fresh chicken over frozen chicken from Costco

Taking all of this into account, and comparing the prices of fresh and frozen chicken (which are essentially equal at Costco), it seems that buying fresh and freezing uneaten portions is the way to go. 

With Costco’s unique packaging, freezing poultry becomes as easy as cutting on the dotted line. Its so convenient and easy to freeze any excess uncooked chicken that I don’t even bother with Costco’s frozen chicken anymore. 

The fresh chicken will also be air-chilled instead of water chilled and will not include any additional salt/water. The excess water in water chilled chicken will evaporate and the chicken is more prone to shrinkage and becoming rubbery when cooked on high heat.

Frozen Chicken at Costco

While fresh Costco chicken may be the better option most of the time, there still is a variety of frozen chicken options that may suit your lifestyle better.

Costco Frozen Chicken Breast

Costco is typically going to offer a few different frozen chicken breast options. These can vary by location and the main differences are going to brand, price, and package weight. For the most part, you can expect to pay around $3 a pound for frozen chicken breast regardless if it is Kirkland Signature, Foster Farms, Tyson, or any other large poultry producer.

Depending on your location you may see a couple different frozen chicken breast options at Costco. Here is a quick overview of the frozen chicken breast options.

Kirkland Signature Frozen Chicken Breast
Kirkland Signature Frozen Chicken Breast Thin Sliced
Foster Farm Frozen Chicken Breast
Tyson Frozen Chicken Breast

Avoid thin cut chicken breast

As you can see, you are going to have the “name brand” chicken breast as well as Kirkland Signature. The thin cut breast will contain up to 15% solution of salt and water, while the regular cut chicken breast will contain up to 8%.

For the longest time, I preferred the thin cut chicken breast simply because I found the thinner pieces easier to cook properly. Now knowing that the Costco chicken includes 15% injected solution, I buy the fresh chicken breast and freeze the unused portions. 

To simply recreate the thin Costco chicken breast, I get the regular cut and if desired, I would slice them lengthwise to create my own “thin” chicken breast.

Boneless Chicken Thighs - Gone for Good?

O boneless chicken thighs, boneless chicken thighs, where art thou? Unfortunately, it’s been a long while since I’ve seen frozen boneless skinless chicken thighs available at Costco with any regularity. 

Are Costco's frozen boneless chicken thighs discontinued?

I’ve searched Costco’s all throughout the bay area as well as north texas and I cannot consistently find frozen chicken thighs, if I can even find them at all. When I first noticed them unavailable at regular Costco’s,  I would have luck at the business center, but even now, they don’t seem to be available there as well. 

When they did have them they were sold in a yellow Kirkland Signature bag and went for approximately $13-$14 (pre everything inflation) per 6.5lb bag. This equates to $2.15 a pound (pre-inflation) and they contained only 8% salt/water solution. They were without a doubt, my go to Costco chicken purchase. 

If anybody has more information about the chicken thighs, please let us know in the comments. 

Costco Chicken Tenderloins

Costco offers one frozen chicken tenderloin option, and that is going to be the Kirkland Signature Frozen Chicken Tenderloins, which comes in a 6.5lb bag and sells for $17.99. Again, like all other frozen chicken, the Costco chicken will be injected with a salt/water solution, and in this case, the tenderloins are injected with up to 8% salt/water. 

These tenderloins are the same price whether you buy them fresh or frozen, both going for $2.99 a pound. I recommend going with fresh tenderloins and freezing the rest if you have the option, for the sole reason of avoiding the 8% injected solution.

Kirkland Signature Frozen Chicken Wings

If you are throwing a party or just a chicken wing lover, Costco sells a 10lb bag of chicken wings for $33.99. 

The chicken wings are injected with an 8% salt solution and each piece is individually frozen. This gives you the option to pick out precisely as many wings as you like when you are ready to eat some chicken wings. 

I typically just make half a bag’s worth and have some leftovers the next day. I won’t ever complain about leftover wings for lunch. 

The size of each Costco chicken wing is good and larger than what you might find from a typical grocery store or a frozen pre-cooked bag of wings.

Costco also sells Foster Farm Frozen Take Out Wings which are pretty darn good as an alternative for those who don’t want to make wings from scratch.  

Costco Chicken Wing Price Increase(s)

For those of you familiar with the Kirkland Signature frozen chicken wings, you may have noticed the price has gone up considerably this past year. This bag held a steady price of $21.99 up until recently where it has crept up to $24.99, then $28.99 and finally $33.99. 

The nearly 50% price increase gives me a slight pause anytime I want to get a bag of chicken wings from Costco. Keep in mind, the fresh chicken wings at Costco are $2.99/pound. 

On the bright side, the increased price of plain Costco chicken wings caused me to give the Foster Farms Crispy Take Out Wings a chance. 

When the Kirkland Signature wings were $2.20 a pound it was an easy decision to make my own wings, but now with the price up to $3.40 a pound, you can make a case that the convenience of the crispy take out wings at $4.75 a pound is worth the premium.

Cooked Chicken at Costco

Costco's Rotisserie Chicken

As one of the most well known foods of Costco, no Costco chicken guide can be complete without mentioning the famed rotisserie chicken. The $4.99 price tag makes this one of the best deals in the entire warehouse.

Why is the rotisserie chicken so cheap?

Costco hasn’t changed its price in over 12 years and even with increasing cost across the board, they have no plans to increase the price of the chicken! 

The chicken is a loss leader to get people into the warehouse. The rotisserie chickens chickens are placed in the back of the store in hopes that along the way you’ll pick up other products that may catch your eye. 

Due to its affordability and versatility, the Costco rotisserie chicken has been a long time staple of our family meal plans. 

We have turned the simple chicken into a variety of meals including, enchiladas, pasta, soups, quiches, and more! The carcass itself can be used to make a delicious chicken stock that is great for soups, stews, or rice.

How to pick a juicy and tender rotisserie chicken from Costco

While everybody has their own strategy on picking the juiciest rotisserie chicken there are a couple commonly accepted best practices. 

Rotisserie Chicken Tips: 
1. Find the biggest rotisserie chicken. Since all chickens are cooked for roughly the same amount of time, a large chicken is least likely to be overcooked.

2. Look for a chicken that has great skin. Chicken skin will start to wrinkle or look shriveled when it sits for too long in the warmer rack. The longer it sits, the longer it has to dry out. 

3. Check out the chicken legs. You want a rotisserie chicken that is still intact and not split at the legs. Generally the legs will split when overcooked which causes dried out meat and juices to leak out.

4. Peak into the bottom of the tray and check for chicken juice. Chicken juice at the bottom of the tray is chicken juice that has left the chicken. Little to no chicken juice at the bottom of the carton is ideal.

Costco Rotisserie Chickens can be had for less than $4.99

Something to Know: Rotisserie chickens that weigh less than 3 pounds will not cost $4.99, but instead will cost $1.66 per pound. I recently purchased a 2.9 pound chicken and paid $4.81 instead of the flat rate of $4.99.

At the $1.66 per pound rate, a 3-pound chicken will cost $4.99. With the smaller chickens you are paying the exact price per pound for that Costco rotisserie chicken. The better deal is indeed to buy any random rotisserie chicken off the rack as any poundage over 3 pounds is essentially “free” chicken.

Hand Pulled Rotisserie Chicken

Costco will break down any additional rotisserie chickens into packaged cuts. They offer hand pulled rotisserie chicken breast as well as rotisserie chicken quarters. These can often be found in the deli section near the prepared meals. 

Expensive for leftover chicken

There is a markup for this chicken breast. Costco sells a 42oz (2lbs 10oz)  package for $12.99 which breaks down to $4.95 per pound. 

This is at quite the premium compared to the fresh chicken breast sold at $2.99/pound or rotisserie chicken (with bones) at $1.66/pound. 

You are getting fully cooked and seasoned hand pulled chicken breast meat, and there’s always a price for convenience. 

Only White Meat

The package only includes the hand pulled rotisserie chicken breast and not any dark meat, bones, or chicken carcass. 

If the rotisserie chicken breast is your favorite portion of the chicken or if you just want a quick and easy base protein for a meal then this is a great option. 

You can make enchiladas, fry them in a pan for an easy dish, or use this chicken anyway you see fit.

Kirkland Signature Canned Chicken

Found in the canned goods area of the warehouse, the Kirkland Signature Canned Chunk Chicken Breast is a quick, easy, and a delicious way to have cooked chicken on hand at all times. They are sold in 6 can packs, for $9.99, which is $1.67 a can. (Now $13.99 and $2.33 per can)

Kirkland Signature Canned Chicken Breast at Costco

The chicken is canned with water and weighs 12.5oz in total, with a drained chicken weight of 7oz. Each can contains 3.5g of fat, 0 g of carbs, and 45.5g of protein. The chicken is lean and provides a significant amount of protein. The one drawback would be the higher sodium content (735mg/can, 32% DV) which is common in canned foods.

The chicken is seasoned, but not overly salty or flavorful. I have found that I don’t need to add any additional salt, but other seasonings or flavors are needed.

Canned Chicken Recipes and Uses

My personal favorite uses for the Kirkland Signature canned chicken are to make buffalo chicken dip, chicken salads, or quesadillas. The Costco canned chicken is cooked already, so it’s super convenient to simply open the can and combine with other ingredients to make a meal. 

Great Emergency Food

The Kirkland Signature Canned Chunk Chicken Breast is a great emergency/preparation food, and is one canned protein item that I usually always have on hand. I personally keep at least a 6 pack in my pantry for emergency use, and will incorporate it into meals/snacks when we are near the best by date.

The best by date printed on the can is usually at least a year away if not two years from purchase. Realistically when it comes to canned foods, the food is safe and edible for much longer if needed, but do respect the best by date. Do always use discretion and avoid eating the chicken if it looks off or if there is a foul order.

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