Is there anything quite as convenient as a Costco rotisserie chicken? Not only are they already cooked, spit-roasted and yield about 2 pounds of flavorful, juicy, and totally tender protein (here’s a hack to find a bird with a little more meat). You can get them in a range of flavors, like lemon, rosemary, and BBQ. Plus, they’re only $4.99 and have a healthier reputation than greasy fast food and other convenience meals. We expect a few extra ingredients in flavored chickens, but Costco’s plain rotisserie chickens are just roasted chicken, right? Almost.
Costco rotisserie chickens are 100% real chicken, raised and butchered at the company’s own plant in Nebraska. But they’re injected with a flavor-boosting solution, like a brine or a marinade. Without it, Costco’s legendary rotisserie chickens wouldn’t be the same. The list of ingredients in the solution is fairly short – water, sodium phosphate, modified food starch, potato dextrin, carrageenan, sugar, dextrose, spice extractives, and salt. There’s a lot of salt in this solution, giving Costco rotisserie chickens a sodium content of about 460mg per 3-ounce serving – that’s more sodium than you’d get in a large order of McDonald’s fries.
How does Costco rotisserie chicken’s sodium content compare to others?
Costco isn’t the only grocer, outlet, or membership store to sell ready-to-eat rotisserie chickens. You can buy them at a wide range of stores, including Whole Foods, Walmart, Sam’s Club, and more. Most of these chickens are injected with something, but the solution inside these roasted birds varies widely. The rotisserie chicken from Walmart has 690 mg of sodium per serving, the Sam’s Club rotisserie chicken has 550 mg, and Kroger’s Simple Truth has 40 mg per serving.
The American Heart Association recommends adults limit their sodium intake to 1,500 mg of sodium per day. The sodium in everything else we eat adds up, and a rotisserie chicken from Costco could be a hidden source of sodium if you don’t check the nutrition labels. If you’re looking to lower your sodium intake, we recommend substituting your Costco rotisserie chicken for one from Kroger, or another chicken brined in less salt.
