Costco is a must-have membership if youre shopping for a big family or need specific items in bulk, but the grocery chain also has a popular food court. You have to be a member to visit the food court or shop the store, with varying membership levels and prices to suit different needs. Costcos food court is always buzzing with people as they wait for their orders. There are options like a slice of pepperoni pizza, rotisserie chicken Caesar salad, hot dogs, and, of course, the chicken bake. Members can easily visit the store, order, and then be on their merry way back home. But youll also see people with full carts queueing at the food court to get a nibble as a reward after shopping.
Seeing as it made the number one spot on our ranking of every Costco food court item, I wanted to try the chicken bake from the food court menu and compare it to the frozen version they sell in the store. From the cheesy goodness to the texture of the crust, I’ll compare the two to see which one is better in terms of taste, texture, size, look, cost, and nutrition. Keep reading, as Ill taste-test both and determine if theres one you should skip.
Costco shoppers love and eat the chicken bake more than any other food they buy there. This popular handheld snack, which you can get at Costco food courts all over the country, is the perfect mix of doughy, cheesy, and creamy comfort food. What is a chicken bake, though, and why did it become so popular?
A Brief History of the Chicken Bake
The origins of the chicken bake can be traced back to the early days of Costco in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Costco was looking to expand the food court menu beyond hot dogs and pizza. According to company lore, a Costco employee had the idea to combine leftover ingredients like rotisserie chicken, pizza dough, cheese, and Caesar salad dressing to create a tasty new hot snack.
The chicken bake was born, and it quickly became a customer favorite. Unlike the consistent $1.50 hot dog combo, Costco has gradually increased the price of the chicken bake over the years to keep pace with inflation. But it remains an affordable filling meal at just $3.99 as of 2023.
The Classic Chicken Bake Recipe
The core ingredients of the chicken bake have remained largely unchanged, even as the price has crept up. Each chicken bake contains:
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Pizza dough – The same fresh, hand-rolled dough used for Costco food court pizza forms the crust. This lends a soft, supple, slightly sweet foundation.
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Rotisserie chicken: The famous rotisserie chicken meat from Costco can be shred and used as a tasty source of protein. Before being put into the bakes, the chicken is seasoned, cooked, and cut up into chunks or shreds.
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Bacon – Bits of diced, cooked bacon add crunch and a smoky, salty flavor.
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Cheese – A melty cheese blend provides creamy richness as well as binding properties. It likely contains a mixture of mozzarella and cheddar.
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Caesar-style dressing – The signature creamy, tangy dressing ties everything together. It contains mayonnaise, Parmesan, lemon juice, garlic, anchovies, and seasonings.
The chicken bake recipe combines comfort, convenience, and portability. The ingredients meld together perfectly, delivering a pleasing harmony of flavors and textures in each bite.
How Chicken Bakes Are Prepared
Every Costco store puts together and cooks fresh chicken bakes every day in the food court. The tasty chicken filling and the secret Caesar dressing are put inside the pizza dough after it has been stretched and rolled out by hand. The dough is wrapped up and carefully rolled into an oblong shape. It is then left to rise and is baked at high temperatures in Costco’s ovens until it turns golden brown.
Because they are made by hand, these chicken bakes have a soft, flaky crust and lots of gooey cheese and chicken. It takes almost a pound to make an extra-large chicken bake, which is a big meal. The only bad thing about them is that they have a lot of sodium, so people who are watching how much salt they eat should be careful.
Frozen vs. Fresh Chicken Bakes
Costco also sells frozen chicken bakes in the grocery section. However, as many disappointed customers can attest, the frozen versions simply don’t measure up to the ones from the food court.
The frozen bakes are smaller with a denser, doughier crust and less cheese. Even when cooked perfectly, they lack the fresh, flaky texture and balanced flavor of the fresh baked food court chicken bakes. The frozen ones aren’t inedible by any means, but fresh is best when it comes to Costco’s famous chicken bakes.
Why Are Chicken Bakes So Addictive?
There are several factors that explain the enduring popularity of the chicken bake:
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Portability – The self-contained handheld design means you can eat it easily while walking around the store. No plates required.
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Affordability – At just $3.99, it’s a bargain compared to most other handheld snacks and meals. You’d be hard pressed to find a comparable 1-pound meal at this price point elsewhere.
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Familiar flavors – The blend of cheese, chicken, bacon and Caesar dressing comprises tried-and-true comfort food ingredients with mass appeal.
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High sodium content – The chicken bake is extremely high in sodium, which amplifies its savory umami flavors. All that salt makes it even more crave-worthy.
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Freshly baked – Daily baking gives the chicken bake a hot, crisp crust that sets it apart from the frozen impersonators. Freshness matters when it comes to texture and taste.
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Limited availability – You can only get the authentic chicken bake at Costco, and only if you have a membership. This exclusivity enhances the cult appeal. It’s something that can’t be purchased elsewhere.
Costco Chicken Bake Alternatives and Hacks
While no alternative perfectly replicates the Costco original, here are some ideas for recreating the chicken bake experience:
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Use the frozen Kirkland chicken bakes from the grocery section and enhance them with extra cheese and Caesar dressing before baking.
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Make a homemade copycat recipe using pizza dough, rotisserie chicken, bacon, mozzarella, cheddar, and Caesar dressing.
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Stuff a pita pocket or wrap with shredded chicken, bacon, cheese, lettuce, and Caesar dressing.
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Top a cheesy breadstick or pizza crust with the chicken bake fillings.
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Add hot sauce or extra seasoning to customize a food court chicken bake to your taste preferences.
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Ask for a side of marinara sauce for dipping to switch up the flavor profile.
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Order two chicken bakes and split them to get more bang for your buck if one isn’t enough food.
No matter how you choose to enjoy it, the Costco chicken bake has earned its reputation as a quick and tasty food court classic. This beloved handheld snack offers the perfect marriage of dough, chicken, bacon, cheese, and creaminess to satisfy any craving.
Taste test: Costco food court chicken bake
The Costco chicken bake remains at the top of the ranked food court items for a reason. It’s a fresh, ultra-hot rolled-up calzone-Hot Pocket that’s been baked to perfection with a browned crust and cheese. The abundance of crisp cheese on the exterior makes every bite flavorful. The bread is soft and doughy on the inside but flaky on the outside. You get the taste of Caesar dressing and a piece of smoky bacon with every bite. Chicken, which can easily get chewy and gross, remains supple and juicy, coated in the creaminess of the cheeses and Caesar. Theres a filling amount of chicken, too.
The only qualm was that the paper bag it came in had a slit down the whole thing, likely to alleviate sogginess, but I didnt realize it was packaged as such. It nearly fell onto the ground when I picked it up as they called my number. Once you understand the packaging, its a fantastic grab-and-go transportable food. The size is rather large, which makes it an absolute bargain for $3. 99. Nowadays, there arent many places to get a meal for that price. When it’s fresh, it’s at its best, but any leftovers are still pretty good after being chilled and warmed up (best in the oven or toaster oven to keep the crust crisp).
What is the Costco chicken bake?
The Costco chicken bake has chopped chicken breast strips, bacon pieces, mozzarella, provolone and Parmesan cheeses, and creamy Caesar dressing as the secret ingredient, all wrapped up in a hand-rolled crust. You can buy it in the food court. To place an order, use the self-service kiosk and then wait for your order number to be called. Its fully coated in crust, making it a portable food that you can eat with your hands. This is especially helpful if you stay and eat it at the food court since it makes it less messy to consume. You can eat it as is or cut it into pieces, but this might prove difficult with the plastic cutlery.
A frozen packaged version is also available in the protein area of the freezer section near items like chicken breasts and hamburgers. The food court version is already hot, while the frozen one requires heating in a microwave, oven, or toaster oven. The frozen bakes come in a box. Each is individually wrapped for resale, weighing 8 ounces with six bakes in the box (the food court option does not specify its weight). There are directions for how to heat the bakes on the box as well as on each chicken bake itself. This is useful if you get rid of the container to save space in the freezer.
At my Costco in the San Diego area, the frozen chicken bake costs $13.49 for a box, while the ready-made one at the food court comes in at $3.99. You should be able to locate the frozen one in your Costco by the other frozen meats. If youre unsure if yours has it, call your local store and ask. I did so, and they not only confirmed they had the item, but they told me the price and how many they had in stock. They will ask if you have a product number since that leads them to an exact item, but they can still help if you dont. I initially searched Costcos website to see if they carried it, but nothing came up when I searched “chicken bake.” You can, however, find them on the Costco Business Center website.
As for the food court version, the item was clearly displayed on the menu, but this might vary based on the store. It seems they cook the food court ones in batches, which explains why numbers were called out of sequence. As I was waiting, there were several people whose numbers were called to get their chicken bakes. I waited maybe five minutes for my order. Heres a Costco shopping hack: Ask the checkout clerk if you can order your food as youre paying for your the rest of your items. Not all locations have this feature, but it doesnt hurt to inquire.
Accessing the nutritional information allows patrons to make choices based on personal dietary needs. And youll notice a considerable nutritional difference when comparing the two chicken bakes. The boxed frozen bakes clearly show the nutritional facts label, making it easy to view the data as well as the ingredients. Each sandwich has 540 calories, 19 grams of fat, 1,370 milligrams of sodium, 58 grams of carbohydrates, and 35 grams of protein.
The food court option only displays the calories directly on the menu, but I was able to locate more nutrition facts online. This chicken bake — which is physically larger than the frozen version — has 840 calories, 32 grams of fat, 2,650 milligrams of sodium, 83 grams of carbohydrates, and 52 grams of protein. Notably, if you were to eat the whole food court chicken bake, you would exceed your daily recommended amount of sodium, which is recommended at 2,300 milligrams.
Chicken Bake with @toomdips now available at Costco @itsQCP #shorts
FAQ
How long does it take to cook chicken in the oven?
Remove sheet from oven, flip chicken pieces,and continue to roast chicken on bottom rack until a thermometer inserted into the thickest parts of chicken registers 160°F, about 5 minutes. Broil the chicken for one to two minutes, until it’s golden brown and crispy. Move the sheet to the top rack of the oven. Serve immediately as desired.
How do you cook a chicken breast in the oven?
Reduce the oven heat to 350 degrees F. If you have a digital thermometer with a detachable probe, stick that in the thickest part of the breast meat. Set the temperature alarm for 161 degrees F and put the bird back in the oven. If you don’t have the fancy thermometer, set the timer for 45 minutes.
How long does it take to bake a chicken breast?
Bake for 18-22 minutes, until firm and no longer pink, and internal temperature reaches 160-165 degrees F (71-74 degrees C). (Internal temperature will rise another 5 degrees when resting. You can set this probe thermometer and forget about it; it will beep when it’s ready. An instant-read thermometer will also work.
What is chicken bake made of?
Chunky chicken pieces tossed with bits of bacon and creamy Caesar dressing, wrapped stromboli-style in pizza dough — the sleeper hit of Costco’s food court was steeped in mystery, until recently, and now you can actually make them at home.
What is chicken bake at Costco?
Product Details. Foster Farms chicken breast strips, mozzarella, provolone and parmesan cheeses, smoky bacon, creamy Caesar dressing and green onions in a hand-rolled crust.
What does a chicken bake taste like?
A Costco chicken bake tastes like a warm, savory pocket of cheesy, creamy, and smoky flavors. It features a flaky, slightly crisp exterior of bread encasing a filling of chicken, bacon, and cheese, all brought together by a Caesar dressing base.
Is a chicken bake a sandwich?
This food court item is like a cross between a sandwich and a Hot Pocket. It has chicken, cheese, bacon, Caesar dressing, and a crispy crust.