Costco Rotisserie Chicken Is Making Customers Ill—Here’s What We Know

What we once thought of as a no-brainer dinner fix now has us thinking twice.

First, it was a funky, chemical flavor—now, worse. Are the beloved Costco rotisserie chickens going down for good?

Here’s the full story.

As we all know, the Costco rotisserie chicken is one of the best dinner deals money can buy. Famed for its inflation-proof $5 price and tender, flavorful meat, the roasted chicken is a favorite among club members. For the longest time, it’s topped our list of weekly must-grabs.

But, back in March, some customers noticed something different about the fully-cooked chicken meat—it tasted a bit off. Reddit users shared their experiences, saying for the first time, they tasted a “distinct chemical flavor" in each meaty bite, and news outlets started paying attention.

After some investigation, experts concluded the flavor came from the use of phosphates in the preservation process of the chicken. For some palates, phosphates can taste strange and chemical-like, the same way cilantro tastes like soap to some people.

But now, a new phenomenon is surrounding the rotisserie chickens that's even more alarming than a foul flavor. Customers are reporting illness after eating the Costco chicken.

We didn’t want to believe it until one of our very own editors (and her family) fell victim to the chicken.

“We had a Costco rotisserie chicken on hand so we shredded some and added it to our pesto pasta last night,” our editor Courtney Kassel shared. “Nothing else out of the ordinary. Almost all of us were up with a stomach ache or cramps all night, and I was still bloated when I woke up this morning.” 

Her story aligns with other recounts we’ve been hearing on the internet, claiming the pre-cooked chicken gives them a "bad time later."

Why Is Costco Chicken Causing Stomach Issues?

A recent Reddit thread has over 700 comments sharing disturbing details and speculating the reason for the sickness, but only one hypothesis has real evidence behind it.

Some people are pointing to “carrageenan” as the suspected culprit, a thickening agent which is known to cause some *ahem* digestive issues. The natural food additive, derived from seaweed, is commonly used as a stabilizing and gelling agent in the food industry. However, it is also known for its potential to cause gastrointestinal irritation in some eaters. Bloating, cramps, and diarrhea are some of the symptoms frequently linked to this ingredient. 

Carrageenan is, in fact, an ingredient listed in the Costco rotisserie, so this seems like a pretty good theory. Why would a rotisserie chicken need a thickener? We don’t know, but we wouldn’t be surprised if it was part of the salt brine solution pumped into the bird to ensure juicy, moist meat. 

If you’ve ever experienced a digestive issue with the Costco chicken, you might want to consider your reaction to other products with thickening agents (like ice cream, salad dressing, and plant-based milk) before blaming the bird.

Without conducting a formal study, we can’t say for certain that carrageenan is to blame for the mysterious bowel issues. But, until we find out more, you might want to grab your rotisserie from another grocer, or stick to making your juicy roast chicken yourself to avoid any meat mystery.