What Does Costco Do With Leftover Rotisserie Chickens?

Almost as much of a draw as its cheap hot dog combos are Costco's succulent rotisserie chickens. Who among us has ventured into our local warehouse to restock the pantry and not been tempted by the siren song of the golden-skinned, luscious-smelling birds in the meat department? The chickens are a great price and oh-so-versatile, starring in our long list of the best uses for grocery store rotisserie chicken. It seems that Costco also subscribes to the "waste not, want not" maxim when it comes to rotisserie chickens, because the retailer is reportedly putting its unsold birds to good use.

According to anecdotal accounts corroborated by social media users and a pair of Costco enthusiasts interviewed by Business Insider, after the chickens have sat out for sale as long as they're allowed — Costco's rotisserie chickens have just a two-hour shelf life, JSYK — the stores repurpose them in ready-made meals available for purchase. A self-professed Costco employee on Reddit broke it down: "The leftover rotisserie chickens get harvested and used in some of the food, such as chicken Alfredo or soup. The wings and ribs get repackaged and sold cold in the deli section. I work in the Costco deli." 

On another Reddit thread, a commenter compared the approaches of consumers and Costco itself: "The pulled rotisserie meat itself has amazing flavor and is super handy for making soups, casseroles or anything else you'd want to make with chicken from scratch. Costco's own chicken noodle soup and chicken salad are both very good and made with these as well."

For grocery stores, controlling food waste is a constant thought. A full 70% of retail food waste comes from fresh foods sold by grocery stores, which is a troubling matter from both economic and ethical points of view. Repurposing fresh foods is a common-sense, logical way to combat food waste, and you see this strategy at work in many chains' salad bars, where old grocery store produce gains new life. Some consumers might be initially put off by the idea that their lunch comes from "old" food, but these fears are misguided. Costco's chickens, just like the lettuce and tomatoes at salad bars, are still perfectly safe to eat after two hours, but may just be past their freshest presentation to be sold whole.

Costco boasts an entire initiative that it has implemented to fight back against food waste and prevent sending unsold products to landfills, which it outlines on its website. And, right there, we have good indications that it is reusing its chickens purposefully to minimize waste and please consumers at the same time: "For example, unsold rotisserie chickens are made into deli items such as chicken noodle soup, pot pies, enchiladas and fajita quesadillas to reflect local tastes." It might also interest you to know that rotisserie chicken grease is transformed into biofuel, and that other unsold food items are donated to food banks across the globe. As far as we're concerned, that's a delicious way of doing the right thing. After all, chicken dishes account for some of the best Costco prepared meals we tasted and ranked.