Costco Rotisserie Chicken Price, Weight and Calories
Costco’s Kirkland Signature rotisserie chicken is the best-known bargain in the warehouse, and for good reason. It costs $4.99 for a roughly 3-pound cooked bird, with about 140 calories and 19 grams of protein per 3-ounce serving. That price has barely moved in decades.
This ready-to-eat roasted chicken is juicy, versatile, and cheap enough to build a week of meals around, from salads and sandwiches to tacos and soup. You’ll find it in the deli section at the back of every warehouse, restocked hot throughout the day.
Below is everything worth knowing before you grab one: the current price, the real weight, the full nutrition, and a few things the label doesn’t spell out.
Why Costco Rotisserie Chicken Is So Popular
Shoppers love this whole roasted chicken for its tender meat and low price. Costco sells well over 100 million of them a year, making it one of the top-selling items in the entire store. It’s roasted fresh in-store all day, and the birds are only held for about two hours before they’re pulled and repurposed into deli soups and salads.
One thing worth clearing up: the chicken is not just salt and pepper. It’s injected with a flavor brine of water, salt, sodium phosphate, modified food starch, potato dextrin, carrageenan, sugar, and spice extractives. That solution is what makes the meat so moist, and it’s also why the sodium runs high. The chicken is gluten-free and has no added MSG, but it’s not an additive-free “clean” food. If that matters to you, our guide to Costco gluten-free products covers what’s actually free of allergens.
Current Price of Costco Rotisserie Chicken
In the United States, a Kirkland Signature rotisserie chicken is $4.99, the same price it’s held since 2009. Costco runs it as a loss leader to pull shoppers into the store, and the company’s CFO has said publicly it plans to keep the price where it is. Adjusted for inflation it should be closer to $11, so the $4.99 sticker is doing a lot of work.
Here’s a detail most people miss. The $4.99 is really a price ceiling on a 3-pound bird. Chickens are rung up by weight at about $1.66 a pound, so if you grab one that’s under 3 pounds, it can actually ring up cheaper, say $4.58 for a 2.76-pound bird. It never goes above $4.99, though, so the move is to pick the heaviest one on the shelf. A heavier bird means more meat and more of the juices for the same top price.
In Canada, prices are higher due to currency and regional factors, often around CAD $7.99, so check your local warehouse. Ordering for delivery also costs more than in-store, running roughly $6 and up online before service and delivery fees.
You need an active Costco membership to buy one in-store, and chickens are restocked until closing. For store hours at your location, see our Costco hours guide.
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Average Weight of Costco Rotisserie Chicken
A Costco rotisserie chicken weighs about 3 pounds cooked, and the front of the bag says 3 lbs. That includes the bones, skin, and juices. Once you pull the meat off, you’re left with roughly 2 pounds of edible chicken, split across breast, thighs, and wings.
Weights vary bird to bird, which is exactly why the price can flex under $4.99. Costco’s birds are raised fast and butchered young, which is what keeps them a consistent 3-pound size and larger than the rotisserie chickens at most grocery stores.
Calories in Costco Rotisserie Chicken
Each 3-ounce serving of Costco rotisserie chicken has about 140 calories, most of it from protein and fat. For the whole 3-pound bird, that’s roughly 2,240 calories if you split it into 16 servings.
Eating the skin adds calories and fat, so skinless portions come in leaner. The exact numbers shift depending on whether you take breast or thigh meat.
Full Nutrition Facts for Costco Rotisserie Chicken
A 3-ounce serving provides about 19 grams of protein, 7 grams of fat (2.5 grams saturated), and zero carbohydrates.
| Nutrient (3 oz serving) | Amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | ~140 kcal |
| Protein | ~19 g |
| Total Fat | ~7 g |
| Saturated Fat | ~2.5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 0 g |
| Cholesterol | ~55 mg |
| Sodium | ~460 mg |
The high protein and zero carbs make it keto-friendly and filling. The catch is the sodium. At about 460 milligrams per serving, one 3-ounce portion carries more salt than a large order of McDonald’s fries, and that’s from the phosphate brine the bird is injected with. It’s fine in moderation, but if you’re watching blood pressure, it adds up fast across a full meal.
For general poultry nutrition figures, the USDA FoodData Central database is the reference to use, since Costco’s exact numbers vary by cut.
How Costco Keeps Its Rotisserie Chicken Cheap and Fresh
Costco controls the whole supply chain. It raises and processes its own birds at a vertically integrated plant in Nebraska, which reportedly saves the company around 35 cents per chicken and lets it hold the $4.99 price while everything else in the deli climbs. The birds are roasted in large batches in dedicated deli ovens so there’s a hot supply all day.
It’s also no accident that the chicken sits at the back of the warehouse. Putting the most popular cheap item as far from the entrance as possible walks you past a lot of other products first. Any bird not sold within about two hours gets pulled and turned into soups, salads, and other deli items, which cuts waste and keeps quality up.
How to Store and Use Costco Rotisserie Chicken
- Grab your chicken toward the end of your trip to keep it warm, or reheat it at home in the oven at 350°F for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Store leftovers in the fridge for up to four days, or freeze shredded meat for up to three months. It stretches into soup, enchiladas, casseroles, and salads.
- If you’re watching sodium, pull the skin off before eating to cut some of the fat and salt, and skip adding extra salt to whatever you make with it.
- Save the carcass. Simmered with water and a few vegetables, the bones make a solid stock and squeeze one more use out of your $4.99.
Costco also sells pre-made chicken meals in the deli, like chicken alfredo and chicken pot pie, if you want to skip the prep entirely. Our guide to Costco ready-made meals and prices breaks those down.
Costco Rotisserie Chicken vs Walmart and Sam’s Club
On size and price per pound, Costco’s 3-pound bird beats most grocery-store versions, which are often smaller and cost more. The closest rival is Sam’s Club, whose Member’s Mark chicken runs $4.98 for a similar 3-pound bird, a literal penny cheaper.
In a July 2026 blind taste test across ten chains, Consumer Reports actually named Sam’s Club its Best Overall, narrowly edging Costco on flavor. Costco still landed as a top pick for its size and moist meat, though reviewers said the seasoning wasn’t always consistent. It’s close enough that price and which store you already shop at matter more than taste.
Sodium is where these birds really differ. Costco’s sits around 460 mg per serving, lower than Walmart’s 690 mg and Sam’s Club’s 550 mg, though Kroger’s Simple Truth comes in far below all of them near 40 mg. If salt is your main concern, that gap is worth knowing.
Common Questions
What time to go for a fresh rotisserie chicken
Costco restocks chickens throughout the day, with fresh batches coming out roughly every 30 to 60 minutes. Late morning and early afternoon are usually the best windows for a hot, just-roasted bird.
Is Costco rotisserie chicken gluten free
Yes. The seasoning contains no gluten and there’s no breading, and the modified food starch in the brine is potato and tapioca based. Cross-contamination is still possible in the deli, so anyone with celiac disease should ask staff about preparation.
How many servings does one chicken provide
One 3-pound chicken gives about 16 three-ounce servings, or roughly 4 to 5 meal-sized portions for adults. That’s enough to meal prep across several days.
Can you order Costco rotisserie chicken for delivery
Yes. Costco offers same-day delivery in many areas, though the price is higher than in-store once you add service and delivery fees. Our Costco same-day delivery guide covers how it works and what it costs.
Why is my rotisserie chicken cheaper than $4.99
Because $4.99 is the ceiling for a 3-pound bird. Chickens ring up by weight at about $1.66 per pound, so an underweight one, say 2.7 pounds, is sold for less. You’ll never pay more than $4.99, and a bird at or above 3 pounds hits that flat price.
