Costco's Chicken Strips Need A Costco-Sized Soda To Get Through

My wife and I were at one of our local Costco locations recently, stocking up on coffee, when I noticed a very curious item on the food court menu as we were leaving. It was a new chicken strip entree: five pieces with dipping sauce for $6.99. This puzzled me — these things weren't on the menu the last time I went to run errands. Sure enough, I called our local Costco this morning and the food court manager excitedly informed me that there are six locations in Chicagoland (which is where I'm based) testing these strips.

The menu displayed them as a new item — they debuted yesterday, May 4. Costco does serve chicken strips in some of its food courts internationally, but not in the States; you'll find them on the Costco food court menu in Canada. It's not often I run into test items in the wild, so I went to my nearest Costco give the strips a shot and report back to you.

When giving these new chicken strips a shot, I took into consideration their price, the portion size, and how I thought they compared to all the previous chicken strips I've had in the past. I also evaluated how they would fit on Costco's current menu and whether or not they'd make sense with the other items in the long run. That being said, I kept in mind that this was a test run — what I experienced today might not be what ends up being pushed out nationwide, if that even happens.

These strips, as previously mentioned, cost $6.99 and they come with a large tub of dipping sauce. According to the menu, the order comes out to 1,640 calories total. At our location, these things bumped the Combo Calzone, which debuted last year, off the menu (I sadly didn't get the chance to try that during its brief run).

Costco is definitely not skimping on the portion size with these new strips — they're absolutely enormous. The entire serving, including the huge tub of sauce, is physically heavy, so be careful carrying these things to your bench. I asked an employee how they're prepared and learned that they're baked (you can tell by their uneven browning). 

These strips have a hard thick crust on them, which isn't necessarily my cup of tea. It's that kind of breading that's almost grainy to the bite due to the sheer thickness. The chicken inside is thankfully moist enough that you can enjoy the strips unsauced, though the meat is just shy of being juicy. The orange dipping sauce is highly reminiscent of Chick-Fil-A's signature sauce — it's mayo-based, but tastes smoky and sweet, much like barbecue sauce. 

My main issue lies in the salt component, because once you notice it, you'll find you can't focus on anything else. I was only able to eat one strip before my instincts told me eating any more was a bad idea for my health. It only got worse whenever I dipped the chicken into the sauce. I could detect that a fair amount of the salt was coming from the meat itself; my guess is that the meat is injected or brined to ensure that the end product isn't dry, but this adds too much sodium. Considering the breading has seasoning in it too, the salt piles on fast.

After lunch, I came away with mixed opinions. Chicken strips would absolutely crush on a Costco food court menu if done well — they're already available in Canada for a reason. And I totally understand having to bake these things as opposed to dunk them in a fryer: Costco would have to install fryers nationwide, and that equipment costs capital. Plus, in the end, Costco's food court is more like a concession stand rather than a standalone fast food restaurant. This is easily a portion for two average eaters, so I do feel the pricing is fair (I think there's room for a $5, slightly smaller entree, which would be the sweet spot, but I digress).

However, as it stands, these things are way too salty, in my opinion. And when you think about all the families feeding their kids these chicken tenders during a stressful shopping trip (I visited on a Tuesday and our Costco parking lot was an even worse zoo than usual), I'm not entirely sure every parent would approve, though I can't speak for everyone. If these things do end up at a Costco by you, give them a taste first and see how you feel. For now, I think they need a recipe adjustment before rolling out nationwide.