The Organic Costco Meat Customers Pass On, According To Reviews

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While some of Costco's meat is often cheaper, certain types are neither affordable nor high-quality. Don't get us wrong, the grocery store's offerings are mostly solid, with many shoppers claiming that some pre-made Costco foods taste better than homemade varieties. However, patrons have noticed one meat product that has gone downhill in recent years: Kirkland Signature Organic Chicken.

One Facebook post calling Costco's organic chicken breasts overpriced gained immediate traction. A string of comments rolled in, bemoaning the chicken's subpar quality. "Stopped buying this meat, it's so stringy like lab-grown meat," wrote one Facebook user. "The chicken thighs are good, but the tenders and breasts are very stringy and off." Another user alleged that Costco's chicken often seems spoiled, saying, "Every single package smelled strongly of sulfur."

On Reddit, a post on r/Costco asked, "Has anyone else had issues with Organic Kirkland chicken?" Among the loads of replies, u/WestCV4lyfe said they outright stopped buying Costco chicken after encountering too many issues: "Some straight up smelled rotten. It didn't matter if it was still frozen when we got it home and put it straight into the freezer; it would still be bad." Many others complained it had a wood-like texture, meaning the chicken was very rough, chewy, and hard to eat.

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Woody chicken is an often-cited issue with Costco, with chicken breasts marked by a tough texture, white stripes on the surface, and sometimes a spaghetti-like consistency. This is actually not an issue unique to Costco but a somewhat modern phenomenon. A recent study that examined 179 chicken breasts found that over 70% had issues, with almost 20% marked as "woody." 

In modern commercial farms, chicken are often bred to grow exceedingly quickly. As a result, they can often develop certain muscle conditions that ultimately lead to the unpleasant texture plaguing shoppers. There are some ways to reduce your chance of ending up with a woody chicken breast, like opting for smaller breasts with a pink color, but, given how ubiquitous woody chicken is at the moment, there's only so much you can do to avoid snagging a subpar product. 

You might want to cut back on chicken in general. Luckily, Costco has plenty of affordable fare outside of poultry. So, loyal Costco shoppers can stock their carts with delicious pre-made items like tomato soup, fresh produce, and alternative protein like salmon and still make the most of their membership.