Costco Now Sells Copycat Chipotle Chicken and Meal Prep Has Never Been Easier

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Getty Images / BING-JHEN HONG

As much as I enjoy cooking a meal (or dessert!) from scratch when time allows, I admit lunch tends to get short shrift. I go through eras quicker than Taylor Swift—there was the local meal prep doorstep delivery season, followed by a frozen meal moment. Then it was restaurant takeout time. If there’s an option that can help me fuel up while not requiring too much time away from my desk, I’ll gladly ante up.

Noticing an uptick in the “food” category on my credit card, I did a little investigative work. My spending had skyrocketed when I was ordering takeout from places like Jimmy John’s, Panera, and Chipotle multiple times per week. Since I’m hoping to curb excess spending to save up for a vacation later this year, I made a vow: The next season will be focused on meal prep. And a recent trip to Costco had the perfect restaurant copycat product to kick things off in delicious, budget-friendly style.

What Is Costco’s Chipotle Chicken?

Although the steak, carnitas, and sofritas get a lot of love, one of Chipotle’s most iconic menu items is its chicken. If you’ve yet to place an order at the fast casual chain, you might be thinking, “yaaawn!” But the magic lies in Chipotle’s chicken choice (thighs, which deliver more flavor, fat, and juiciness than chicken breasts) and the marinade (which is warm and smoky thanks to chipotle peppers in adobo, cumin, and ancho chile powder).

Chipotle’s chicken is so beloved, in fact, that the brand places it front and center as part of their new high-protein menu. As of December, you can now order a High-Protein Chicken Cup for $3.55, which is exactly as it sounds: a cup full of diced, marinated chicken. You can also order salads, bowls, and burritos featuring it.

Team BHG is such big fans of this protein that we tapped our Test Kitchen pros to perfect a Copycat Chipotle Chicken, which is surprisingly similar to the real thing. As is Costco’s new Flame Seared Chargrilled Chipotle Chicken, which comes already marinated and cooked in a 10-serving package.

Days after the product arrived in Costco’s deli section, it began going viral on social media—which is where I first heard about it. Over on the r/Costco Reddit thread, shoppers chimed in to say they “just picked this up today, it is amazing. Tastes just like Chipotle chicken, but less spicy in my opinion.”

So, of course, I had to hustle to my local location to see if I could snag a package—or several—to re-create some of my favorite restaurant orders for a little less.

Marketed under the warehouse store’s Kirkland Signature brand, Costco’s chicken is seasoned with smoked paprika, chili pepper, dehydrated onion, sugar, and salt for a look and taste that’s fairly similar to the chicken on Chipotle’s menu. (Loyal card-carrying members might recognize this chicken from Costco’s chicken street taco kits, which they’ve sold on and off at select locations for years.)

Price and availability vary by store, but I found this near the deli and rotisserie chicken for $11.99 for a 2-pound bag. That works out to just $1.20 per serving, which has 100 calories and 16 grams of protein. The spice blend doesn’t come as close to re-creating the restaurant experience as our copycat recipe’s marinade, but it’s pretty close—and I adore the fact that I don’t need to start from scratch to get a jump on mid-day meal prep.

It sounds like I’m not alone, as another Reddit user says, “I don't want to buy this because I'm going to make it a part of my routine and they're going to take it away! I hope it stays.”

How to Use Costco’s Chipotle Copycat Chicken

Costco’s Flame Seared Chargrilled Chipotle Chicken has already enjoyed a lot of social media success. Still, there's no guarantee it will stay on the store’s refrigerator shelves for an extended period. But while supplies last, I’ve been having fun mixing up my lunch menu in affordable style by using this as a shortcut for Chipotle-style salads, tacos, and rice bowls. Even accounting for the bonus additions like lettuce, corn tortillas, rice, tomatoes, and beans, these copycat recipes clock in at about half the price of my usual takeout order.

I’ve also regularly air-fried the meat alongside frozen vegetables for a fast, fuss-free meal. Just add salsa and guac (I’m a sucker for Good Foods Tomatillo Avocado Salsa that mashes up both concepts in one), and you have a takeout-like lunch. Here are a few other ideas to try: