Key Points
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The Chicken Bake at Costco may be the store’s best-known item, with many customers saying it’s an essential part of their shopping experience.
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The Chicken Bake includes a creamy filling of chicken, three types of cheese, and Caesar dressing.
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Some international Costco locations offer variations on the Chicken Bake, like the Bulgogi Bake in Japan.
Costco is known for many popular food items — like its rotisserie chicken or $1.50 hot dogs — but one item has truly become a legendary favorite among shoppers: the Costco Chicken Bake.
Many Costco members are ride-or-die fans of this offering at the bulk retailer’s food court, and even from a simple description, it’s easy to see why. The Chicken Bake features a gooey, savory filling wrapped in crispy dough, and there is a generous amount of cheese involved.
For some shoppers, it’s an essential part of the shopping process — or perhaps grocery shopping is the perfect excuse to get your hands on one. Food & Wine’s news and deals director Katie Macdonald notes that “I get one every time I go to Costco.”
Like everything else at Costco’s food court, you’ll need to be a member to try this delicacy. But given the Chicken Bake’s popularity, it might be worth getting a membership just to enjoy them.
The Costco Chicken Bake has a legendary reputation
If you’ve had a Hot Pocket, the Chicken Bake will seem quite familiar, although much larger. It can also be compared to a calzone or stromboli, consisting of a large, rectangular pocket of baked dough filled with savory ingredients.
The filling consists of a warm blend of diced chicken, mozzarella, provolone, Parmesan, bacon, and Caesar dressing, all sealed inside wheat-based dough. The added Caesar dressing is the “secret” ingredient, imparting tangy, ultra-savory flavors to the dish. Before baking, the top half of the crust is brushed with more Caesar dressing and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.
For Macdonald, the Chicken Bake is the ultimate comfort food. She explains that “It reminds me of a chicken pot pie, but with no vegetables and more of a calzone crust than pastry. It’s very crispy on the outside (sometimes the cheese is a little burnt, which I don’t mind).”
Related: What to Try at Costco Food Courts in Japan — From Sushi to Soft Creams
Macdonald isn’t the only member of the Food & Wine staff who has memories of this treasured Costco item. Commerce updates writer Nick DeSimone says, “I’m vegetarian now, but when I was really young — like elementary school — my newly single dad would take me to Costco once a week, and he and I would split a Chicken Bake.” Although DeSimone hasn’t eaten chicken in over 20 years, they still remember the Chicken Bake fondly, describing it as “like a big chicken Hot Pocket.”
Social media editor Alexa Rockwell is a fan of the Costco staple too, which she didn’t see coming. “I didn’t necessarily want to try the Costco Chicken Bake, but I was curious about all the hype,” she admits. “Before I knew it, I was swiping my card, and it was in my hand.
“Now, it doesn’t exactly look good, but let me just tell you… Upon first bite, you’ll understand why it’s so popular. It’s creamy, cheesy, and warm, and the bread is just the right level of thickness.”
In addition to its flavor and generous amount of cheese, the Chicken Bake is known for its large serving size — two people often split it — and price, coming in at just $4.
Fans are concerned the Chicken Bake has changed
Some Costco members say that the Chicken Bake you’ll receive at the food court today is subtly different from the item that was sold just a few years ago.
One shopper shared on Reddit that before the pandemic in 2020, Costco’s Chicken Bakes were prepared with pizza dough on-site and hand-rolled daily by the food court staff. However, “They now come premade and frozen. They tasted much better when they prepared them,” the member notes.
Another Redditor recalls that the Chicken Bakes were taken off the menu in 2020, and “when they returned, the preparation had changed. Rather than being assembled on-site, they are shipped frozen and just heated in store.”
Costco offers boxes of frozen Chicken Bakes in its freezer section, allowing customers to enjoy the savory delicacy at home. However, shoppers say these aren’t nearly as good as the ones sold at the food court.
Despite its updated preparation method for Chicken Bakes from the food court, the Costco classic is still beloved by many fans who are devoted to the tasty, affordable, and filling snack.
Even if they arrive at Costco food courts frozen, these chicken bakes are different from the boxes you can purchase to take home. As one Costco fan points out online, “The food court employees have to proof the dough and top it with the Caesar dressing and Parmesan still. Those final details can turn a good Chicken Bake into a delicious one.”
The Chicken Bake looks different around the world
The Chicken Bake has become so popular at American locations of the retailer that you can find variations on it available at international Costco food courts. In Japan, you can try a Bulgogi Bake filled with sweet and savory marinated beef, while Costco stores in Taiwan offer a Seafood Bake with a creamy crab, shrimp, and clam filling.
Related: These 5 Grocery Store Items Have Reached Celebrity Status
If you’re not a Costco member but can’t get the thought of trying this Bake out of your mind, online food creators have shared recipes to make it at home. And if you’re already a serious fan of the Chicken Bake and want to try more renditions of it, you know where to go next.
Read the original article on Food & Wine
