Costco's Rotisserie Chicken Is Making People Sick—Again

There’s no doubt that Costco’s rotisserie chicken is one of the store’s most popular products. It was the winner of our grocery store rotisserie chicken taste test, and some shoppers even go to the warehouse store just for the chicken. 

The beloved bird made news earlier this year when Costco announced it was changing the packaging of its popular rotisserie chicken here in the U.S., switching from a plastic take-home container that had a rigid tray and dome lid to a bag. At the time, some fans of the inexpensive (averages $5, depending on location), ready-to-eat bird were dismayed by the change, saying on Reddit that “…the plastic bag is just a mess waiting to happen,” and “They’re nasty to touch and get everything greasy.”

Now, some are claiming that the change is making them sick.

Does the New Costco Rotisserie Chicken Packaging Make People Sick?

Last month, TikTok user thejacked.gentleman to share that he has fallen ill twice after eating Costco's rotisserie chicken since the change from a plastic tray to the bag, citing that most shoppers let the chicken cool a bit before storing it in their refrigerators. 

 “I think it develops bacteria,” he says in his video. “The old containers used to let the chicken sit above the juices, not just ,like, sit in the hot plastic chemically, bacteria-laden juices. I’m not getting it anymore.”

 “Whether the bag or tray harbors more bacteria depends on many factors and post-cooking handling,” explains Manpreet Singh, professor and Head of the Department of Food Science and Technology in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the University of Georgia. “Without further information on this situation, it is difficult to determine what might be causing these claims.”

 Concerns around plastic materials seeping into our food from packaging is valid. When it comes to packaging like Costco’s new rotisserie chicken plastic bags, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), because it touches the food, packaging is considered an indirect additive “because chemicals in packaging can migrate into the food.” To that end, the FDA approves all food packaging materials, “which must be formulated in compliance with FDA requirements for its intended use.”

This isn’t the first time the rotisserie chicken has come under fire either. Last year, shoppers were also claiming the chicken was making them sick, but attributed the illness to an additive in the chicken. And a few months before that, customers claimed the chicken’s flavor changed and it suddenly tasted “chemically.” 

How To Safely Store and Eat Costco’s Rotisserie Chicken Without Getting Sick

In response to his video, some of the shopper’s TikTok viewers have weighed in as to whether or not you should cool the chicken before placing it in the refrigerator, and which method breeds bacteria. Others on Reddit say they pull the meat off the bone immediately and store it in the refrigerator in a glass container.

 Cooked chicken can be cooled slightly before refrigerating, but it shouldn’t be left out for more than two hours (or one hour in temperatures above 90°F). The danger zone—41 to 135 degrees F—is the temperature range in which harmful bacteria grow most rapidly, so you actually don’t want to let your chicken get all the way to room temperature before cooling it. Just getting it down to 135 degrees F before refrigeration is ideal, or you don’t have to let it cool at all. As soon as you get it home, put it right into the fridge. The fridge can rapidly cool that chicken to a safe temperature, and it really isn’t big enough to worry about it bringing the refrigerator temperature overall down into the danger zone. If you want to cool it further before refrigerating, take a tip from those Reddit users and shred it first. This will help it cool more quickly so you can get it into the fridge before those two hours are up. When you do store it, be sure to place it in an airtight container and only leave it in the fridge for up to two days before using it. 

 For what it’s worth, Costco has been selling its rotisserie chickens in plastic bags in Canada for a few years without issue.