Costco Shoppers Rip This Food Court Favorite for 'Tasting Like Frozen Garbage'
It goes without debate that the most popular item at the Costco food court is the wholesaler's trademark hotdog. However, as a kid, I was partial to another delicacy at the food court: The Chicken Bake. However, it isn't the same as me or other fans, remember it. Several Reddit feeds are devoted to the downfall of one of the most popular Costco food court items ever. "The Rise (And Apparent Fall) Of The Costco Food Court Chicken Bake," one of them is titled. "Is the Chicken Bake the worst food court item ever?" another Costco shopper recently asked on Reddit. Here is why people are hating on the bake.
The biggest complaint? "They switched from having each store make them fresh to making them in a central location and shipping them frozen. Quality nosedived after that. They're smaller, mealier, and taste like [garbage]," commented one Redditor. "The real chicken bake was a casualty of the pandemic. The current one is just pale imposter," agreed another.
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"They used to be hand made, COVID replaced them with a premade frozen variety like the ones in the cooler section you can buy. New ones aren't as good. Source: I was a food court manager once upon a time," says one former employee.
"We used to roll them fresh every morning with pizza dough, chicken, caesar, cheese, and bacon. Now they come in frozen in a 40-pack. Inside ingredients are cooked but not the same as the old in-house made one. The dough on the outside is not cooked. They are NOT the same as the pack available for members in the freezer," explained a Costco employee, offering up a recipe for a homemade chicken bake.
Others are more concerned about the health factor. "The chicken bake is just so salty and heavy. My wife and I try one every year or two… nope, still can't finish one," commented one Redditor. "And more calories! (To counter the flavor loss due to freezing) Now 840 cal. Used to be 770, and 5xx even earlier back," says one person.
However, generally people just aren't happy with how it tastes anymore.
"I recently had one for the first time and was highly disappointed in it. Was also really dry and mostly bread. Will be sticking with my pizza from now on," one person said.
"This is why I don't allow my boyfriend to get one. Everytime I go I talk up how amazing a chicken bake is and he's curious to try. I just know he'd hate this new current version of them. That yes, taste pre frozen," she says. "So I told him to hold off his cravings until I get enough energy to make them from scratch using the old recipe. I still get them from the food court from time to time but they always bum me out. It's not like it was long ago either only four years but it feels like lifetimes ago."
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