Are Costco's Kirkland Chicken Nuggets Better than Brand Name? Shoppers Are Divided
Chicken nuggets may be the most beloved food in America. The quest for the best nugget is unending, and there's always a rogue nugget competitor out there to upend the title.
And when it comes to retail, Costco's brand Kirkland has swooped in with a chicken nugget that shoppers say is even better than other, much-beloved brand-name nuggets.
A recent debate about which chicken nugget at Costco really takes the crown pitted the Kirkland brand against Just Bare and Real Good nuggets.
Real Good was soon eliminated as the contender for the top spot since it's a keto product and "isn't meant to taste the best. It's meant to be passable for low carb consumers," as one Redditor pointed out.
That leaves the beloved brand Just Bare, which has been compared to Chick-fil-A's nuggets in the past. Its antibiotic-free chicken chunks are lightly breaded and crispy without the addition of artificial ingredients or preservatives.
On the other hand, the Kirkland Signature Lightly Breaded Chicken Breast Chunks are Just Bare's closest dupe, also made with antibiotic-free chicken breast chunks and a light breading.
Both are sold in 4-pound bags in the freezer section and have 16 grams of protein per serving. Prices vary, but the Kirkland version is usually about $5 cheaper than the brand-name nuggets.
Shoppers are divided on which brand is better, basing their votes on which ones their kids love, which bag has fewer long crumbs, which is less salty, better seasoned, and so on.
"I actually think the Kirkland are better seasoned than the Just Bare," one customer praised the store-brand version. And many agreed. One said: "Kirkland nuggets are the best. I've tried them all. They are very low fat, juicy and tastes like a chick filet nugget. I'll sometimes sauce them in an Asian sauce and serve them with rice."
Several said that while Just Bare may make a better nugget, the difference between that and Kirkland is so minimal that it isn't worth the upcharge. "Bare is better than Kirkland but not enough to pay the difference for me," one shopper shared. Another agreed: "Kirkland [is] best bang for your buck. Reminds me of chick-fil-a"
However, others are diehard Just Bare fans. "Bare all the way for me." "I love the just bare, it's the only one we buy."
As an official take, Kirkland Signature Lightly Breaded Chicken Breast Chunks took first place in our own official frozen chicken nugget taste test, where we tried four different varieties of chicken nuggets sold at Costco.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I would eat Kirkland chicken chunks as an adult meal. Yes, they were that good," our taste tester shared. "These chunks tasted like real, savory white meat. There was just the right amount of flavoring so that they were anything but bland. When I served them up to my husband later that night, he looked skeptical but finished his plate. This is one chicken chunk you shouldn't pass up."
Luckily, any Costco shopper can conduct their very own low-risk chicken nugget taste test—Costco allows returns of pretty much any item, any time, any condition, so members can purchase every frozen chicken nugget available to them and return the product if they're dissatisfied. Or you can just have a freezer full of chicken nuggets.
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