Apologies Costco rotisserie chicken fans - but Consumer Reports has ranked Sam's Club's poultry offerings as the most flavorful on the market.
Both of the members-only, warehouse-club stores have kept their rotisserie chicken prices low, with full birds priced at approximately $5.
In a recent evaluation of rotisserie chickens from 10 grocery store chains, warehouse clubs and big-box stores, Consumer Reports selected Sam's Club's offering as its number one pick.
Tasters who participated in the evaluation gave Sam's Club's chicken the win based on its flavor, seasonings, and juicy texture, Fox Business reports.
"A paprika rub gave the bird a beautiful bronzed color," Consumer Reports, an independent groups that tests and rates products, wrote of Sam's Club's chicken. "The meat was very moist and juicy, with a deep roasted flavor and hints of onion and garlic."
Costco's chicken, despite not taking the top spot, was praised by Consumer Reports for being "one of the plumpest birds in our test." But the chicken took a hit to its rating due to an inconsistency in salting between samples.
In addition to Sam's Club and Costco, the evaluation included chickens from Stop & Shop, Walmart, Wegmans, and Whole Foods Market. Consumer Reports selected only a "best overall" pick and did not rank the other companies included in the test.
Consumer Reports reportedly purchased between 10 and 13 chickens from each of the retailers across multiple store locations and on different shopping trips.
The evaluators tested the poultry, measuring the birds' weight, sodium levels, and nutritional content, as well as tasting the meat for flavor and checking both the chicken and the packaging for plastic contaminants.
Consumer Reports said it did not detect PFAS—better known as "forever chemicals"—in any of the chickens or packaging that it tested.
The group notes in its report that many of the chickens tested were actually heavier than the weight listed on the packaging. Whole Foods' chickens reportedly weighed, on average, about a pound more than advertised.
Costco began offering the low-cost chicken in 1994 and has maintained the $4.99 price ever since. Sam's Club, not to be outdone, prices its chicken at $4.98.
