'Good value or gross?' Costco's $6.99 roast chooks spark debate online

"It's just an awful texture," shared one unhappy customer. "99.9% raw inside. Stopped buying for this reason."

A debate is unravelling in a budget food Facebook group right now: Is the $6.99 Costco roast chook (which is gigantic, by the way) a steal or just plain nasty?

On one side of the debate, frugal foodies say they swear by the budget chickens, but the other half claim they're undercooked and underseasoned. 

Let's get into it... 

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Image: Costco

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"Cheap but still not worth it"

In the $10 Meals Australia Facebook group, one user kicked off the controversy by declaring that the roast chicken was a great base for a no-fuss, high-protein meal. 

"If you have a Costco near you," they said, "their huge roast chickens are $6.99. Approx 1kg of meat off one bird. Imagine what you could do with that."

Immediately, the commenters sounded off with their impassioned thoughts - because if there's one thing Costco fans love discussing, it's value. 

"Yes, they're cheap, but it's still not worth it - they're gross," said one.

"I don't like the taste, it's weird," another agreed, "and I've bought their chicken twice."

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Others went deeper into where they thought the problem lay, with many agreeing it was the texture. 

"It's just an awful texture," shared one unhappy customer. "99.9% raw inside. Stopped buying for this reason."

And then a different person agreed, "They're not cooked well. Maybe because they're so large."

Then a group member chimed in, sharing some insider knowledge that Costco had tried to rectify this issue by cooking the chickens for longer, but their attempts clearly fell flat. 

"I found the chicken just really watery," yet another person ranted.

"I'm almost certain they're under-salted," another woman said, saying she had to personally re-season her chook before eating.

"I salted it a little before throwing it in a roll with lettuce and mayo and it was a whole other bird," she wrote.

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The reason why they're pink inside

But some Costo allies defended the budget buy, saying it's a great option, that is, if you use it in the right way (a.ka. drowned in condiments to hide the flavour or lack thereof.)

"I personally think they don't have as much flavour in the meat, but they still get eaten and it works when covered in gravy or sauce or in a pasta bake," one user said. 

Others responded to people's concerns about undercooking by clarifying that the Costco chickens are brined. 

"The fact they are brined also makes them pinker," one user said, "resulting in people assuming they aren't cooked properly."

Originally published as 'Good value or gross?' Costco's $6.99 roast chooks spark debate online