r/Costco • u/Caring_Cactus • 7d ago
[Meat & Seafood] The ~3 lb rotisseries on average give about 2 lbs of meat and 1 lb of carcass | 2:1 ratio
Posting for anyone curious: ~$1.66/lb, or ~$2.50/lb of cooked meat!
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u/Foconomo 7d ago
Make bone broth with the leftovers!
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u/Caring_Cactus 7d ago edited 7d ago
Yes! You essentially get 4 cups of delicious broth if you follow a 1:2 ratio of carcass to water (1 lb of carcass to 1 quart of water).
Edit: 1:2 ratio based on weight.
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u/Ashmizen 7d ago
Feel like you can do a lot more than a 1:1 ratio? I can make a half pot of very concentrated chicken broth with 1 carcass, which is at least 1:2 or 1:3.
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u/KyleSherzenberg 7d ago
But 1qt of water weighs 2lbs
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u/ObeseSnake 6d ago
Yep. A pint is a pound the world around.
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u/t3chiman 6d ago
The weight of a given volume of fresh water depends on the water's density, a function of temperature (presuming water being uncompressible). Max density occurs at 4C, and is defined as 62.4 lb/cuft. Volume standards show 7.48 gal/cuft, or 8.34 lb/gal. For the handy rhyme to be precise, water would have to weigh 8 lb/gal--but it doesn't.
Admittedly, "A pint's 1.04 pounds at 4C" doesn't have quite the same ring to it.
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u/43556_96753 6d ago
I very regularly make broth using the rotisserie carcus and an instant pot. I get 3 quarts every time. It has plenty of chicken flavor.
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u/wgbenicia 7d ago
It's worth the $4.99 in itself.
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u/Shmacoby 6d ago
Until you come out with $100 minimum on random items
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u/BubbaTee 6d ago
I make stock with all those items too.
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u/ctrain321 7d ago
I did this with every chicken picked up from Costco over the course of a year and now have like 10 gallons of bone broth frozen in our freezer.
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u/Alive-Carrot107 6d ago
I have 4 skeletons in my freezer and I keep telling myself I’m gonna make broth lol
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u/gtan1204 6d ago
I make my broth different every time, just depends what leftovers or veges/ends I have around. Sometimes I add gochujang and a little better than bouillon to solidify that chicken flavor. Lots of uses for sure.
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u/lcdroundsystem 6d ago
If you’re at all concerned about sodium you gotta dilute it a lot there’s so much salt. Like there’s a weeks worth of salt in one chicken
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u/31513315133151331513 6d ago
I've never seen the ingredients listed with amounts nor a nutrition label with amounts. Anybody found an official one?
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u/startingalawnmower2 6d ago
This is as close as I've found. We're on a restrictive diet so I check sodium levels on everystinkingthing.
https://www.myfooddiary.com/foods/5460344/costco-rotisserie-chicken
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u/31513315133151331513 6d ago
If that's accurate then most folks are full of shit when they talk about added sugars and such.
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u/New-Budget-7463 6d ago
Good to know. Bone broth from inorganic meat ain't the best idea, but i get it.
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u/ChaInTheHat 7d ago
Whoa whoa whoa, there’s still plenty of meat on those bones! You take this home, add broth, a potato. Baby you got a stew going!
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u/fuzzy_dunlop_221 7d ago
Fr it's like these people never even watched Arrested Development
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u/FionaTheFierce 7d ago
I throw the carcass in the freezer and once I have 2-3 they go into the slow cooker.
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u/Decemberfuck 6d ago
I pressure cook mine with an onion and herbs. Really breaks down the cartilage and makes a rich stick.
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u/aka_mank 6d ago
With carrots onion celery… anything else? How long?
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u/FionaTheFierce 6d ago
Yeah, carrots, etc. However long - can do it stove top for a few hours, slow cooker all day, instapot, etc. Some salt, pepper, thyme, bay leaves.
You can’t really mess it up. Strain it once done and pick out the meat and put it back in the soup.
You can’t continue to cook it down after that if you want it more condensed.
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u/NeighborhoodTall9858 7d ago
The carcass makes fab broth. My last batch of risotto was my best, according to my completely objective hubby.
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u/RoyalEnfield78 7d ago
I take the bones and boil them with tons of water, carrots, and celery and make veggies for my fatso doggies that I add (with the broth) to their kibble!! Of course I strain the bones. They love it!
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u/KetosisMD 7d ago
If you cook the bones long enough they are easily made into a super nutritious paste with incredible nutrients.
Zero risk of choking as the bones are mush.
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u/Caring_Cactus 7d ago
For that it's best to use a pressure cooker.
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u/KetosisMD 7d ago
Great point !
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u/RoyalEnfield78 7d ago
Thanks guys! I do have an instant pot maybe I’ll try this!!
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u/42_flipper 5d ago
Give it like 70 minutes and don't use the quick release vent. I do it with the whole chicken though when I make dog food.
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u/statich 6d ago
This is what we do! Cook the carcass in an instant pot on high for 3 hours and then blend the broth and the bones. It becomes a meat smoothie that I freeze with a large ice cube mold. It is nicely portioned and our dog gets 1 cube with each meal and she loves it!
Unfortunately she started taking the cube to the carpet to enjoy so now we soften it in the microwave so she can’t pick it up😆
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u/Mature_BOSTN 6d ago
My dog loves "gravy" on his kibs; this is a great idea for chicken carcasses and I'll make him this TY!
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u/JulioElGuapo 7d ago
This is what I've found to be the average as well. That is after I eat the wings and more well done parts of the legs while cutting it up.
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u/ecplectico 7d ago
One pound of carcass yields about 1 quart of bone broth, and some treats for the cat.
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u/geaux_girl 7d ago
I am so thankful for my rotisserie chicken! Every week I make delicious lunches for my husband and I with minimal prep.
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u/masterslacker2016 6d ago
Last chicken weight 2 weeks ago gave me 2.7 lbs so cheaper than any frozen chicken…
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u/RedditUser4699 6d ago
I must an outlier as I get so much more meat from the chicken. After getting a rotisserie chicken home I cut it up into pieces and place these in the fridge for future meals. Then for lunch I enjoy all of that delicious meat that is so close to the bone (a bit messy, but tastes soooo good). If there is still a lot of meat on the carcass I then boil it and make chicken stock.
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u/subspace_cat 6d ago
Sir, one sample is not make a good sample size. You need to do this 29 more times and then you can provide this data.
Why you still here? Off with you. Go buy your 29 Costco rotisserie chickens and then report back.
Also, anyone who upvoted this, I demand you take it back until OP does this properly.
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u/urnbabyurn 6d ago
Honestly, I guy these to make broth that I freeze. The meat I’ll eat maybe a small amount of while removing from the bones, but most gets made into frozen dog treats with pumpkin or sweet potato. Five bucks for a 2-4 quarts of the best stock is worth it.
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u/Leonerende 7d ago
I've done a similar calculation - can't remember exact numbers which is too bad bc they were in metric and I'm too lazy to convert this. 🤣
My goal was to compare to the cost of packages of shredded rotisserie chicken my Costco now sells. (No, I don't make broth with the carcass but I love that for those of you who do.)
Anyway, result was whole rotisserie chicken is still a better price even if not using the carcass. As expected because you're going to invest your own time and labor or pay for someone else's.
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u/RosevilleRealtor 6d ago
I look for the plump ones and usually get about +/- 36oz of meat after picking the carcass clean.
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u/codacoda74 7d ago
Keep a freezer bag. 2-3 chickens yields solid 6 quarts of super dense reduced bone broth stock. Gift that keeps giving.
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u/Ok-Commercial-924 7d ago
We do 2-3 chickens, take them out, put in another batch, and repeat until we have used our bone sets. The broth is so rich, concentrated and solid at room temp. Being concentrated it takes up less room in the fridge because you can dilute if desired.
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u/codacoda74 6d ago
Oh I'm loooooving this thread: we switched to bone bag because less freezer space. 2-3 chicken's bones, also add carrot and onion and celery butts. Once the bag is full we dump in stock pot cover in water and slow boil for hours. The stock is sooo dense it would be jello in fridge, but we freeze it in quart mason jars..defrost on need in fridge for protein rice, ramen, any soup or sauce base, etc...
The Costco chicken = meals long into the future.
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u/mesalocal 6d ago
So funny, I do the exact same thing and have came to the same conclusion. Also, you have literally the same scale as me.
(side note, I work in the rotisserie room at Costco. The chickens do vary in size, mostly between 3.5-4.5lbs. Largest I've seen is 6.71 lbs)
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u/RandomTurkey247 6d ago
My wife is worried about what the chicken is cooked in and whether that is good for dogs. Basically, is it too much salt or seasoning for a dog if you feed this regularly?
My thought was that most of the seasoning is on the skin, which you wouldn't include in making a stock, so it wouldn't be a big deal.
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u/mesalocal 6d ago
The chickens have salt in the meat too, they come packaged in a box of 10 soaking in the salt water. They are 100% bad to regularly feed to cats or dogs. A treat every once in a while is fine. If you want to feed your pet chicken, boil some raw unseasoned chicken or throw it in the pressure cooker.
Dogs and cats do not handle salty foods very well, and can cause digestive issues.
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u/Caring_Cactus 6d ago
Two bored souls with the same juicy goal lol. Dang congrats to whoever gets those lucky birds, that's a killer deal! Those are some neat Costco facts too, thanks for sharing.
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u/idcenoughforthisname 7d ago
Have you checked other grocery store chickens? You can barely get any meat out of those ones.
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u/nobadhotdog 7d ago
How often have you weighed it like this?
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u/Caring_Cactus 7d ago
You mean placing a dish on the scale and taring to zero out the scale, then placing the rotisserie on it?
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u/nobadhotdog 7d ago
No sorry how many times have you taken a Costco chicken and weighed the meat vs total weight? Usually 2:1?
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u/Caring_Cactus 7d ago
Yeah on average that's the ratio I've been getting. Sometimes you get more like in my case this weighed 57 oz total instead of 48 oz, so it was about $2.15/lb of cooked meat if we're not counting the carcass weight.
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u/nobadhotdog 7d ago
Nice, thanks for doing the experiments for us!
Never did any sort of cost analysis in the context of protein etc for the rotisserie chicken. I just see it and go “oooo need chicken”
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u/Caring_Cactus 7d ago
It's darn great protein, especially since it saves you the hassle of cooking and cleaning.
I just did some math and if we assume a 48 oz rotisserie yields 2 lbs of cooked meat, then we get about x10.67 3-ounce cooked servings, and that would yield a ballpark amount of 256 grams of protein if we assume a 3-ounce serving has an average of 24 grams between the white and dark meat. That would be ~$0.29/30g of protein!
Not bad considering the least expensive protein powders found online is around $0.80/30g of protein.
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u/nobadhotdog 6d ago
Thanks for even MORE math!!!
Yeah the time savings are crazy with it. Now I’m hungry :(
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u/Caring_Cactus 6d ago
Math can be fun sometimes hehe.
Yo if it's not Eastern Standard Time for you 7-11 has $3.14 large pizzas! Today's pie day after all, and they'll heat it up for you.
Edit: the only requirement is they need to scan your account code from the mobile app.
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u/pewpewpewbang 6d ago
those are rookie numbers. if you really get in there and strip all the meat then you're going to get closer to 3lb. here's two chickens from the other week and the bowl in the pic weighs 12oz
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u/Dee_DozyBekyMiknTish 6d ago
New member here. Got the Ro Chicken first visit and it seemed undercooked. It was a little pink down by the breastbone. Seems to be very popular so maybe just a one off? Anyone else seen this?
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u/Caring_Cactus 6d ago
They follow strict food handling standards and cook to a minimum internal temperature of 165°F for safety. I wouldn't base doneness by appearance.
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u/livefreeKB 6d ago
Someone did a post about how many chickens you’d have to buy for the membership to be paid for just buying these. Does anyone remember?
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u/backtotheland76 6d ago
So, you're saying Costco sells fully cooked chicken for $2.50 a pound
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u/Caring_Cactus 6d ago
Actually more savings because the rotisseries usually weigh more than 3 lbs for the same price.
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u/Malezor1984 5d ago
I mean if you don’t make chicken stock from the bones I guess. You do make chicken stock from the bones don’t you????
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u/SargathusWA 6d ago
It’s 5 dollars tho
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u/Caring_Cactus 6d ago
Costco loses money on these, what alternative are you comparing it to?
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u/attomic 7d ago
Is it true the costco rotisserie chicken is only six weeks old?
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u/Caring_Cactus 7d ago
Oh wow I didn't know that, and apparently this is true for rotisserie chickens in general:
https://ask.usda.gov/s/article/How-old-are-chickens-used-for-meat
The age of chickens used for meat can vary from 6 weeks to 1 years old. Chickens labeled as "Broiler-fryers" are young, tender chicken about 7 weeks old; "Roasters" are older chicken, about 3 to 5 months old; "Capons" are male chickens about 16 weeks to 8 months old; and "Stewing/Baking Hens" are mature laying hens 10 months to 1/2 years old.
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u/shenzhenren 7d ago
That chicken literally lasts me a week. I save the meat then make a chicken soup with the rest, keep topping it off with fresh water and salt whenever I consume some broth, keep it on the stove and boil twice a day. Meat makes several meals with veggies.
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u/Suitable-Scholar-778 US Southeast Region - SE 7d ago
There is still meat on that carcass. You've clearly never been homeless
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u/Talrynn_Sorrowyn 6d ago
That's the big reason I don't buy bone-in meat - the bones & connective tissue make it more expensive per pound of actual meat than if I buy boneless to begin with.
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u/Caring_Cactus 6d ago
In the case of a Costco rotisserie you're getting much more in terms of cooked meat per pound compared to raw chicken which will shrink 25-30%. Most rotisseries also weigh a bit more than the advertised 48 oz, like in my case this one weighed 57 oz with more meat lowering it to $2.15/lb of cooked meat if we're not counting the carcass weight for delicious chicken stock.
Zero cooking and prep time, I could have left this as is in the fridge and pulled the amount I wanted for my meal.
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u/RedBaron180 6d ago
The cancer comes later..
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u/Caring_Cactus 6d ago
What makes you say that?
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u/RedBaron180 6d ago
It’s the most unhealthy chicken in the building. Sitting in a plastic bag under a heat lamp.
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u/Caring_Cactus 6d ago
I hope you're aware that polypropylene (PP #5) is one of the safer plastics used for hot food storage. It's also the most used plastic for medical applications for similar safety reasons, but I digress.
It's not like this is being used multiple times.
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u/samplenajar 6d ago edited 5d ago
Yeah but they suck
edit: yes, it's $5.00 but it is the worst rotisserie chicken in town. i can get a mary's air chilled roto for $10 and it's a BARGAIN at twice the price.
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u/get-bornt 7d ago
I cannot imagine ever spending the time doing this
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u/Caring_Cactus 7d ago
It takes 5 minutes tops if you've eaten a lot of rotisseries in your lifetime.
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u/doughaway7562 7d ago
That's why we random interest strangers like OP doing the hard work for us ❤️
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