Celebrity chef David Chang has a searing take on Costco’s classic rotisserie chicken.
On Jan. 9, the restaurateur and television personality dragged the wholesale store on his podcast, "The Dave Chang Show," for its version of rotisserie chicken which costs $4.99.
Speaking with Chris Ying during the episode “Dave Chang Goes to Costco and Unraveling the Truffle Conundrum,” the podcaster torched the dish, calling it "the worst," during what he said was only the second time visiting the wholesale store.
In addition to his podcast, Chang is the founder of the culinary brand Momofuku and the Majordomo Media group. He also created and starred in a Netflix original series called "Ugly Delicious."
“I got a hot take,” said the chef known for his culinary hot takes, including his love for Domino's pizza, which he mentioned in the episode. “I think the Costco chicken is the worst rotisserie chicken."
"They’re not good. They’re not seasoned,” he continued. “The reason why it’s important to have it properly seasoned is, you might eat it the next day cold, and it’s got to taste good cold.
“There’s something about all the nitrates and all the crap they pump into the chicken that makes the chicken breast even more disgusting the next day when it’s cold."
He said the bird's lack of seasoning makes it “inedible” when eaten cold.
It's worth noting that Costco calls the dish "Seasoned Rotisserie Chicken" and has the "seasoning" ingredients listed on the label: salt, sodium phosphates, hydrolyzed casein, modified cornstarch, sugar, dextrose, chicken broth, isolated soy protein lecithin and mono-and-diglycerides.
Is there a store-bought rotisserie chicken Chang actually likes?
“Sprouts Alhambra has the best rotisserie chicken I’ve ever had in a grocery store,” he said, referring to a specialty grocery chain location in the Los Angeles area.
It wasn’t long after Chang threw down the cutlet that Costco fans took to social media to defend their favorite prepared food.
“The way the internet is dragging David Chang for his comment about Costco rotisserie chicken is wild but also justified bc that chicken is fire af,” one person tweeted.
Some users were also quick to point out that Costco’s rotisserie chicken serves other purposes than that of the gourmet cuisine that Chang tends to cook up for affluent diners.
“Mr. Chang needs to read the room. For many people, this product is an affordable building block for family meal prep,” one person tweeted. “It’s not supposed to ‘taste good cold’ it’s not gourmet. We all have a favorite roast chicken recipe, and when we (have) that, we make that.”
“This is an assault on multiple fronts,” another tweeted. “Lacking of class consciousness for affordable food aside, how can David Chang, a fellow Asian American, slander Costco?!”
On the other side of the Costco card, there are those who don't think it's that serious.
“You know… I’m all for raising awareness of things and being more conscious in regards to societal issues. But jfc not everything has to be a moral outrage,” tweeted one person. “Like people are mad at David Chang for saying Costco chickens are gross? So what lol.”
