Costco Is Testing Chicken Strips in Food Courts - and Customers Say They're "Ginormous"

Costco is reportedly testing an international food court favorite in select stores in Chicago, and patrons can't believe the size of them.

The wholesale retail chain, famed for its cheap eats at its food court, such as the $1.50 hot dog and soda combo, is rolling out "5-piece Chicken Breast Strips," served with "Dipping Sauce," at 6 Chicagoland, Illinois locations, as reported by AllRecipes.

The new feature, which, if successful, should appear at other Costco locations in the U.S, originally debuted in Canadian Costco locations. However, Canada's edition comes with a side of fries. At $6.99, the cost of the strips is relatively in line with other fast-food restaurants, but is on the more expensive end of the spectrum when it comes to the Costco food court. At a whopping 1,640 calories for 5 chicken pieces and sauce, the snack takes up a huge chunk of most people's daily allowance, and it's not even a full meal in itself.

Over on TikTok, food reviewers were quick to head to a participating location to check out the mega menu item. Reviews on its taste and nutrition had customers divided, but one thing people could agree on was its vast size.

Food critic @snackolator called the serving of the strips-and-sauce combo "absolutely ginormous," noting that despite their size, the food court may have shaved off a few calories from the strips by baking them instead of frying the chicken.

"Right away, you notice how salty these are," he added, noting that the meal in itself is more than your daily recommended salt level (roughly 6 grams). However, the TikToker went on to praise the "thick" chicken strips and their "high quality" meat, with particular commendation going to the "sweet," yet "mustard-y" dipping sauce.

In a more mixed review, Costco finds account @discovering_costco praised the "tender and perfect meat," contrasting it with the "harder, thick, well-seasoned crust" of the baked chicken compared to typical fast-food restaurant strips. However, the chicken pieces, weighing over a pound in total, were off-putting to the reviewer, who took issue with the "insane calorie content" of the menu item. "That's more than two slices of Costco pizza!" she added.

Sharing the snack between her and her husband, the couple concluded they were unsure if they "could look beyond the nutrition to order them again."

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 18, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published May 18, 2026 at 12:15 PM.