Do you love chicken nuggets but wish they were less processed? If so, these Kirkland Signature Lightly Breaded Chicken Breast Chunks are for you. They’re made with pieces of chicken breast rather than processed meat that’s been formed into a consistent shape. As the name suggests, they also have less breading than a lot of chicken strips and nuggets do.
If these chicken breast chunks pique your interest you may like the Kirkland Signature Seasoned Chicken Wings, Pinty’s Crispy Chicken Wings, Hampton House Popcorn Chicken, Pinty’s Buffalo Chicken Flings, Pinty’s Oven Roasted Chicken Breast Strips, Pinty’s Honey & Garlic Wings, Fresh Additions Fully Cooked Chicken Breast Bites and the Jane’s Whole Wheat Chicken Strips.
Location in Store
I found these in the freezer section at the Kalispell, Montana Costco and the item number is 1736391.
Taste
These chicken breast chunks are basically a less processed version of chicken nuggets or chicken strips. As the name suggests, they are fairly lightly breaded, so they’re lighter and meatier than a lot of chicken nuggets and chicken strips.
You mostly taste the chicken, though they are quite salty. The quality of the meat seemed really good. I didn’t get any gross fatty or gristly bits.
I cooked my chicken chunks in my air fryer at 360 degrees Fahrenheit for eight minutes just as the bag said to do. I also preheated my air fryer before I did that. Unfortunately my chicken chunks didn’t come out super crispy. They weren’t totally soft, but I enjoyed them even more if the outside was crispier.
Cooking them for longer might help, but I liked how moist they were and that might dry them out a bit. I was wondering if maybe the lack of crispiness has to do with the light breading.
Overall I really enjoyed these Kirkland Signature Lightly Breaded Chicken Breast Chunks. If you like chicken nuggets but wish they were less processed and meatier, you’ll love these chunks.
Cost
The four-pound bag costs $13.99 USD at Costco which is pretty reasonable in my opinion!
Convenience
The chunks come frozen and need to be kept that way until you cook them. The best-before date is from when we purchased them.
There are three different ways to cook the chunks. Air fryer, conventional oven or microwave. I wouldn’t microwave these because I feel like they’d turn out to be really soggy. We decided to air fry them but I bet doing them in the oven would be just fine.
After air frying them they turned out crispy and golden brown so I wouldn’t hesitate to cook them like that again. They’re a bit bland without sauce so I’d pair them with something like a plum or honey mustard sauce. They could also be used in salads, tacos or stir-fry. I think a lot of kids will enjoy these plain, dunked-in ketchup with a serving of fries.
Nutrition
Calories
A three-ounce serving (which isn’t much) contains 160 calories, 6 grams of fat, 540 milligrams of sodium, nine grams of carbohydrates, zero grams of fiber, two grams of sugar and 16 grams of protein. They have a decent amount of protein, not too much carbs or fat but they have a ton of sodium.
Ingredients
I don’t love some of the ingredients like sugar, canola oil and soybean oil. These aren’t the healthiest chicken option but there are worse things you could eat. The chunks contain milk, eggs and wheat.
Scoring
Taste: 8.5/10
Cost: 8/10
Convenience: 9/10
Nutrition: 3/10
Overall
Give it a try!
These are tasty and versatile. They’re similar to chicken nuggets or popcorn chicken but meatier and better tasting in my opinion.
Have you tried the Kirkland Signature Lightly Breaded Chicken Breast Chunks? What did you think of them?
Please note that this review was not paid for or sponsored by any third party. This product was purchased by Costcuisine for the purpose of producing this review. The opinions in this review are strictly those of Costcuisine. Costcuisine is not affiliated with Costco or any of its suppliers. In the event that Costcuisine receives compensation for a post from the manufacturer of a product or some other third party, the arrangement will be clearly disclosed (including where the manufacturer of a product provides Costcuisine with a free sample of the product).
Just got a bag of these yesterday, and think they’re awesome. The way they were positioned in the freezer case at my Costco (plus similarities in their packaging) made it seem like they were meant to compete directly with the “Just Bare” brand of frozen, breaded chicken breast chunks (which were actually what I went there to buy). There was a pretty significant cost difference between those & these, though, so I figured I’d give them a shot. And I’m glad I did! They’re EXCELLENT! And not at all dry, as a previous commenter suggested. Quite to the contrary, mine are rather juicy (and I’m just doing them in a conventional oven. Not even an air fryer). Yes, I think they’re excellent, and will DEFINITELY be buying them again!
We need these in Canada as a better option.
I guess this is Kirkland’s response to the Real Good brand of chicken nuggets (which has a slightly better nutrition profile and serving size). Still, for those who want a better version of a processed chicken nugget product, these are not bad as conventional nuggets are crap.
I do find them dry though and yes, they need a sauce with them. I also find them VERY filling so a few pieces goes a long way. Thanks for the review.
Where those crackers are from that you have on the plate with nuggets and how are they called?
They’re like fries! They’re called McCain Smiles.