Costco Chicken Sandwich Patties - Chick-Fil-A Copycat?
Just Bare Chicken Breast Fillets at Costco
Costco sells Just Bare Lightly Breaded Chicken Breast Fillets for $16.99. The chicken sandwich patties can be found in the frozen aisles of the warehouse near other similar items such as the panko breaded chicken patties, spicy chicken sandwich, and the chicken strips.
The Just Bare Chicken Fillets are sold in 3 pound bags and will contain 11-12 Chicken Breast patties per bag. Each of the chicken sandwich fillets are made with full chicken breast pieces.
The chickens are also raised with no antibiotics ever, have no added hormones or steroids, and contain no artificial ingredients or preservatives.
The Just Bare Brand
This isn’t the only item that Just Bare has at Costco. They also have the ever popular Lightly Breaded Chicken Chunks which many consider to be the best chicken nugget option at Costco as well as a suitable copy cat of Chick-Fil-A’s chicken nuggets.
The Just Bare chicken chunks are hands down my favorite breaded chicken item at Costco, as they are also made with full chicken chunks and not chicken filling and have a top tier breading that is crispy, crunchy, and extremely flavorful.
Costco Cost Comparison
How Much Do The Chicken Sandwich Patties Cost at Costco?
The Just Bare Chicken Breast Fillets are sold in a 3 pound bag and cost $16.99 at Costco. This breaks down to a per pound price of $5.66.
This is slightly more expensive than their Just Bare Chicken Chunks Nuggets ($5/per pound) which are very similar but just in a different form.
I received 11 breaded chicken patties in my bag and each chicken patty fillet cost $1.55 each. Looking at the patty price, it seems a little more reasonable.
Costco Value
Compared to some of the other breaded chicken items or even a full on a chicken sandwich the Just Bare Chicken Sandwich Fillets offer some great value considering the quality.
On the low end the panko breaded chicken patties cost only $0.60 each, but are made with ground chicken and chicken pieces.
The La Boulangerie Chicken sandwich costs $2.16 each and will include the bread (which is great), but the patty on the smaller end at 3 ounces.
And a 3 ounce non breaded chicken patty made by AmyLu goes for $1.88.
Out of the Costco options, I consider the Just Bare chicken sandwich patties to be the best combination of quality and price.
I made 4 crispy chicken sandwiches to feed my family and in total is costs less than $10. That is going to be hard to beat.
Costco vs The Competition
Costco isn’t the only place to purchase the chicken fillets, some regular grocery stores will carry them.
From the two grocery stores that I checked that had the Just Bare chicken sandwich patties in stock, they were sold in 24 ounce bags for $14.99. This is a per pound price of $7.50 which is nearly 50% more than Costco’s price.
Spicy Option Available
Costco does win on price, which is expected, but the big difference is that the grocery stores will carry the original flavor as well as the spicy chicken patty fillets.
I’m not really sure the spicy chicken breast fillets are worth $2.50 more per pound, but that might be the price to pay if you want spicy.
Just Bare Chicken Sandwich Patty - Taste Test
Extra Crispy In The Air Fryer
I opted to heat the chicken sandwich fillets in the air fryer as that is usually the best option to create super crispy breaded chicken in a reasonably timely manner.
After cooking for 17 minutes per the directions, the breaded chicken breasts came out amazingly crispy, crunchy, and had a beautiful golden brown color.
Visually, the chicken breast fillets were exceptional.
Excellent Breading
The breading was super crispy as expected and also lived up to its lightly breaded name. The chicken fillets have the perfect amount of breading which gives it a nice crunch but still allows the chicken breasts to be the star of the show.
The flavor was on point, and the sandwich was not overly salty.
Great Chicken Breasts
The chicken breast fillet is what makes this breaded chicken patty so special. Just Bare doesn’t grind up their chicken and doesn’t use put together leftover pieces to form their patties.
They instead do it how it should be done, and use full chicken breast slices.
Exceptional Chicken Sandwich
The final product is a quality chicken breast fillet that is breaded properly and tastes great. The chicken is very moist and juicy and is fantastic for a frozen product. It’s going to be tough to find a better frozen chicken patty than this one.
Chick-Fil-A Chicken Sandwich Killer?
There is a lot of comparison between the Just Bare Nuggets and the Chick-Fil-A nuggets and the comparison is warranted. The Just Bare chicken sandwich fillets, while very very good, just don’t compare to a Chick-Fil-A chicken sandwich for me.
The breading is crispy and the chicken is great, but a Chick-Fil-A chicken sandwich is much better.
The Just Bare Chicken Sandwich fillets are an excellent home replacement at a great price, but won’t beat most store bought buns and definitely won’t beat out the oil fried chicken breast patty from Chick-Fil-A.
Costco Chicken Sandwich Fillet Cooking Directions
How to Cook Just Bare Chicken Breast Fillets
Just Bare offers three different cooking options for their chicken breast sandwich fillets. You can air fry them, bake them in the oven, or microwave them.
I will always opt for the air fryer option as it produces super crispy and crunchy breading and is much faster than heating in the oven.
Air Fryer
- Preheat the air fryer to 360°F.
- Place frozen chicken pieces in a basket in a single layer.
- Air Fry chicken for 17 minutes.
Conventional Oven
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Place frozen chicken pieces in a single layer on an ungreased baking pan.
- Bake uncovered for 15 minutes. TURN. Bake for an additional 15 minutes. Total time 30 minutes.
Microwave Oven (1000W)
- Place frozen chicken pieces in a single layer on a microwavable safe dish.
- Microwave on high for 3 minutes. Add 1 minute and 45 seconds for each additional chicken patty fillet.
- Let stand for 2 minutes before serving.
Nutritional Information and Calories
Lightly Breaded Chicken Breast Fillets
One serving is going to be one breaded chicken breast patty and will weigh approximately 118 grams or 4 ounces each.
Each chicken breast fillet will contain 210 calories coming from 8 grams of fat, 13 grams of carbs, and 22 grams of protein.
This is a fairly solid nutritional profile for a breaded chicken item. The carbs are kept in check, most likely due to the lighter breading, and the fat content is reasonable.
Additionally, the protein count of 22 grams is great, and I’m always happen to see the protein outnumber the combined fat and carbs.
Watch the Sodium
I will express some caution with the sodium content. Each breaded chicken sandwich patty will have 780mg of sodium or 34% of the daily recommended value.
This is fairly high considering the chicken patties are not the largest and you might have to either eat more than 1 or combine the meal with side dishes that will also have sodium.
Costco Chicken Sandwich Fillet Patties
Product Name: Just Bare LIghtly Breaded Chicken Breast Original Fillets
Product Description:
Price: $16.99
Quantity: 3 Pounds
Location Within Costco: Frozen Food Aisles
Price Per Pound: $5.66
Summary
Just Bare makes quality chicken products and their chicken sandwich fillet is no exception. They are extremely consistent and deserving of the spot at Costco.
The chicken breast filets taste great and are made with quality chicken. The price is on the higher end, but still reasonable for a DIY chicken sandwich. This is a must buy!
Overall
-
Value - 8/10
8/10
-
Convenience - 7/10
7/10
-
Taste - 10/10
10/10
-
Nutrition - 8/10
8/10
-
CFDB Score - 8/10
8/10
Pros
- Great chicken
- Crispy breading
Cons
- A little pricey
- High sodium
- Slightly long cook time
- Review Methodology
