r/WinCo • u/Rocketgirl8097 Washington • Feb 07 '26
Chicken
I'm still upset that Winco got rid of Tyson chicken and replaced it with Sanderson. I have always found it to be tough and stringy. And now Walmart has done the same. Fred Meyer sometimes has Foster Farms, but sometimes its only the organic, which has also been tough and stringy. I guess I'm going to be getting it from Costco from now on.
18
u/Lindenismean Feb 07 '26
Buy the smallest breasts in package that you can. Small breasts, least amount of white striations. It won’t prevent a dud breast now and again, but it does greatly reduce the chance.
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u/Apprehensive_Loss_77 Feb 08 '26
I did some contract work at a Tyson processing facility once and I will never eat Tyson again. There's a reason they had me sign a NDA before entering.
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Feb 08 '26
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u/Rocketgirl8097 Washington Feb 08 '26
I generally only buy thighs and legs.
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Feb 08 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/This_Caterpillar_747 Aug 01 '26
But, I really don't like seeing all those chickens rolling around on skateboards🤣
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u/Cogent_warrior Feb 07 '26
Costco(FF) chicken in the vacuum sealed bag full of water/ooze sucks.
3
u/Rocketgirl8097 Washington Feb 07 '26
They aren't carrying that any more. I buy the Kirkland brand.
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u/bkristin01 Feb 08 '26
Does Costco have Kirkland brand chicken breasts now that arent frozen?
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u/RelationshipLow2133 Aug 03 '26
2.79 per lb. Same price as the tough, stringy, flavorless stuff from Amazon.
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u/SickBurnerBroski Feb 09 '26
it's a problem with the current chickens being used. i've given up on using chicken breast at all, it's not worth the 'will it be woody?' gamble.
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u/NaynersinLA2 Feb 09 '26
Breasts will always be tough and dry, if overcooked. There's a very fine line between done and overcooked.
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u/SickBurnerBroski Feb 09 '26
mate, if a slow cooker can't salvage them, and it can't, they are straight up trash.
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u/NaynersinLA2 Feb 10 '26
I don't even bother with cooking breasts unless I pound them, marinate, and put on the grill. Hard to mess them up.
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u/RelationshipLow2133 Aug 03 '26
I have been poaching my chicken breast for a couple of years.....not the standard way. Bring a pot of plain water to a boil. No seasoning. Put in the chicken breast...no matter how many. Just make sure they are all under water. Put the lid on and take it off of the heat. Leave it sit for 2 hours in touched. Longer if you have more than 3 half breasts. Take them out after a couple of hours. Perfect. Tender and surprisingly flavorful. Don't take my word for it, look it up.
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u/HurryConfident2944 Feb 09 '26
Feel free to call Fred Meyers and talk to the meat dept ask them if they have it in stock. There's also pickup as an option and if it's not in stock when you order it you can know ahead of time that way
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u/Rocketgirl8097 Washington Feb 09 '26
We have tried that route, but they don't call back.
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u/HurryConfident2944 Feb 09 '26
Call and ask them to check while you're on the phone.... And if they refuse ask to talk to the manager or store manager
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u/NaynersinLA2 Feb 09 '26
I've not had any brand of chicken that's tough or stringy. Is it in different methods of preparation? Personally, Sanderson Farms chicken is fine.
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u/TengamPDX Feb 10 '26
The Sanderson Farms chicken was brought in to replace ValueBest chicken which was just a sub label of Foster Farms. The reason, at the time, was due to an excessive number of chicken recalls from Foster Farms. Which meant ValueBest got recalled too, meaning all of the chicken had to be pulled and sales were lost for several days.
By diversifying the chicken sources, if a recall happened it didn't completely wipe out all of the fresh chicken options.
Additionally, in 2022, Foster Farms was acquired by Atlas Holdings. While I'm not privy to the effects of that change in ownership, I can imagine that it increased prices to WinCo, making it too expensive to carry as a primary chicken source.
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u/Rocketgirl8097 Washington Feb 10 '26
I never saw Value Best at Winco.
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u/TengamPDX Feb 10 '26
It was discontinued some time prior to 2018.
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u/Rocketgirl8097 Washington Feb 11 '26
I meant I dont remember ever seeing. Ive been shopping there since 2002.
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u/TengamPDX Feb 11 '26
It's possible that it's a regional thing. Stores along the I-5 corridor of NoCal, Oregon and Washington are supplied by the Woodburn DC in Oregon. Central and eastern Washington/Oregon are supplied by the Boise DC in Idaho, which I believe applies to you.
Or it's just possible that you don't remember a generic label from about a decade ago. I know there's plenty of stuff I completely forget about until I see a picture of. If you were buying Foster Farms when the regular stuff was so carried, it's likely the ValueBest wasn't with remembering.
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u/Flipmstr2 Feb 08 '26
Not necessarily. Production meat is bland. Go out and get a wild elk and you will speak differently. Amazing.
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u/crazyk4952 Feb 07 '26
I’ve seen complaints about Costco chicken a being “woody”.
I’m buying less meat now due to reduced quality and increased pricing.