The Costco Street Taco Kit is a reliable, easy to fix dinner solution that we enjoy quite a bit at our house.
Keep reading and we will cover how to heat things up so they are extra tasty as well as raising awareness about the one big issue you might run into!
Cooking Instructions
The tacos are fully cooked and, technically, are ready to eat. That being said, we are not savages and can do much better than opening up he lid and bobbing for tacos!
At the very least you will want to heat up the chicken and tortillas in the microwave before making the tacos but they will be even better if you use two pans on the stove top.
- Heat pan number 1, a ten inch skillet, over Medium heat until warm.
- Add a tortilla to the pan and cook for 3 minutes per side. You want to cook the tortilla until it is slightly browned and “poofy”.
- Repeat for each tortilla as needed.
- While you are toasting the tortillas in the first pan add the chicken to a second pan and cook over Medium heat.
- Let the chicken warm through and then add a half cup of water or chicken stock.
- Place a lid on the pan, reduce the heat to Low and let the chicken gently simmer for five minutes to soak up the moisture.
Assemble the tacos with the toasted tortillas, warmed chicken and other toppings of choice.
Costco Chicken Street Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 tray Costco Chicken Street Tacos
- 2 tbsp Cooking Oil
- 1/2 cup Chicken Stock
Instructions
- Remove the chicken from the tray and add to a sauce pan with the chicken stock.
- Simmer the chicken in the stock over Medium Low heat while you prepare the tortillas.
- Place a teaspoon of cooing oil in a skillet and warm over Medium Heat.
- Add a tortilla to the skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes per side until the tortillas is browned and puffy but not crisp.
- Remove the sauce pan containing the chicken from the stove.
- Assemble the tacos with the lettuce/cabbage on the bottom topped by the warm chicken, shredded cheese and salsa of choice.
Notes
Use unique toppings
Play around with different toppings to add a burst of flavor. Consider using pickled vegetables, coleslaw or mango salsa.Add a variety of sauces
Switch up your sauces to elevate the flavor profile of your chicken tacos. You can try homemade sauces like chipotle mayo, cilantro-lime crema, or experiment with different store-bought sauces like teriyaki, hoisin, or gochujang.Use different types of cheese
Instead of using the usual shredded cheese, try using different types of cheese to add depth to the tacos. Experiment with crumbled queso fresco, tangy goat cheese, or creamy Boursin cheese for a unique twist.Incorporate unconventional ingredients
Get creative with your taco fillings by incorporating unconventional ingredients. For example, you can add grilled pineapple for a burst of sweetness, or roasted butternut squash for a touch of earthiness.Add contrasting textures
Consider adding contrasting textures to your chicken tacos to make them more interesting. You can add crispy elements like toasted nuts, crushed tortilla chips, or crispy fried onion to contrast with the tender chicken and fresh veggies.Calories in the Tacos
One taco is a single serving and has the following nutritional information:
- Calories: 190
- Fat: 7g
- Cholesterol: 35mg
- Sodium: 580mg
- Carbohydrates: 20g
- Protein: 12g
Obviously the calories, etc are going to depend on how much you stuff the taco. For example, you will get fewer calories and fat if you just use the salsa and skip the cilantro lime crema.
You can find the nutritional information for the tacos, and all of the other take and bake deli meals, posted at the kiosk where you order party platters from Costco’s catering menu.
Taste Test!
This is all going to depend upon what you are used to as well as your expectations of a store prepped meal. I could rant all day about how these tacos are not as good as the ones I got from a food truck in South Texas but that isn’t really helpful, especially since I haven’t been to South Texas in over ten years.
I’ll give the tacos a solid 7 out of 10.
The chicken is nicely seasoned, the slaw is crisp, flavorful and provides nice textural contrast. The mix of flavors you get when you combine the salsa and cilantro lime crema is delightful.
Sure, you could make better if you started from scratch or went out to a great Mexican restaurant but that’s not the point. We are buying these because we don’t have time to start from scratch and don’t want to pay $50 to go out to dinner.
This is a perfectly acceptable, easy to prepare weeknight dinner that we enjoy.
The One Problem With the Taco Kit
There is a running joke on the Costco fans groups on Facebook that says, “You are not really a member of Costco until the Street Taco tray falls apart in the parking lot and you dump the food all over the pavement.”
Seriously, the clamshell packaging for the taco kit is completely unreliable. Of course, as long as you know that the packaging is awful you can do things to prevent a taco disaster.
The top tip I found for dealing with the packaging is to swing by the meat counter and grab one of those orange plastic bags that is supposed to prevent meat juices from contaminating your groceries. Put the taco tray into the orange plastic bag so that if it does come apart then all of the ingredients will be caught in the bag.
Another tip I found was, if you know that you will be buying these tacos then bring a few rubber bands with you to the store and wrap them around the tray to secure the lid.
Ingredients
The taco kit comes with:
- A dozen tortillas
- Seasoned breast meat chicken
- Cabbage based Cole slaw
- Shredded cheese
- Four lime wedges
- One container of Cilantro Lime Crema
- One container of Salsa
The tortillas are not gluten free as the tortillas are made from a combination of corn and flour. Because the tortillas are a corn/flour mix they have some of the great flavor of a corn tortilla while being less prone to falling apart than a corn tortilla.
Some folks love the tortillas and other folks are not so fond of them. Regardless of which camp you fall in, everyone agrees that the tortillas really should be heated up prior to use.
Extra Condiments You Can Add to the Tacos
You don’t need to limit your tacos to what comes in the kit. Some other items you can add to the spread include:
- Pickled Red Onions
- Pickled or Fresh Jalapenos
- Diced Sweet Onions
- Diced or Sliced Avocado or Guacamole
- Thin Sliced Radishes
- Cotija Cheese
- Fresh Cilantro
- Diced Tomatoes
You can use the ingredients in the taco kit as a base and go to town dressing your tacos up in style!
Price
The Street Tacos are Item Number 11545 and are found in the refrigerated deli case with the other Take and Bake prepared meals.
The taco kit currently costs $5.49 per pound. There is a little under three pounds of food per try so expect to pay around $15 for the full container.
From a value standpoint this meal is a mixed package. On one hand it is awesome to have a meal kit put together that will easily feed a family of four for $15. On the flip side, you will be paying $5.49 for Cole slaw, shredded cheese, lime wedges and salsa which seems pretty danged expensive to me.
If you have the time then you could stretch your budget by purchasing a Costco rotisserie chicken and then heading to a regular grocery store to buy the rest of the fixings. Here is a great recipe to follow from Cooking Classy to make your own chicken tacos from scratch.
Other Taco Kit Questions
Is the chicken spicy?
No, the chicken is well seasoned but I would not consider it to be spicy. There is enough seasoning to make the chicken flavorful but not so much that kids wouldn’t like it. The chicken is much better if you heat it in the microwave before making the tacos.
Can you buy the sauces at Costco?
Yes and no. The taco kit comes with two containers of sauces which include:
- Red Salsa
- Cilantro Lime Crema
The Cilantro Lime Crema is made by Don Pancho and is seasonally available through Costco as a two pack. If the sauce is in stock it will be in the refrigerated section near the hummus.
Employees who work in the food prep area have stated that the salsa is not the Kirkland Organic Salsa and is not available in the store. There is considerable agreement among fans of this taco kit that the salsa is very similar to Mateos Gourmet Salsa (which is usually in stock).
How many people will the kit feed?
That’s a tough question. You get a little under three pounds of food in the tray but figure that at least one pound is in the form of sauces and limes.
You can get away with feeding a family of four with this kit as long as you don’t have any ravenous teenagers at the table.
If you have more than four people to feed then buy two trays and be prepared to have some leftovers.
Tasty!
Nice!
Warm the tortillas by putting them directly on the grate of your gas stove’s medium flame. Using tongs, flip them a few times, letting them sit for only a few seconds between each flip. As they start to bubble with air pockets, they’re done, move onto the next one. The little bit of char with the warm tortilla are definitely flavor boosters.
I love this kit, this review is spot on!