5 of My Favorite Ways to Cook With Aldi’s Popular Red Bag Chicken

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On my weekly shopping runs to Aldi, I’m always on the lookout for one item. Technically it’s named Kirkwood Breaded Chicken Breast Fillets, but any Aldi fanatic will know it simply as Red Bag Chicken, or RBC. Red Bag Chicken has developed a cult following over recent years, including a Facebook group of devotees that boasts over 22,000 members.

RBC’s popularity means it goes in and out of stock, so whenever I see it in the freezer aisle, I stock up on 3-4 bags at a time. The fillets are easy to heat up in the oven or the air fryer; the breading is light; the meat isn’t greasy; and it’s nicely seasoned. It’s an easy win with both parents and kids! With that in mind, here are a few of my favorite ways to use Red Bag Chicken.

One of RBC’s most popular uses is to recreate a certain fast food fried chicken sandwich. I’m not going for a strictly accurate recreation, which is good, because RBC allows for some flexibility in building your own fried chicken sandwiches. Two favorite combinations include putting the chicken on a toasted Aldi brioche bun with lettuce, pickles, and mayo, or with a slice of sharp cheddar, an over-medium fried egg, and a generous dash of Frank’s RedHot.

I used to love it when my mom would get premade Chicken Cordon Bleu patties from Gordon Food Service. The rich combination of breaded chicken fillets, ham, Swiss cheese, and Dijon always felt so comforting. And now I can easily recreate it with RBC, either plated or in sandwich form.  For the sandwiches, I’ll use the same Aldi brioche buns, add a smear of Dijon and maybe a little mayo, then layer chicken, sliced ham, and Swiss cheese. While the cutlets aren’t thick enough to stuff with ham and cheese, you can stack them on a sheet pan and bake just until the cheese is melted.

Another family favorite is chicken parmesan. Red Bag Chicken makes the dish easy to assemble, and wonderfully flexible. I’ll start with al dente spaghetti, rigatoni, penne, maybe even some of The Sporkful’s cascatelli, then layer on a jar of Aldi’s Priano marinara or tomato basil sauce, a few chicken fillets, cover with cheese, then bake in the oven until it’s lightly browned.

I love doing a build-your-own salad night, where we assemble big bowls of mixed greens then let every family member craft their own dinner. When we can, we like to incorporate some sort of protein to elevate the salads to entrée-level, and sliced RBC fillets always wins over the crowd. One of my favorite concoctions blends mixed greens, chopped bacon, hard boiled eggs, sliced carrots, diced bell peppers, long slices of Red Bag Chicken fillets, and a poppyseed dressing.

Given my work as a food and travel writer with a focus on breakfast, a brunch favorite like chicken and waffles is often in rotation. I’ll make golden, crispy Belgian-style waffles in the waffle maker, pair them with RBC chicken fillets, and serve with my ideal combo of real maple syrup and Frank’s RedHot.