Kirkwood Crispy Chicken Strips (Aldi Blue Bag Chicken)

EDITOR’S NOTE: We originally reviewed these chicken strips in 2020. We bought them again in 2025 and updated this review. 

Aldi chicken had a moment back in 2020. Fans on social media raved about the “red bag chicken,” also known as Kirkwood Breaded Chicken Breast Fillets.

But Aldi sells more than just “red bag chicken.” The grocer’s frozen breaded chicken selection also includes a range of chicken tenders, chicken strips, and chicken patties in various flavors.

Here, we’re taking a look at one of our favorites among the Aldi chicken tender options: the crispy chicken strips.

Kirkwood Crispy Chicken Strips cost $6.99 for a 25-ounce bag when we most recently reviewed them in 2025, or around 28 cents per ounce. They were $4.95 for a 25-ounce bag when we first reviewed them in 2020.

Because Aldi fans on social media often like to refer to Aldi chicken by the color of the bags, this is also known as the “blue bag chicken.”

It’s a Regular Buy, which means it’s in stores year round.

This chicken consists of frittered white meat chicken. It is fully cooked.

Ingredients are white meat chicken, wheat flour, water, and 2% or less or salt, dextrose, spices, rice flour, vinegar, lemon juice concentrate, garlic powder, corn starch, extractives of paprika, extractives or paprika and annatto, natural flavor, and xanthan gum.

If you’re watching out for allergens, this contains wheat.

One bag contains about eight 3-oz. servings. One serving has 190 calories, 7 grams of total fat (9% DV), 1 gram of saturated fat (6% DV), 630 mg of sodium (27% DV), 20 grams of total carbohydrates (7% DV), 1 gram of total sugars, 1 gram of added sugars (1% DV), and 12 grams of protein.

The package has directions for heating the chicken strips in a conventional oven or microwave.

To bake it, preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the frozen chicken strips on a baking sheet. Heat 18-25 minutes.

To microwave, place frozen chicken strips on a microwave-safe plate. Heat uncovered on high for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Let stand 1-2 minutes before serving.

The 2020 package also had instructions for deep frying. Heat oil to 350 degrees. Fry the frozen chicken strips for 3-5 minutes.

This chicken turns out great no matter how you heat it. My family prefers it air fried. There are no air fryer instructions on the bag, but we usually air fry a couple of servings at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes, or until the breading is crispy. Sometimes I bake it, freeing up my air fryer to make fries to accompany our meal. I only microwave it if I’m in a hurry because it turns out less crispy that way.

The chicken has crispy breading and tender meat on the inside, and it’s good enough that my kids sometimes request it as their special birthday meal. We also like to throw a bag of these in the cooler to take on trips when we stay in a rental house or a cabin with a kitchen stocked with cookware, since it’s easy to find a baking sheet in a cabinet and heat these in the oven.

These chicken strips are also a fantastic way to showcase many Aldi dipping sauces, from Burman’s specialty BBQ sauces to good old ranch, or just basic ketchup and mustard. So don’t forget your sauce when you go shopping at Aldi.

If you want something a little different, you can also serve these atop a garden salad for a restaurant-quality meal.

While the bag says it feeds about eight people, my family of four usually eats an entire bag of these chicken strips in one meal, so plan accordingly.

The Verdict:

Kirkwood Crispy Chicken Strips, also known among Aldi fans on social media as “blue bag chicken,” is a family favorite. It cooks easily and quickly in the oven, microwave, or air fryer, and it features crisp outer breading and tender white meat chicken inside. Serve with your favorite dipping sauces, or top a salad with them for a meal that’s as good as any restaurant’s.