We Asked 6 Chefs About Their Favorite Grocery Store Rotisserie Chickens, and They Didn’t Agree

There are few grocery store shortcuts as useful as a rotisserie chicken. For around the price of an uncooked bird, you can walk out of the store with dinner already made. Eat it straight from the container with a couple of sides, or pull the meat off the bones and use it for everything from chicken salad and tacos to soups and casseroles.

Of course, not every grocery store rotisserie chicken is created equal. Some are juicy with nicely roasted skin, while others can be dry, overly salty or so heavily seasoned that they’re harder to repurpose for another meal. And with seemingly every major supermarket and warehouse club selling its own version, deciding where to buy one isn’t necessarily as obvious as it sounds.

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We asked six chefs to name their favorite grocery store rotisserie chicken and explain what makes it better than the others they’ve tried. Their answers touched on everything from seasoning and texture to ingredients, freshness and versatility.

The chefs didn’t unanimously agree on one store, but there was a clear favorite. In fact, half independently chose the same place—and their reasons might have you reconsidering where you pick up your next rotisserie chicken.

The Purist’s Pick: Why 3 Chefs Chose Whole Foods

Whole Foods earned the most votes for best rotisserie chicken with three of our six experts naming it their favorite. Its Organic Classic Rotisserie Chicken keeps things simple with organic chicken, organic black pepper and sea salt.

That was one reason Adam Gallagher, co-founder and recipe developer at Inspired Taste, chose it. “The chicken itself is flavorful without being overly seasoned, which I really appreciate,” he says.

Shawna Clark, founder, recipe developer and chef at Healthy Foodie Girl, had a similar take. “I love that it tastes like delicious, seasoned roasted chicken with such a simple ingredient list,” she says.

The chefs were fans of the texture as well. Gallagher describes the meat as “juicy and tender” and says the skin gets “the perfect roasted flavor.” Chef Shari Lynne Robins, owner of SHARIGATO in Charlotte, North Carolina, praised its “tender and juicy” meat and “crispy golden-brown skin.”

Whole Foods also works well if you’re buying a rotisserie chicken to use in another recipe. Gallagher uses it to save time when making chicken pot pie, while Clark uses it in salads, sandwiches, soups, wraps and casseroles.

Related: 5 Chefs Reveal the Best Frozen Pizzas They Actually Buy Themselves

The Dependable Favorite: What Sam’s Club Gets Right

Sam’s Club earned two votes from our experts. Chef Phillip Dewayne of Park + Cherry at Dixon Gallery and Gardens says consistency is what keeps him coming back. “The chicken is always well-seasoned, juicy and has that nicely roasted skin you want from a rotisserie chicken,” he says. “It also has enough flavor to eat on its own without needing to dress it up.”

Executive chef and food blogger Dennis Littley, better known as Chef Dennis of Ask Chef Dennis, picked Sam’s Club as well, with Publix coming in second. “A good rotisserie chicken has to be flavorful and well-seasoned, but most importantly, the meat needs to stay juicy and tender,” he says. “Sam’s Club consistently delivers on that, and it’s also a great value for the size of the chicken.”

Dewayne appreciates the seasoning for another reason. Because it’s savory and balanced, he can pull the meat and use it for chicken salad, soups, pasta, tacos or a quick dinner without the original seasoning taking over the dish. As Dewayne puts it, Sam’s Club is “simple, dependable and flavorful, which is exactly what a good rotisserie chicken should be.”

The Freshness Factor: Costco’s Unexpected Advantage

Costco only received one vote, from Chef Michael Feker, chef, restaurateur and founder of Il Mito. Surprisingly, it wasn’t the warehouse club’s famously low price or large chickens that won him over. It was how quickly Costco sells them.

“What matters to me is turnover,” Feker says. “They move a tremendous number of chickens, which means you have a much better chance of getting one that has just come off the rotisserie rather than one that has been sitting, drying out or repeatedly held hot.”

Overseasoning is one of Feker’s biggest complaints with grocery store rotisserie chickens. Instead, he likes to add his own finishing touches at home. He squeezes fresh lemon juice over the chicken, rubs it lightly with olive oil, and adds the squeezed lemon and a few sprigs of fresh rosemary to the cavity. Then, he puts the chicken in a 500°F oven for about four to five minutes.

“That blast of heat wakes everything back up, releases the rosemary oils, brightens the chicken with acidity and refreshes the exterior,” Feker says.

Related: The 11 Best French Groceries to Buy at Costco (and 3 to Skip)

The Warning Label: Are Supermarket Chickens Injected With Sodium?

Some supermarket chickens do contain added solutions, but they’re not necessarily injected. According to the USDA, solutions can be added to poultry through methods including marinating, basting, injecting and vacuum tumbling.

There’s also a distinction between an added solution and water absorbed during processing. Poultry can take on water while being chilled, which the USDA classifies as retained water rather than an added ingredient.

Sodium levels can differ considerably from one rotisserie chicken to another too. Whole Foods, for example, lists 300 milligrams of sodium per 3-ounce serving of its Organic Classic Rotisserie Chicken. Its Organic Plain Rotisserie Chicken contains just 55 milligrams per 3-ounce serving. If you’re watching your sodium intake, it’s worth comparing the nutrition labels and ingredient lists before choosing a chicken.

How Long Does Rotisserie Chicken Last in the Fridge?

Rotisserie chicken doesn’t have a particularly long shelf life once you bring it home. According to the USDA, cooked chicken should be eaten within three to four days when stored in a refrigerator at 40°F or below.

If you won’t finish it in time, you can freeze the leftovers instead. Just don’t wait until they’ve already been sitting in the refrigerator for a week—the USDA recommends freezing cooked chicken within that same three-to-four-day window.

It’s also not a good idea to use smell alone to decide whether leftover chicken is safe to eat. Harmful bacteria don’t necessarily change the smell, taste or appearance of food, so chicken can seem perfectly normal even when it’s no longer safe. Keeping track of how long it’s been in the fridge is more reliable than giving it a sniff a few days later.

Final Thoughts

Even chefs don’t cook everything from scratch, and a store-bought rotisserie chicken is one shortcut they’re happy to take. With plenty of options sitting under the heat lamps, though, it pays to be a little picky about which bird you bring home.

Sources:

• Adam Gallagher is the co-founder and recipe developer at Inspired Taste.
• Shawna Clark is the founder, recipe developer and chef at Healthy Foodie Girl.
• Chef Shari Lynne Robins is the chef and owner of SHARIGATO.
• Chef Phillip Dewayne is the chef at Park + Cherry at Dixon Gallery and Gardens.
• Dennis Littley (Chef Dennis) is an executive chef and food blogger at Ask Chef Dennis.
• Chef Michael Feker is a chef, restaurateur and founder of Il Mito.

Related: We Asked 3 Chefs the Best Thing To Make With Canned Pinto Beans, and They All Said the Same Thing