You can find hot and fresh rotisserie chicken in just about every grocery store in America.
However, rotisserie chickens are not all created equal.
Where should you go?
Here is our ranking of the best grocery store rotisserie chickens, from worst to best.
Like many items at Walmart, the only really good thing about the big-box chain's rotisserie
chickens is that they're cheap.
You can usually get one for less than $5, but if you care about anything other than
the price tag, you should stay far away.
First of all, the rotisserie chickens at Walmart are always fatty, and no one enjoys taking
a big bite of chicken and being forced to swallow a mouthful of chicken fat.
Secondly, you'll never know the true status of your chicken until you get home.
Sometimes, they are overcooked and the meat is dry.
At other times, and even more distressingly, a Walmart rotisserie chicken can be undercooked.
You don't want to slice into it and be met with pink, uncooked meat.
The convenience factor will be out of the window if you're forced to pop the bird into
your oven in order to finish cooking it.
Finally, maybe to mask some of their shortcomings, Walmart puts a ton of salt on their chickens.
Much more than rotisserie chickens at other grocery stores, in fact.
And while they do have a lemon pepper version, that one is almost always over seasoned, so
do yourself a favor and stay away from that one as well.
You will really want to like the rotisserie chicken you buy from Whole Foods, as their
chickens are organic, free-range, and free of hormones.
However, there's one big problem: they don't taste good.
Or, more specifically, there isn't much taste at all.
Whole Foods rotisserie chickens are like biting into an old, worn out piece of rubber.
There's a slight chicken smell, but that's about the extent of the chicken flavoring
you can expect.
Another problem with the rotisserie chicken at Whole Foods is the cost.
Considering some grocery stores use rotisserie chicken as a loss leader to draw in customers,
you can almost always find good deals.
However, that's not the case at Whole Foods, even after Amazon bought the company and lowered
the prices of their rotisserie chicken.
So, unless you really value the fact that their chicken is organic and responsibly raised,
you should go elsewhere for rotisserie chicken that actually tastes good.
The largest supermarket chain in the United States, Kroger is basically the Walmart of
grocery stores.
That comparison holds true when it comes to their rotisserie chickens, too.
While their chicken is cheap, it's also not anyone's idea of quality.
Like the Walmart rotisserie chicken, Kroger's version can sometimes be overcooked or undercooked.
And while they don't seem as salty and their chicken is less fatty, their rotisserie chicken
can sometimes actually be too skinny.
While chicken fat is gross, it's also frustrating to be searching for meat inside of a bony
bird.
The meat you do find will taste better than the Walmart version, but sometimes that meat
can be scarce.
"He wouldn't make more than a mouthful, not when he's skinned and boned!"
Another thing to watch out for is freshness when shopping for a rotisserie chicken at
Kroger.
If you aren't careful, you can buy an old chicken.
Always check the date before putting it into your cart.
Stop & Shop has tasty rotisserie chicken, for the most part.
The meat is juicy, flavorful, and will usually leave you with a smile on your face.
There is a problem, though, and it's the skin of their rotisserie chickens.
At Stop & Shop, you'll either find that the skin is too slimy, or too burnt, and either
of those is enough to ruin any rotisserie chicken.
This flaw really is a shame because otherwise, the rotisserie chickens here would be much,
much better overall.
If you really want a rotisserie chicken from Stop & Shop, don't buy their original flavor.
They usually have an alternate flavor depending on the time of year, like their Applewood
Smoked rotisserie chicken.
Their limited edition chickens tend to have better tasting skin, which makes all the difference.
Some of the best rotisserie chicken that can be found in the United States used to come
from Fairway Market.
Unfortunately, they changed things up recently and now, it's just not the same.
Their rotisserie chicken is still edible, for sure, but all the flavors are just much
more generic than they used to be only a couple of years ago.
Fairway Market's decision is especially disappointing due to all the options they have when it comes
to rotisserie chicken.
You can find Latin Style, Herb, Lemon Garlic, and other flavors.
You can also opt to pay more and go with an organic chicken.
If you're in the store already, it's worth picking up a rotisserie chicken, they're not
horrible, just don't expect it to taste the same if you haven't purchased one in a while.
Of the available flavors, you can't go wrong with a Latin Style rotisserie chicken.
It's unique and some of that Latin flavor will help drown out your sadness that Fairway
Market rotisserie chicken isn't what it once was.
"I…sad."
"Is that your official statement?"
Safeway's rotisserie chicken may surprise you.
While they call it a Traditional Whole Roasted Chicken, there's nothing traditional about
the taste.
It actually has a sweet, orangey flavor, almost to the point that it tastes like orange chicken
you'd order at a Chinese restaurant.
Why would that be the case?
Look at the ingredients and you'll notice that Safeway's "traditional" rotisserie chicken
has brown sugar, white sugar, corn syrup solids, and citric acid.
While this is a tasty rotisserie chicken option, don't be surprised by the sweet flavor that
will hit your taste buds on your first bite.
If you like a sweet, citrusy flavoring, you'll love the birds at Safeway.
But if you just want a chicken that tastes like chicken, go somewhere else for a truly
traditional taste.
And if you're picking up a rotisserie chicken for later use in casseroles and other dishes,
know that the flavor of this one might not meld too well with some of those recipes.
But, the good news?
You don't have to worry about getting an old rotisserie chicken at Safeway, because they
clearly label the time when the chicken was prepared.
There is a lot to like about the rotisserie chickens at Publix.
They have a wide variety of options, the price is reasonable, and their birds are always
hot and fresh.
However, two things hold Publix from rising higher in the rankings.
First of all, they are often sold out unless you happen to be there at the right moment.
Not having access to them regularly definitely takes them down a notch.
Secondly, they offer a BBQ flavor rotisserie chicken that is, frankly lacking.
The barbecue sauce they use is overbearingly sweet and has an artificial smoke aftertaste
that ruins it.
But on the positive side, the other types of rotisserie chicken available here are all
tasty.
In addition to the original, Publix has Lemon Pepper, Maple Bourbon, and Mojo.
If you don't know which one to select, go with the Mojo version, which is highlighted
by a delightful combination of lime and garlic flavors.
If you like your rotisserie chickens big and chunky, Smart & Final is where you should
shop.
Flavor-wise, these birds are in the middle of the pack.
The meat isn't extraordinarily juicy, but it also isn't detrimentally dry, either.
It's also good to know that their rotisserie chicken is always fully cooked, so you won't
have the unfortunate surprise of cutting into pink chicken meat.
The bottom line when it comes to Smart & Final chicken is you'll get a lot of really good,
but not great, meat with a quality that you can depend on.
If you're looking for a healthy option when shopping for rotisserie chicken, head to ShopRite.
Their chicken is hormone-free, cage-free, and fed a vegetarian diet.
On top of all that, the chicken actually tastes really good.
While their Original is flavorful enough to recommend, ShopRite really shines when it
comes to their Barbecue version.
It's not too sweet and not too smoky, with just enough barbecue goodness to have you
licking your fingers.
You won't even need to dip it in barbecue sauce, as it's perfect as-is.
ShopRite partners with Perdue Farms, one of the most well-known names in poultry and a
company with revenue topping $6 billion, so you can be confident in their birds.
The partnership has created one of the best rotisserie chicken options on the market.
While Sam's Club is owned by Walmart, don't be confused and think that their rotisserie
chickens are of the same quality.
The rotisserie chicken you find at Sam's Club blows Walmart's abomination out of the water.
The chicken here is really tasty, the flavors pop, and the consistency is something you
can always rely on.
Sam's Club first marinates their chicken and then seasons it with Lawry's Seasoning, and
if your favorite part of rotisserie chicken is eating off the skin, Sam's Club is where
you should go to get yourself a plate of delectable chicken skin.
And everyone else you live with won't be upset, as the meat retains a lot of the flavor.
To make matters better, Sam's Club actually uses poultry that is hormone-free, steroid-free,
MSG-free, gluten-free, and has no artificial colors or flavors.
Plus, the cost of their rotisserie chicken is always very competitive, usually about
the same price as Walmart's, but it's around twice the size.
If all you care about when it comes to rotisserie chicken is the juiciness of the meat, WinCo
is going to be your paradise.
In WinCo's often-overlooked deli section, you can find rotisserie chicken of various
flavors.
Not only are all the flavors worth your money, they are all extra, extra juicy.
If you don't know which flavor to go with, try the Garlic Pepper.
Don't worry, neither the garlic nor the pepper takes away from the flavor of the chicken,
they simply combine to add just the right amount of kick to your meal.
While WinCo is definitely a no-frills store, in fact, they don't even accept credit cards,
don't assume that the blandness of their stores will mean their rotisserie chicken is equally
as bland.
It's actually quite the opposite.
"Mmm!
Delicioso!"
"Can you say delicioso?"
Sprouts Farmers Market's rotisserie chickens have a freshness that can't be beat.
Maybe it's their humanely raised chicken that is antibiotic-free and hormone-free.
Maybe they just know how to lock in the freshness during the cooking process.
Regardless of the cause, the result can be tasted in every bite of their chicken.
While Sprouts Farmers Market has a handful of flavors, the two that are head and shoulders
above the rest are the Herb Seasoned Roasted Chicken and the Unseasoned Roasted Chicken.
The herb flavoring is immaculate in the former, while the latter is the perfect chicken to
buy if you simply want your chicken to taste like chicken, or if you are using the meat
in another recipe and you don't want any added flavoring.
When it comes to rotisserie chicken, Costco is king.
They've become a favorite of people all across the nation, and the numbers do the talking
for them: Costco sold 91 million rotisserie chickens in 2018 alone.
Costco's three-pound birds are big enough to feed a whole family, and tasty enough to
satisfy even the pickiest of eaters.
Bonus?
When other competitors have raised prices on their rotisserie chickens in recent years,
they have stayed committed to their $4.99 price tag.
You just can't beat their value.
In fact, Costco loses money on their rotisserie chickens, but that doesn't bother them one
bit because they know those chickens are tasty enough, and cheap enough, to get you in the
door to load up on other things.
Heading into the future, Costco isn't slowing down when it comes to chicken.
They are, instead, ramping things up.
A $450 million chicken complex in the state of Nebraska is making sure that their quality
stays high and their prices stay right at $4.99, and not a penny more.
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