I Asked 5 Chefs for the Best Rotisserie Chicken, and They All Said the Same Thing

It was a signature of Julia Child and continues to be a staple for Ina Garten, Chef John, and countless home cooks: roast chicken. The quintessential Sunday night dinner is comforting and often asks for less than 20 minutes of prep time, however, it’s the cooking time that often stands between us and roasting our own birds more often. We don’t know about you, but sitting around for more than an hour for chicken to cook isn’t always something we can (or want to) swing.

This is where a store-bought rotisserie chicken can come to the rescue. Just as versatile as a home-cooked bird—and often just about as affordable as purchasing frozen chicken to roast ourselves—rotisserie chickens are one of Allrecipes editors’ go-to weeknight dinner staples. Quick, easy, satisfying, and with no dishes to clean up after? Sold. 

It’s clear we’re not alone: Americans purchase about 950 million rotisserie chickens per year, according to estimates from the National Chicken Council. We’re investing in a lot of rotisserie chickens, but from where? Are we missing out on the best of the best by overlooking certain places that sell top-notch protein?

We tapped poultry-loving chefs from coast to coast to dish about what they look for in the best rotisserie chickens, how they use them, and where they buy their birds. Turns out, they all only give a cluck about one brand—it’s the same one that came out on top of our team’s grocery store rotisserie chicken taste tests.

Our Panel of Rotisserie Chicken-Judging Chefs

• Anthony Castro, executive chef at Palmetto Marriott Resort & Spa in Palmetto, Florida
• Sonny Pache, executive chef at The Guild House in Columbus, Ohio
• Michelle Rounsaville, chef-owner of My Michelle’s in Oxford, Mississippi
• Jacob Schroeder, chef-owner of Crafted Food Services and Moxie Kitchen + Events in Des Moines, Iowa
• Peter Som, a New York City-based award-winning fashion designer, culinary creator, lifestyle expert, and the author of the upcoming cookbook “Family Style”

Qualities of the Best Rotisserie Chicken

Nearly every grocery chain, a handful of restaurants, and most warehouse stores sell rotisserie chickens. When searching for the best of the best, our chefs look for a bird that is:

• Cooked evenly. “Some stores have rotisseries with hot spots, and some of the chickens can get pretty dark and overcooked,” confirms Jacob Schroeder, chef-owner of Crafted Food Services and Moxie Kitchen + Events in Des Moines, Iowa. The best rotisserie chickens rock a caramelized skin that’s fairly evenly golden from breast to wing. If it looks dark, wrinkly, or is exhibiting any other signs that it might be overcooked, steer clear, suggests Sonny Pache, executive chef at The Guild House in Columbus, Ohio.
• Has juicy and tender meat. Just like you can’t completely judge a book by its cover, you can’t judge a chicken just based on its skin. Michelle Rounsaville, chef-owner of My Michelle’s in Oxford, Mississippi, and Anthony Castro, executive chef at Palmetto Marriott Resort & Spa in Palmetto, Florida agree that it’s really what’s on the inside that counts, especially since many cooks remove the skin to shred the meat for rotisserie chicken recipes like enchiladas, chili, sandwiches, and pot pie.
• Fresh. Schroeder peeks at the “cooked at” time stamp on every bird before he buys to determine how long ago it was pulled from the oven and packaged to sell. “The longer those chickens stay in a hot box the dryer they get,” he explains. If you can find one that’s cooked within the last two hours, that’s ideal.
• The quality is consistent. This is a factor you’ll only learn over time, but if the chefs get burned once by a tough, overcooked, dry, chewy, or otherwise lackluster bird, they take notes and keep that in mind for their overall rankings. “It should consistently offer a well-balanced flavor profile, juicy and tender meat, and crispy skin,” Castro summarizes.

The Best Rotisserie Chicken, According to Chefs

Without hesitation, every chef on our panel echoed the same answer when asked to name the best store-bought rotisserie chicken: Costco. 

Yes, the $5 Kirkland Signature that Costco fans are obsessed with also earns rave reviews from all-star chefs. 

“Costco can’t be beat, and is a cult favorite for a reason,” says Peter Som, a New York City-based award-winning fashion designer, culinary creator, lifestyle expert, and the author of the upcoming cookbook “Family Style.”

Lauded for its “excellent value for the price, consistent quality, juicy meat, and flavorful skin” by Castro,  and for being “reliably fresh and juicy,” according to Schroeder, Costco rotisserie chickens “stay juicy for days” if you don’t eat them immediately, according to Michelle Rounsaville, chef-owner of My Michelle’s in Oxford, Mississippi. She should know: Rounsaville drives an hour to reach her nearest Costco just to stock up on rotisserie chickens (as well as Kirkland wines, cheeses, laundry products, and seasonal snacks).

“Our local Costco must have pretty well-trained staff because their chickens are never overcooked or dry,” Schroeder adds.

Chef Secrets to Make the Most of Your Rotisserie Chicken

The 3-pound birds offer “the best value of any rotisserie chicken I’ve had,” Pache says. “It never disappoints no matter the application I use it in.”

Since that’s the case, we asked the chefs to reveal their favorite ways to use rotisserie chicken (or leftover chicken, if you happen to have some handy, prefer to roast your own, or don’t have a Costco membership):