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What's the best rotisserie chicken? We tried 11 grocery-store birds.
What’s the best rotisserie chicken? We tried 11 grocery-store birds.
By Emily Heil
September 5, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. EDT
Store-bought rotisserie chickens, clockwise from top right: Food Lion, Walmart, B.J.’s, Sprouts, Giant, Whole Foods, and center, Harris Teeter. (Scott Suchman for The Washington Post/Food styling by Lisa Cherkasky for The Washington Post)
There’s no beating a roast chicken for versatility — it’s great on its own, or the meat can be a key building block in tacos, sandwiches, casseroles and chili. It often produces welcome leftovers or lends itself to multiple dishes. And the easiest shortcut to a flavorful, golden bird can be found in your grocery store, where rotisserie chickens have become a staple, beloved by shoppers looking to put a hot meal on the table for the family during a busy school week and by those cooking for only one or two.
And while most consumers will simply opt for the cooked rotisseries from whatever grocery store they typically frequent, we wanted to see whose chickens stood out from the flock. ... The logistics for this taste test were a bit more complicated than for others we’ve done. First of all, many grocery chains are regional, so in addition to several nationwide brands, we scooped up samples from the major chains in the Washington region. ... While variations abound, including lemon-pepper, barbecue and herb-bedecked, we opted for the most traditional, plainest version that each store offered.
There was potential for variation: How fresh were the chickens? How long was their commute to our office, where we did the test? We aimed to standardize things as best we could, arranging pickups by multiple staffers at about the same time (yes, a spreadsheet was involved) and stashing the chickens in insulated bags upon their arrival, a process we hoped would best mimic a shopper’s experience with them. And it’s interesting to note that the freshness didn’t seem to matter — one of our colleagues waited as the grocery-store worker pulled the chickens out of the oven, and that bird still wound up at the very bottom of our list.
Even before lifting a fork, we discovered that not all rotisserie chickens are created equal. There is a vast difference in size — our samples ranged from 4 pounds, 5 ounces (Costco) to a petite 1 pound, 10-ouncer from Food Lion (below, we list the weight as we measured it, not as described on the packaging). Prices vary wildly, too, as do the nutritional factors, all provided by grocers. People watching their salt intake might want to take note of sodium amounts in particular. In some cases, it was difficult to locate the nutritional information, a process that required inquiring at the deli or even calling customer service. In one case, it couldn’t be found. The overall performance of these birds was similarly all over the map — we had a clear winner, an obvious loser, and a pretty murky middle.
[ How to use rotisserie chicken as a shortcut to easy weeknight dinners ]
To judge the field, we asked eight tasters to sample each, making sure they tried white and dark meat and some skin, and to award each a score of 1 to 10, taking into account flavor, texture and overall appeal — meaning each had a potential for a high score of 80. ... So which rotisserie rules the roost?
{snip}
Share
https://wapo.st/3qZx3e3
By Emily Heil
Emily Heil is a reporter covering national food news and trends. Previously, she co-authored the Reliable Source column for The Post. Twitter https://twitter.com/emilyaheil
By Emily Heil
September 5, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. EDT
Store-bought rotisserie chickens, clockwise from top right: Food Lion, Walmart, B.J.’s, Sprouts, Giant, Whole Foods, and center, Harris Teeter. (Scott Suchman for The Washington Post/Food styling by Lisa Cherkasky for The Washington Post)
There’s no beating a roast chicken for versatility — it’s great on its own, or the meat can be a key building block in tacos, sandwiches, casseroles and chili. It often produces welcome leftovers or lends itself to multiple dishes. And the easiest shortcut to a flavorful, golden bird can be found in your grocery store, where rotisserie chickens have become a staple, beloved by shoppers looking to put a hot meal on the table for the family during a busy school week and by those cooking for only one or two.
And while most consumers will simply opt for the cooked rotisseries from whatever grocery store they typically frequent, we wanted to see whose chickens stood out from the flock. ... The logistics for this taste test were a bit more complicated than for others we’ve done. First of all, many grocery chains are regional, so in addition to several nationwide brands, we scooped up samples from the major chains in the Washington region. ... While variations abound, including lemon-pepper, barbecue and herb-bedecked, we opted for the most traditional, plainest version that each store offered.
There was potential for variation: How fresh were the chickens? How long was their commute to our office, where we did the test? We aimed to standardize things as best we could, arranging pickups by multiple staffers at about the same time (yes, a spreadsheet was involved) and stashing the chickens in insulated bags upon their arrival, a process we hoped would best mimic a shopper’s experience with them. And it’s interesting to note that the freshness didn’t seem to matter — one of our colleagues waited as the grocery-store worker pulled the chickens out of the oven, and that bird still wound up at the very bottom of our list.
Even before lifting a fork, we discovered that not all rotisserie chickens are created equal. There is a vast difference in size — our samples ranged from 4 pounds, 5 ounces (Costco) to a petite 1 pound, 10-ouncer from Food Lion (below, we list the weight as we measured it, not as described on the packaging). Prices vary wildly, too, as do the nutritional factors, all provided by grocers. People watching their salt intake might want to take note of sodium amounts in particular. In some cases, it was difficult to locate the nutritional information, a process that required inquiring at the deli or even calling customer service. In one case, it couldn’t be found. The overall performance of these birds was similarly all over the map — we had a clear winner, an obvious loser, and a pretty murky middle.
[ How to use rotisserie chicken as a shortcut to easy weeknight dinners ]
To judge the field, we asked eight tasters to sample each, making sure they tried white and dark meat and some skin, and to award each a score of 1 to 10, taking into account flavor, texture and overall appeal — meaning each had a potential for a high score of 80. ... So which rotisserie rules the roost?
{snip}
Share
https://wapo.st/3qZx3e3
By Emily Heil
Emily Heil is a reporter covering national food news and trends. Previously, she co-authored the Reliable Source column for The Post. Twitter https://twitter.com/emilyaheil
6 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
they discontinued the 'honey touched' so I stopped buying it. 
Messed up my meal 'planning,' such as it was.
