Why Rotisserie Chicken Is So Hard To Make At Home

Rotisserie chicken is a coveted item from your local grocery store or butcher. You may buy them to cut down on your cooking time or because the idea of cooking a whole chicken may be daunting. They are, however, absolutely delicious and make for a great family meal. Even if you are the type to cook dinner every night, once you try it a rotisserie chicken is something that hits slightly different. In fact, when Consumer Reports asked, 94% of people said they would buy rotisserie chicken for its convenience, and others noted that they enjoyed the way it tastes.

On top of convenience, one of the best reasons for purchasing rotisserie chicken is that they are inexpensive. Whether it's the ease, taste, or price, people keep running back to the stores for more. With this said however, if you're not scared of handling a whole raw chicken, would you be able to make a comparable chicken at home? And why is it that the rotisserie chicken purchased is always better than your at home roasted chicken?

Put simply: ingredients. These days, many places are injecting the birds with seasonings and these injections tend to include many additives that would never be used by a home cook, including some that have been considered controversial when it comes to processed foods (via Taste). Although every butcher and supermarket has their own method and recipe for rotisserie chickens, some of which may be considered "cleaner," most are at least injected with salt and water, which does impact the taste and texture of the chicken (per Priceonomics).

The chickens used for rotisserie chickens also tend to be raised differently than those sold raw. These chickens tend to live in confinement and are grown quickly. A simple reason for using these chickens is to be able to keep the end product affordable, explains Taste. Although injections or certain farming practices might turn some away from rotisserie chickens, we still can't deny that they are an easy, cheap, and delicious alternative for a weeknight meal. 

No one is here to say that store bought rotisserie chicken is better or worse, but for the above reasons the taste found in the store bought ones is very difficult to recreate at home. If you would prefer to give roasting one yourself a try, be sure to check out this classic roast chicken recipe – it might not be the same but it will be worth the time.