Store-bought rotisserie chicken is a great shortcut in recipes and can stand as a meal’s centerpiece when you don’t feel like cooking.
Consumer Reports recently ranked 10 grocery store rotisserie chicken options for flavor, texture and juiciness, based on blind taste tests.
The top six are good enough to serve on their own, the magazine stated, while the bottom four are better reserved for use in recipes.
Methodology: Secret shoppers bought rotisserie chicken at up to three locations of each store on different days and delivered them while still warm to a Consumer Reports lab, where experts tried them.
Top rotisserie chicken pick
The magazine’s top pick overall is the Sam’s Club Member’s Mark Seasoned Rotisserie Chicken, which goes for $4.98 for 3 pounds, or $1.66 a pound. In addition to being among the cheapest options, Consumer Reports praised it for its paprika rub, deep roasted flavor and moistness.
The rest of the Top 5, in alphabetical order
Costco Kirkland Signature Seasoned Rotisserie Chicken, priced at $4.99 for 3 pounds, or $1.66 a pound. It won points for plumpness.
Stop & Shop Whole Rotisserie Chicken, $7.99 for 1.75 pounds, or $4.57 a pound.
Walmart Traditional Fully-Cooked Rotisserie Chicken for $5.97 for 2.25 pounds, or $2.65 a pound. Consumer Reports found the meat well-seasoned, moist and tender.
Wegmans Whole Roasted Chicken, Plain, $9.99 for 2.13 pounds, or $4.69 a pound. Consumer Reports said, “The sea-salt-only seasoning let the roasted chicken flavor shine through.”
Whole Foods Market Classic Rotisserie Chicken, $8.99 for 1.75 pounds, or $5.14 a pound.
The bottom four, better suited for recipes
BJ’s Wellsley Farms Whole Rotisserie Chicken, $4.99 for 3 pounds, or $1.66 a pound.
Hannaford Original Rotisserie Chicken, $7.99 for 1.88 pounds, or $4.25 a pound.
ShopRite Bowl & Basket All-Natural Whole Rotisserie Chicken, $7.99 for 2.06 pounds, or $3.88 a pound.
The Fresh Market Roasted Natural Chicken, $8.99 for 1.63 pounds, or $5.53 a pound.
The magazine also tested products for the presence of plastic compounds. You can read the full report on its website.
Reporter Marcia Greenwood covers the grocery business and consumer-focused grocery news, as well as retail development, openings and closings. Send story tips to mgreenwo@rocheste.gannett.com. Follow her on X @MarciaGreenwood.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Consumer Reports names the best grocery store rotisserie chicken
Reporting by Marcia Greenwood, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Marcia Greenwood, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle | USA TODAY Network
