So what about something in between? That’s where the ubiquitous rotisserie chicken comes in. It can be found in almost any grocery store and is warm and full of possibilities to feed the whole family at a fairly affordable price.
Shoppers agree. The National Poultry Council estimates that 1 billion rotisserie chickens are sold each year in the United States. (Last year, a man in Philadelphia ate 40 pieces by himself in 40 days!)
To inspire you and help you get dinner on the table faster, my colleagues and I have developed some new recipes using rotisserie chicken. Here’s a look at these products and some tricks to get the most out of these supermarket staples.
Buy chicken while it’s fresh
“Supermarkets prepare fresh rotisserie chicken every two to four hours from 8 or 9 a.m. to about 4 or 6 p.m.,” Perry Santanachoto writes in Consumer Reports. . Anne-Marie Roerinck, founder of grocery market research firm 210 Analytics, said the best selection is usually during peak hours in the evening. Some stores reliably offer hot chicken during those hours, and if it’s not available, you may get it for free on your next visit. If you want to know when your chicken was cooked, look for the timestamp on the package or ask at the deli counter.
Although rotisserie chickens tend to be smaller in size, they can already be cheaper than buying a whole raw bird. For better deals, keep an eye out for circulators in stores and loyalty apps on your smartphone. You may need to clip a coupon to get the discounted price. Consider purchasing additional chicken and freezing the meat for use over the next month or so. While not everyone likes the texture of thawed chicken on its own, it’s still a great addition to soups, stews, pot pies, and other dishes mixed with ingredients.Case in point: me Thai chicken curry.
Also pay attention to additives
Rotisserie chickens are usually infused with a solution to increase moisture and flavor. Ingredients may include sugar and sodium, as well as natural flavors, gums, and carrageenan, a common food additive made from red seaweed. Read the label to find out what’s added to the chicken you buy, or ask at your store’s deli counter. To best assess the taste and texture of chicken before using it in a dish, try it at room temperature, suggests Bonnie Benwick, a former Washington Post employee. (The best time to try it is when you get home and are butchering the chicken.)
Know what flavor you’re getting
In addition to plain rotisserie chicken, supermarkets may also sell other flavors such as lemon pepper or rosemary garlic. Be sure to buy the right one, especially if the recipe has its own specific flavor profile, like Aaron Hutcherson’s recipe. BBQ chicken quesadilla. Regularly seasoned birds are more versatile than other options.
When you get home, remove the meat from the bone.
It takes a bit of prep work, but it’s easier to handle while the meat is warm. Plus, you can stay one step ahead when putting together quick meals on weeknights.
Make soup stock using bones. Simmer the carcass in a pot on the stove with vegetable scraps, or use the Instant Pot for a faster, less labor-intensive process. If you don’t use the soup right away, store it in the freezer in a bag or deli container (be sure to leave some head space for expansion). Don’t have time to make soup right away? You can also freeze the carcass and use it straight from the freezer.
The skin on most rotisserie chickens is unappealing once you try it, and many recipes don’t even make use of it. But that doesn’t mean you should throw it away. You can fry the skin in oil, as in this “Chicken Soup That Works” recipe, but you’ll get incredibly crispy results in the airfryer and no extra oil is needed. The time will vary depending on the thickness of the skin and how you cut it (I liked thin strips), but for me the sweet spot was 7-8 minutes at 320 degrees. Use the crispy skin as a garnish for casseroles or pasta, eat it with your hands like chips, or use it to scoop dip.
What is the shelf life of rotisserie chicken?
The USDA recommends that cooked chicken be used within 4 days or frozen. For the best flavor, use frozen cooked chicken that is less than 4 months old.
You can always roast your own chicken
If you find a recipe that calls for a rotisserie chicken, you can, of course, substitute your own cooked bird.May I suggest this? basic roast chickenSome store-bought birds are more heavily seasoned or infused with the solutions mentioned above, so if you’re being conservative when roasting your chicken, add more flavor to your finished dish.? You may need to tweak the salt.
Combine rotisserie chicken with other shortcut ingredients
You can become even more efficient by thinking about ways to make your cooking more efficient by using more store-bought staple foods.inside her chicken and black bean hand pie, Anne Maloney combines chopped meats, jarred salsa, canned beans, and pre-made puff pastry to create fun and easy air fryer meals (you can also bake them in the oven). My curry recipe uses jarred curry paste and frozen vegetables, but Aaron’s quesadillas are perfect for adding your favorite store-bought barbecue sauce. More possibilities: Make pizza and calzones easily using store-bought dough. Make mini pot pies using phyllo or puff pastry. Prepare wrappers and coleslaw mix for homemade egg rolls (cook them first!). I’ve been making it in the air fryer a lot lately. The list goes on.
Recipes using rotisserie chicken
Of course, there are many things we can suggest. Here are sample recipes that call for cooked chicken, organized by category.
chicken salad/salad with chicken