Rotisserie Chicken: Purchase Or Roast Yourself?

Recently, an online discussion on NextDoor piqued my interest. There was a lively discussion about where to get the best Rotisserie chicken. The consensus was Costco for $4.99.

I have tried the Rotisserie chicken from Costco, and it is okay. That is a bargain.

Upon further research, the Costco chicken is cheaper because it is much smaller than the average whole raw chicken you would roast at home. The Costco chicken is only 3 pounds, whereas the 5-pound chicken at Trader Joe’s is $9, and it would yield just under 4 pounds. Costco still wins because it is cheaper, only by about .59 per pound.

For me, I prefer roasting my chicken for two reasons.

1) The first and most important thing is to keep added sodium low and base my eating plan on foods that are not ultra-processed. There are over 10 additives to the Costco rotisserie chicken in the way of the saline solution pumped into it, and sodium is about 350 mg per 3 oz serving, whereas a whole chicken without brine is far less. Some other grocery store chickens may have much more sodium per serving so you should read the Nutrition Facts Panel.

2) The second is that I can roast once and serve three times because I get about 1.5 times the meat. The spatchcock chicken is fast and way more delicious, and it cooks faster than going to the store.

It merely requires you to cut the backbone out of the chicken and then roast it flat on a sheet pan or roasting pan. I can serve as roasted chicken the first night, tacos the second night, and chicken noodle soup the last night. Or you could throw it in a salad for lunch or dinner, too.

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Spatchcock Chicken

Yield 8

Author Judy Doherty

Prep time

5 Min

Cook time

60 Min

Total time

1 H & 5 M

Spatchcock is a method of roasting poultry where you remove the backbone so it roasts flat. The result is not only 30% less cooking time but a very moist meat!

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Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, thawed
• 1 tsp olive oil
• poultry seasoning mix or a combo of oregano, thyme, rosemary, red pepper and garlic

Instructions

1. Remove the backbone from the chicken. The best way to accomplish this is to stand it in the sink on a clean towel. Then, use a sharp knife to cut out the back bone by sliding it down the backbone on both sides. Never put your hands in the way of the knife - hold the chicken from the top with a clean towel.
2. Place the chicken flattened out in a roasting dish. Top it with the oil and seasonings. It is a good idea to use a thermometer placed deep in the thigh so you can monitor the cooking process.
3. Roast at 375 degrees for 45 minutes to one hour. The chicken is done when the juices run clear and the thigh reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees F. Remove from oven.
4. Allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes before carving.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

210

Fat

15 g

Sat. Fat

4 g

Carbs

0 g

Fiber

0 g

Net carbs

0 g

Sugar

0 g

Protein

18 g

Sodium

67 mg

Cholesterol

71 mg

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