Here's The Best Time To Shop For The Freshest Rotisserie Chicken

Grocery store rotisserie chickens can be a lifesaver for those looking for a hot, homestyle meal without doing all the work themselves. Although they offer the advantage of nearly always being ready when you need them, the flip side of this convenience is that some may wonder just how long their bird was sitting under the heat lamps before they picked it up. Fortunately, most spots selling rotisserie chickens fall into a fairly regular pattern when it comes to churning them out. That's why people seeking the freshest ones should shop around noon and 6 p.m.

The insight comes from chef and food blogger Scott Groth, who tells our sister site The Takeout that it has to do with when demand for rotisserie chickens is at its peak. He notes that stores typically put birds in the rotisserie around 10 or 11 in the morning and 4 or 5 in the afternoon, meaning they come out hot and fresh around noon or 6. Those are times when many shoppers pop in to grab a quick meal. Buying a chicken in between these times means it's likely been sitting out for several hours.

As anyone who's eaten a bird that's sat under the lights for too long can attest, rotisserie chickens experience a noticeable decline a few hours after they finish cooking. It's noteworthy that Costco purportedly removes any chickens that have been sitting out for longer than two hours, repurposing the meat for other store-made prepared food.

Time isn't the only factor when selecting your bird, however. Along with checking the timestamp on the container, other important guidelines for how to pick the best grocery store rotisserie chicken include looking for an adequately browned skin, examining the legs for splits that could allow the meat to dry out, and keeping an eye out for pooled juices that the bottom, which make your chicken soggy and suggest the meat may have lost much of its natural moisture. Another rotisserie chicken hack is to pick up a few different birds before putting one in your cart. Heavier ones tend to be fresher and juicier because they may not have sat out long enough for their moisture to evaporate.

No matter whether you're whipping up a rotisserie chicken recipe or just enjoying the item on its own, keep this valuable tip in mind. By simply timing your shopping correctly, you can improve the quality of your next rotisserie chicken.