What To Look For On Rotisserie Chicken Packaging To Ensure You Get The Freshest One

Grocery store rotisserie chickens are a favorite on many dinner tables, providing a welcome combination of convenience, value, and flavor. A key element of that convenience is that these chickens are typically ready to go when you arrive at the store. Although this prevents a time-consuming wait, it also leaves shoppers at risk of grabbing a bird that's been sitting under the heat lamps too long. However, there's an ultra-simple trick for grabbing the freshest chicken, and all it requires is a close look at the label.

Typically, fresh foods such as rotisserie chickens include labels printed at the time they were packaged. By scoping out this timestamp, you'll know precisely how long it's been since your bird was removed from the oven. Various food sellers have different standards for how long a chicken can sit under the lights before it's pulled, with some (including Costco) limiting this to just two hours, while others push it as long as four.

If your chicken's label suggests it's approaching this range, it's worth looking for a fresher one or inquiring with employees if more will soon be available. This is also why it's worth considering the best time to shop for a fresh rotisserie chicken, which is usually around periods of peak demand such as noon or 6 p.m.

Although this might be the most straightforward way to find a fresh rotisserie chicken, there are also other considerations to weigh to find the best grocery store rotisserie chicken. First, lift the bird. Heavier chickens have more (and juicier) meat. A quick peek at the skin also offers a big clue, as the best birds will have evenly browned skin that hasn't shriveled up or become overly dry.

It's important to remember that the timestamp check and other assessments are about more than just a desirable dining experience. Fresh food held in commercial warming conditions degrades in quality after more than four hours and is subject to bacterial growth. Shoppers wary of food waste shouldn't feel guilty about leaving older rotisserie chickens on the shelf. Birds that are pulled from the heating area are often transformed into other items like chicken salad.

It's impossible to deny the value of rotisserie birds, which can serve as the star of many chicken recipes that belong in your dinner rotation. Still, making the most of this tasty convenience requires a simple check of the label. By searching for the most recent timestamp, chicken lovers will find it hard to go wrong with their next purchase.