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How to Make a Great Rotisserie Chicken

Heidi Larsenby Updated: Aug 30, 2018

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A simple brine and fresh vegetable and herb stuffing creates a rotisserie chicken recipe that bests any grocery store version every day of the week.

How to Make a Great Rotisserie Chicken | #oven #juicy #recipes #whole #andvegetables foodiecrush.com

There are two smells I am immediately drawn to the minute I enter the grocery store.

First there’s the smell of that dang french bread they just pulled from the oven. All golden on the outside and soft and pillowy on the inside, still warm enough so that when I get home I immediately tear a chunk off with my bare hands, slather with butter and eat.right.there.

Those grocery store bakers get me every time.

The other smell is the aroma of rotisserie chicken. As soon as the smell hits the olfactory senses, weary cooks are lured to abandon their dinner cooking plans and buy one to go.

Guilty as charged. I can barely get to the car before opening up the plastic container and picking off the crispy skin.

Making a rotisserie chicken at home can seem a little intimidating. But in reality, they’re just about the easiest thing you’ll ever cook. And once you put these steps into place, you’ll be making one every week for a main meal, to snack on and for sandwiches. Before long you’ll be giving the store bought version the heave ho.

How to Make a Great Rotisserie Chicken | foodiecrush.com

The Rotisserie

The only thing standing between you and a rotisserie chicken is a grill and the rotisserie itself. Sure, it’s an investment to add onto your grill, but in my opinion it’s totally worth it. I don’t limit the rotisserie to just chicken, but did this turkey too. I may never cook a turkey any other way.

The beauty of using a rotisserie is the chicken self bastes as it spins and cooks. You pretty much set it and forget it.

How to Make a Great Rotisserie Chicken | foodiecrush.com

The Brine

Before adding the chicken to the brine, be sure to rinse it well with cold water and remove the giblets and the neck from the interior cavity.

Steeping the chicken in a salt and sugar brine is the key to cooking a juicy bird. To make the brine, I add ½ cup kosher salt and ½ cup sugar (either granulated or brown sugar, your choice) to a dutch oven or really deep bowl or container. I then pour about 1 cup of boiling water over the mix then vigorously stir until the mixture dissolves. Next I add enough cold water to cover the bird and add peppercorns and bay leaves.

I recommend brining in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours and up to 12 hours or so. Once you’re done brining, discard the brine and drain the chicken well.

How to Make a Great Rotisserie Chicken | foodiecrush.com

Stuff It

Next I create an aromatic stuffing using onion, lemons, garlic and herbs. I drizzle with a little olive oil and more kosher salt and pepper. Before loading the stuffing into the bird, I generously salt the cavity of the bird. This infuses flavor from the inside out.

How to Make a Great Rotisserie Chicken | foodiecrush.com

Next, drizzle the skin with olive oil and add more kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. I add a few rosemary leaves to the outside too. Tuck the wings under the breast and tie the legs together with twine.

Be sure to have the chicken centered on the rod so it sits in the center of the grill when cooking. When sticking the prongs into the ends of the chicken, be sure they’re super tight and in as far as they can go so the chicken stays stable and doesn’t flop around when it spins. When tightening the prongs, you may want to use pliers to make sure they’re tight so they don’t slide out as it cooks.

How to Make a Great Rotisserie Chicken | foodiecrush.com

This Bird is Cookin’!

Preheat the grill on high. Put the chicken on and start the rotisserie. If you have multiple burners, turn off the middle burner and leave the sides on so the chicken cooks over indirect heat. Check the temperatures often and if it seems to be cooking too fast or too slow on either side, adjust accordingly.

The chicken will take between 1 ½ – 2 hours to cook, depending on how hot your grill is. With chicken it’s always best to go with telling it’s done by the temperature, not by the time. Chickens are cooked when the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F.

I use this digital thermometer and it is the best! It’s super accurate and reads in an instant. An important feature to have with chicken.

Once the chicken is done, remove it from the rotisserie and prongs, transfer to a serving platter and cover with aluminum foil to rest for 10-15 minutes so the juices set into the meat.

To serve, I like to cut up the bird and serve family style, including slicing the breasts so everyone can have a bite. An extra squeeze of lemon freshens the chicken just before it goes to the table.

How to Make a Great Rotisserie Chicken | foodiecrush.com

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.



4.63 from 64 votes

How to Make a Great Rotisserie Chicken

A simple brine and fresh vegetable and herb stuffing creates a rotisserie chicken that bests any grocery store version every day of the week.
Print
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours
Servings 1 chicken

Ingredients 

  • 1 3-½ to 4 pound chicken
  • ½ cup kosher salt plus more for seasoning
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
  • ½ red onion quartered
  • 2 lemons quartered
  • 4-6 garlic cloves
  • Fresh herbs such as rosemary sage and parsley
  • Olive oil
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  • Remove the neck and giblets from the cavity of the chicken and rinse the chicken with cold water. Trim any excess skin from the neck area. Set aside.
  • In a large stock pot or bowl, add the ½ cup of kosher salt and ½ cup of granulated sugar to the pot. Bring 1 cup of water to a boil and pour over the salt and sugar and stir vigorously until it dissolves. Add enough cold water to the pot to cover the chicken and add the bay leaves and peppercorns. Place the chicken in the pot and refrigerate for 4 hours up to 12 hours or overnight.
  • Prepare the grill on high. Remove the chicken from the brine and rinse the chicken with cold water, then pat dry. Season the inside of the cavity generously with kosher salt.
  • Toss the red onion, lemons, garlic cloves and fresh herbs with a drizzle of olive oil and kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Stuff the mixture into the cavity of the chicken. Rub olive oil over the skin and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
  • Insert the rod through the chicken and attach the prongs, being sure to affix them tightly. Tie the chicken legs together with twine and fold the wings under the chicken breasts.
  • Put the chicken on the grill/rotisserie attachment and start the rotisserie. If you have multiple burners, turn off the middle burner and leave the sides on so the chicken cooks over indirect heat. Check the temperature of the chicken often and if it seems to be cooking too fast or too slow on either side, adjust accordingly. Cook for 1 ½ to 2 hours or until the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F.

How to Make a Great Rotisserie Chicken | #oven #juicy #recipes #whole #andvegetables foodiecrush.com

Meal Plan Helper

One of the best things about making a rotisserie chicken is eating it thoughout the week. Here are a few ideas of how to stretch that chicken all week long.

Rotisserie Chicken Naan Pizza with Spinach, Queso and Fire-Roasted Tomato Mango Sauce

Rotisserie Chicken Naan Pizza with Spinach, Queso and Fire-Roasted Tomato Mango Sauce

All the chicken, and the kitchen sink!

Get the recipe | Ambitious Kitchen

Coconut Curry Chicken

Coconut Curry Chicken

Vary your heat with a little more or less curry in this delicious concoction.

Get the recipe | Taste and Tell

Avocado Cream Chicken Suiza Enchilada from FoodieCrush

Avocado Cream Chicken Enchiladas

This is one of my favorite avocado surprises, the sauce is simply killer.

Get the recipe | FoodieCrush

chickentortillasoup-22

Easy 30-Minute Chicken Tortilla Soup

Toss it in the pot and you are ready to go.

Get the recipe | Averie Cooks

Crock-Pot-Salsa-Chicken

Crock Pot Salsa Chicken Quinoa Casserole

It doesn’t get much easier, or tastier, than this one folks.

Get the recipe | Diethood

Thanks for stopping by, and here’s to getting into the kitchen to make something good~!

As always, thank you for reading and supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. All opinions are always my own.  

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Hi! I’m Heidi and I cook real good, real food I hope you’ll love to make, too.

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    4.63 from 64 votes (56 ratings without comment)

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Steven M. B.

    5 stars
    We’ve now done this twice in our new MooSoo 10-in-one countertop convection oven. It takes 45 to 50 minutes on the rotisserie setting and the chicken (circa 5 pounds) was PERFECT each time. With a slightly smaller chicken you can add diced potatoes and small pieces of carrot to the tray underneath and watch them get cooked by the drippings … wow!

    Reply

  2. Scott

    4 stars
    Thank you for the recipe, turned out wonderfully. I think I have made rotisserie chicken using this recipe 5 times in the last month. Thanks again for sharing , turns out perfect every time.

    Reply

  5. SamKent

    5 stars
    my wish list for when I get a full-size one. For now I might have to get a grocery store bird tonight because you have me really craving rotisserie chicken!

    Reply

  6. Crickett

    5 stars
    Made this for a dinner party. I did not put it on the grill, instead I baked it in the oven. Every guest raved about how good the chicken was! This is now my go to chicken recipe for Sunday family dinner!

    Reply

  7. Leslie Bailey Koonce

    4 stars
    Excellent flavor. However the temperature and time next time I need to adjust. I have a Weber 3-burner gas grill rotisserie, and “high” was far too high. I cooked a 4.42 pound chicken per recipe, and the meats were way above target temp after an hour + 15 minutes when my burners were at 3/4 power on a day that was hot, rainy, and breezy. 3/4 power = about 450 degrees. Next time I will lower the temps.
    Otherwise, delicious recipe, thanks!

    Reply

  9. Tvtap pro

    Seems to a decent post, thanks for sharing this with us. The Rotisserie Chicken is always the delicious dish to eat, and accidentally I visited your blog. It is always a great thing to prepare your own dish. Rotisserie Chicken is very delicious to eat, it’s yummy too.

    Reply

  11. audacity

    I am a regular visitor to your website and have always liked the kind of work that you do. I genuinely get new ideas and thoughts that help me a lot in my personal work as well.

    Reply

  54. Nobody

    I have a suggestion to make chicken more attractive. Turn the chicken while baking. Mix the honey with a little water, then spread evenly over the skin when you bake. The color of the skin will be very beautiful.

    Reply

  62. Ken

    I tried to read your web page, what i read seemed interesting, but i had to stop and leave you page because the text was jumping around so much as ad were popping up every where. i don’t think ive been on a web page with so many ads and pop ups and text jumping around so much. you might want to consider this if you actually want people to visit, read and return to your page.
    oh well, off to someone else’s page

    Reply

    • Martha

      5 stars
      I altered the brining a little. I rinsed the chicken after brining to remove salt. Then I air dried it in fridge for another 8 hours before cooking. Came out very juicy and tender. Great recipe!

      Reply

  78. JuanSchuler

    Well, I’m absolutely delighted I establish it and I’ll be bookmarking it and read-through back over and over again!Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I really appreciate your efforts and I am waiting for your next write ups thank you once again.

    Reply

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