Homemade “Store-Bought” Rotisserie Chicken

Store-bought rotisserie chicken is convenient, great for leftovers and delicious. However, I am not a fan of the unknown when it comes to the food I choose to feed my family.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the U.S. spent 600 million dollars on store-bought rotisserie chicken in 2010 alone. That’s a lot of chicken!

Each grocery store has their own propriety methods for making their chickens moist and delicious, yet they sit under heat lamps for hours. While I don’t want to claim that store-bought rotisserie chicken is unhealthy, I do know that it has more additives and sodium than I am comfortable consuming on a regular basis.

That’s why I wanted to share my recipe for "Store-Bought" Rotisserie Chicken made at home in the Ronco Rotisserie. You can get the same tender, delicious chicken at home without compromising on nutrition.

Homemade “Store-Bought” Rotisserie Chicken

• 1 - 4 to 5 pound chicken

• 1 – lemon, sliced into wheels

• 1 - white or yellow onion, loosely chopped

 • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Spice Rub

• 1 - teaspoon paprika (try smoked if you can find it)

• 1 - teaspoon chili powder

• ½ - teaspoon cayenne pepper

• ½ - teaspoon white pepper

• ½ - teaspoon black pepper

• 1 - teaspoon onion powder

• ½ - teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 - teaspoon dried thyme

• ½ - teaspoon allspice

• 1 - teaspoon sea salt

 Instructions

1. Wash and completely dry your chicken, set aside on a cutting board.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine paprika, chili powder, cayenne pepper, white pepper, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, dried thyme, allspice, sea salt and olive oil, stir to make rotisserie spice rub.

3. Use your fingers to gently separate the skin from the breast meat. Being careful to not to tear the skin, work your finger down along the chicken to loosen as much skin as possible. Flip bird over and loosen skin on the underside as well.

4. Rub the cavity of the chicken and under the skin on both sides with the olive oil rotisserie spice rub. Stuff cavity with lemon and onion.

5. Truss the chicken and place onto rotisserie spit.

6. Cook in your rotisserie for 15-16 minutes per pound, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F at the place where the leg meets the breast.

7. Set rotisserie to 'no heat rotate' and let your chicken rest and rotate for 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with your favorite sides and save any leftover chicken to make quick and easy meals for the next few days.

Feel free to double this recipe and make two chickens at once to have an abundance of leftovers.

 

Enjoy!