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"When a cook’s time is included as labor costs in the above calculation, whole chickens become more expensive than rotisserie options. "

No sh*t, Sherlock! And rotisserie chickens are not just for the "lazy and rushed". Rotisserie chickens are building blocks to an indeterminate number of dishes, which further streamlines the process of making recipes by saving time, energy and labor.

I didn't read in depth, but wonder if the article considers that cooked chicken weight is minus the packed internal organs and all the fat that renders off in the process of cooking.

"When a cook’s time is included as labor costs in the
above calculation, whole chickens become more expensive than rotisserie
options."

Now, in addition to the cooks labor, add the cost of energy to cook the chicken, the price of seasonings, maybe some foil to cover or line the pan, and the bought Costco bird is a good value. And I don't have to wash the roasting pan! Even better if you save the bones for soup, and the scrap pieces picked off for the dog or cat.

While I generally buy the Costco one as they are close to my house, I do really like the Sam's Club one. They season theirs with Lawry's Chicken seasoning. Not sure what Costco uses.

I get about 3 quarts of stock from a Costco chicken carcass, and omg, yes, saving people the time from clean up is reason enough to grab a rotisserie chicken now and then!

Our dogs adore Costco chicken scraps, especially fresh and hot from the store.

The article says they cost more because they weigh less than raw in the case. But, there are only two of us so one of those chickens is perfect. We get 3 meals out of one chicken, and I second the time and mess saver. I like to pull apart what is left and make a chicken salad. Yum.

I thought the article was interesting. I didn't think it was saying anything particularly negative about rotisserie chickens or the people that purchase them. It clarified some myths that have been floating around for quite a while. Such as the idea that old, unsold chickens were used. The rotisserie birds are specially purchased just for that application because they have to be a uniform size & weight in order to cook correctly without underdone spots.

The article also discussed how and why places like Costco can keep the chicken prices prices so low. And it explained why water, salt, and other enhancements are necessary. The salt content is the main reason I don't buy them. But I roast my share of whole chickens and stock up when they're on sale.

For what its worth, the article did include the cost of spices. It also stated that the COSTCO price per pound was far lower than all but one other product checked (that I had never heard of) but they didn't check Sam's Club.

Dh picked up a Costco bird yesterday. I pulled the meat off and tossed the skin and bones in a pot for broth. Plan on making chicken noodle soup tomorrow.

A couple months ago, I made several quarts of stock from a Costco chicken. Tossed some of the meat in and froze.

Thank goodness! This week, I've been battling a helluva summer cold and that chicken soup has sure come in handy. I'm way to beat to make soup, and don't want processed canned stuff, so my chicken soup was a life saver when I really needed it.

I am a big fan of Costco roast chicken, both for making stock and for eating. In addition to saving the hours necessary to roast a whole chicken, you don't have to heat up the kitchen.

However, you can bring home a fresh whole raw chicken and roast it quickly on the grill.

Simply:

- Turn on grill, max heat, lid closed

- Spatchcock the chicken (cut out the backbone, spread and press the chicken flat, kind of like how you might break the binding of a hardback book by opening and pressing it)

- Sprinkle salt, pepper, and your favorite herb mixture on both the inside and outside (skin side). I often use commercial dry rub mix from, err, Costco. Or, to be more homemade about it, rub with olive oil, salt, pepper, minced garlic, minced rosemary or whatever herb grows in your garden.

- Open grill, lay chicken skin side down and open, if necessary put a brick on the chicken to press it flat, turn heat to lowish, close lid

- Wait around 15 minutes, basically until skin is craggy and brown, but not burned black, exact time depends on your grill, then flip to skin side up, replace brick

- Wait around 15 minutes, check doneness (finger or thermometer), remove when done, total cooking time is like 35-40 minutes on my grill but yours may vary

- You can fold the chicken up and plate, so it looks like an oven roasted whole bird, or simply cut it up and serve.

John Liu, too funny! I won't be grilling it, but tomorrow I'll be roasting a fresh chicken. Safeway has Foster Farms whole chickens on sale for 78 cents/pound, so I plan to buy a couple, maybe more. For sure, one for the freezer, and one for immediate use. FF doesn't use any salt enhancements, so it's a good brand for me. They're usually between 4.5 - 6 lbs, so I'll be doing all the things everyone else does with rotisserie chicks.

First, this was far from an in-depth investigative journalist piece and contained its share of opinions. Much of what was said is common knowledge, not some closely guarded secret being exposed by deep throat. Maybe being in retail so long gives me more knowledge or maybe just not buying into gossip and stories people like to tell makes me less susceptible to myths in general, IDK. Truth is, are they a bargain? No. Are people willing to pay for convenience? Yes. That's no secret.

Personally I do not like those store rotisserie chickens. They're always overcooked, greasy and have a very odd flavor. The smell is very objectionable, nearly if not repulsive to me too. Not sure what it is but I do not like it at all. For taste, I'll take the average store's fried chicken any day over it and find it hard to believe the rotisserie versions are any healthier than the fried. My experience is the fried chicken is nearly always far less greasy than the rotisserie versions, ironic as that may seem.

Now, for the truth about burgers... You can actually make a better burger at home than buying one at McDonalds!

No way! So, you're saying McDonald's burgers are not good???

:-0

Shhhhhh! Don't let it get out! It's a secret!

Truth is, are they a bargain? No. Are people willing to pay for convenience? Yes. That's no secret.

Personally I do not like those store rotisserie chickens. They're
always overcooked, greasy and have a very odd flavor. The smell is very
objectionable, nearly if not repulsive to me too. Not sure what it is
but I do not like it at all. For taste, I'll take the average store's
fried chicken any day over it and find it hard to believe the rotisserie
versions are any healthier than the fried. My experience is the fried
chicken is nearly always far less greasy than the rotisserie versions,
ironic as that may seem.

Costco rotisserie chickens are definitely a bargain at $4.99 for a huge bird. Can't say the same for Whole Foods where they cost almost twice as much. Costco's aren't greasy, they're not overcooked, and they taste like chicken. No odd flavors.

Where have you bought those "smelly, objectionable, repulsive" chicks?

I think the sense of greasiness in rotisserie chicken comes from the fact that not all the bird is exposed equally to the heat element. So not all the chicken skin gets crisped. I also wonder if the stores cut away the excess globs of skin and fat before cooking the way home cooks might (I know I do). And then the cooked birds are kept warm and "steamed" in the plastic packaging until serving time. Some people might find that flabby skin objectionable (I know I do). But there's no way to avoid it when you're cooking so many birds at one time, each one pushed up against the other. And the cooked chickens have got to be kept warm and moist until purchased.

The article made it clear that the Costco chicken really is a bargain because the store works hard to keep the price low. However, what Costco can do price-wise, regular grocery stores can't. Therefore, their prices are much higher, cutting into the cost effectiveness of purchasing ready made roasted chicken. But the article also suggested that cost could be balanced against convenience.

I no longer live close to a Costco, so buying their chickens would not be a convenience for me. But given my husband's salt-restricted diet, I don't even purchase grocery store cooked chickens either. After years of roasting crispy-skinned salt-free chickens seasoned with salt-free rubs, I honestly don't think any store's rotisserie chicken would appeal to me.

That could be, but I don't eat chicken skin. It gets tossed in the stock pot.

One other thing in favor of COSTCO chickens is the blistering turnover (pun intended) in number of chickens sold in a short time. When ever I am there, I see a full machine of chickens with no back up in the pick up area. I doubt that there is ever a time when those cooked chickens sit around for more than a few minutes.

It takes me all of 10m to stick a chicken in a crockpot or roaster.

If the "cooking time" is included, I can certainly do chores or "other," it's not like you need to watch the chicken for it to cook! We get 5-8 meals from a 4lb, 88c/lb bird, and with a family of 6, this occurs 2x a month! the shredded leftovers freeze well for other dishes.

Renee,

We get 5-8 meals from a 4lb...

Is 5-8 meals for a family of six or is that 5-8 servings? The former, on the high end, would be less than an ounce of meat per person.

I find the rotisserie birds too salty for my taste. I'll eat some if served, but won't purchase this for myself. Besides, I really like crispy skin, which is seldom to be found on rotisserie chicken.