Skip the preservatives and additives found in store-bought rotisserie chicken and make a homemade version! With only 5 minutes of work and no special tools needed, this recipe for Homemade Rotisserie Chicken results in a juicy, tender, flavorful roasted chicken that perfectly mimics the flavor found in store-bought rotisserie chicken.
Just like millions of other, Rotisserie Chicken is a staple at my house when it comes to getting a flavorful, family-approved dinner on the tables with minimal fuss. Whether served as the main entree, alongside roasted red potatoes or used in a recipe calling for leftover rotisserie chicken, there is something undeniably good about a juicy, flavorful rotisserie chicken.
That's why a delicious this recipe for Homemade Rotisserie Chicken is just the recipe you need to keep in your arsenal.
Reasons to Love Homemade Rotisserie Chicken
- Quality Control. Take a look at the list of ingredients on a store-bought rotisserie chicken and you may be surprised or even disgusted. They are often filled with MSG, corn syrup solids, carrageenan, hydrogenated oils, and on and on!
- No Rotisserie Oven Needed. This recipe uses a simple seasoning rub and cooks the chicken low and slow in the oven to produce a rotisserie-like chicken.
- 5-Minute Prep. The oven does the heavy lifting for you! You simply season the chicken and pop it into the oven and dinner is done!
- Meal-Prep Friendly. I recommend making a couple of chickens at a time. Freeze the meat from one for easy meals for another day!
- Endless Uses. Served as the star of dinner, used to make Buffalo Chicken Tacos or a Chicken and Rice Casserole, homemade rotisserie chicken is perfect for so many recipes. And don't forget to save the carcass to make homemade chicken stock or Instant Pot chicken stock for pennies!
Seasoning for Rotisserie Chicken
To replicate the flavor of a store-bought rotisserie chicken, I use a simple spice blend that is made really simple spices; salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, dried thyme leaves, and a dash of cayenne. But before sprinkling this mixture evenly over the chicken, I recommend brushing the chicken evenly with either oil or melted butter. This will help the chicken to brown up evenly and help the spice rub to adhere to the chicken.
Bake the "Rotisserie" Chicken
The secret to success when baking a Rotisserie Chicken is to roast the chicken low and slow in a moist environment. To do this, pour in 1-2 cups of water into a roasting pan, fit with a baking rack, and place the seasoned chicken breast side down on the baking rack. The water will help create the moist environment, while baking breast-side down will allow the juices and drippings to flow into the breasts as the chicken bakes, keeping it super flavorful.
Rest Before Serving
After baking, tent the chicken with foil, and let rest for 20 minutes. This allows the meat to reach 165 degrees F and the juices to have been redistributed through the chicken--which keeps the chicken juicy and tender.
Serving Suggestions
This Rotisserie Chicken makes a perfect option for Sunday Dinner. Especially when served alongside mashed potatoes and glazed carrots or roasted fingerling potatoes and a strawberry spinach salad.
Storage Instructions
- Refrigerate: Store leftover cooled chicken in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
- Freeze: Once cooled, remove the meat from the bones and store the cooked chicken in a freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using in a recipe for leftover rotisserie chicken.
- Make Stock: Don't forget to save the carcass from the chicken to make Homemade Chicken Stock or Instant Pot Chicken Stock. Use the carcass within 5 days of baking the chicken or freeze and use within 3 months.
Recipes Using Leftover Rotisserie Chicken
If you happen to have leftovers, put them to use in one of the following recipes that call for cooked chicken.
- Creamy Chicken Noodle Casserole
- Poppy Seed Chicken
- Creamy, Cheesy Chicken and Rice
- Chicken Pot Pie
- Easy Chicken Enchilada Casserole
- Chicken Waldorf Salad
- Chicken Pesto Pizza
If you enjoyed this simple recipe for oven-roasted chicken that results in a copycat rotisserie chicken, I would love for you to leave a comment and review below.
Rotisserie Chicken
Ingredients
- 3-4 pound chicken gizzards removed
- 2 tablespoons canola oil or melted butter
For the Dry Rub
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons pepper
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves not ground thyme
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300℉. Fit a roasting pan with a baking rack and pour in 1-2 cups of tap water into the bottom of the pan. You want just enough water to cover the bottom of the pan.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, thyme leaves, and cayenne together.
- Brush the chicken skin with oil or butter. Sprinkle the prepared seasoning mixture evenly over the chicken on all sides, rubbing the spices into skin to adhere.
- Place the whole chicken, breast side down, on the rack on the roasting pan. If using, place an oven-safe digital thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken thigh.
- Bake until the thermometer inserted into the thigh reads 162℉- 165℉. This will take about 2½ hours to 3 hours depending on how large your chicken is. If you do not have an oven-safe thermometer, use a digital read thermometer and check the temperature after 2 hours and 15 minutes and continue cooking until the chicken reaches 162-165℉.
- Remove the chicken from the oven, tent loosely with the foil, and let rest 10-20 minutes. This will allow the chicken to reach 165℉ and juices redistribute.
- Serve the whole chicken as a roast chicken dinner or use the meat to shred, chop, or slice and use for any recipe that calls for cooked chicken.
Julia WIlson
This is THE ONLY whole chicken recipe I trust. Every other recipe has you cooking the chicken too fast and this yucky white foam forms in the breast as a result. Turning the chicken breast-side down is brilliant, and the slow cook ensures a delicious moist cook. Thank you SO MUCH for this recipe!!
Kristen Chidsey
You are so welcome, Julia! I am thrilled you enjoy and trust this recipe.
Louise Rushton
Yummy!!!!
ACCER
This was AWESOME! I made it as per your recipe....awesome. Then I made it again but used a BBQ dry rub. AWESOME! My next one will be Lemon Pepper!
Kristen Chidsey
Love hearing that you enjoy so much! Thanks for sharing!
Karen
If I cook 2 chickens at the same time, does the cook time change?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Karen! I oftne cook 2 or 3 chickens at once. The cooking time will remain the same.
Kathy D
Absolutely yummy. I made it for a soup recipe that called for rotisserie chicken. I never buy it due to all the junk they use.
Glands
Excellent recipe….. my family & I loved this recipe and enjoyed a juicy chicken.
Jan G
I made your Insta Pot Chicken Cacciatore exactly as written. It was the best meal ever. The spices were perfect! If other readers have tried it, please do, you will live this recipe.
I am learning so much from your Blog as to how to use my Insta Pot! Thank you.
Kristen Chidsey
I LOVE hearing this Jan! Thank you for taking the time to share your review 🙂
Nicole
How much chicken in a serving?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Nicole! Each serving is 4 ounces of cooked meat. It will vary based on size of your chicken.
Nicole
My first try was excellent! Husband gave thumbs up and is still nibbling on left overs.
Kristen Chidsey
Wonderful! I love hearing this!
Mommamia
I made the mistake of flipping the chicken into it’s back at some point while cooking instead of keeping it breast down at 300°F and it didn’t cook through. Don’t do the same mistake I made! Needless to say, mine is still in the oven now with foil over it loosely, hoping I didn’t ruin it!! Otherwise, the last time I made it, it was good. I however did use rotisserie seasoning from the store vs putting the spices together and let it marinate overnight in the fridge this time hoping for more flavor. Will have to try putting spices together on my own sometime!
Lisa M Sampietro
HANDS DOWN THE JUICIEST, MOST FLAVORFUL ROTISSERIE CHICKEN.
Chicken is pretty much the only meat protein that my family will eat so when I found this recipe a few months ago when looking for a healthier, quick alternative to a store bought (gross) Rotisserie chicken I was willing to try it.
There aren't enough THANK YOU's in the world to appropriately cover it.
Not only do they absolutely LOVE this recipe, but I now happily (and quickly) make 1 chicken every single Monday. They eat what they want for dinner that night, I pull the rest of the meat and they either snack on it or I use it for meals the rest of the week. I'm a huge Aldi shopper so I get the double pack of whole chickens and viola, AT LEAST 2 (more like 3-4) meals for the week already in the books.
We're going on month 2 of this so I thought I should finally write a review - which I don't ever do.
THANK YOU Kristen!
Kristen Chidsey
You are SO beyond welcome! I absolutely LOVE hearing how much your family enjoyed this recipe Lisa!
Reid Lakin
Fantastic!! Definitely juicier than the store bought one!
Anita
Can I use the chicken juices in chicken stock or should they be discarded!
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Anita! Yes, however, I would recommend not adding salt to your chicken stock to keep the sodium from being overwhelming.
Beck & Bulow
I have been cooking for my family for 25 years. Baked chicken never tasted so good.
Kristen Chidsey
So glad you enjoyed!
Joan
Hello! Would it work to use olive oil instead of canola oil? Thanks!
Kristen Chidsey
Absolutely! Enjoy!
Mary
i want to cook a hen in my instant pot and when about done add miss anne 's pastry . can i do that and how long will it take and how much water do i need
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Mary! Here are my instructions for cooking a whole chicken in the instant pot. It will break down timing for you. As far as adding pastry to the instant pot, that I would not suggest doing as it will become soggy.
rachael
What's the best way to save the bones and how long can they be saved? Thanks!
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Rachael! I suggest storing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. But you can freeze them for 3-6 months in a freezer-bag.
Yevette L. Anthony
Hi Kristen.
I love your recipe. However, I want to try it on an oven stuffer roaster instead. The roaster is approximately 8lbs. How long should I roast for? Thanks
Yevette
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Yevette! I would roast for three and a half hours and check the temp, but plan on four hours.
Altie Metcalf
Hi! This looks great! Do you ever turn it breast up for a short time at the end so the breast skin is a little crispier (or drier)?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Altie, you certainly can do that if desired for the last 30 minutes to an hour. We have not found that to be necessary.
Altie Metcalf
Thank you for answering so fast!!
Kayla
How can I roast it if i dont have a roaster?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Kayla! You can place on a rimmed sheet pan of you don't have a roasting pan or even a 9×13 pan.