The Ultimate Ranking Of Grocery Store Rotisserie Chickens, According To Customers

Rotisserie chickens are wildly popular for a very good reason: There's no shortage of fast, delicious, weeknight meals that you can make with a rotisserie chicken, and if there's anything that we like more than an easy meal, it's one that leaves you feeling satisfied. It makes sense, then, that these grocery store staples are incredibly polarizing. Everyone has their favorite, go-to store for picking up one or two of these quick meals, so when it came time to do our ranking, we went right to the source: customers.

We quickly found that people get pretty serious about these quick-and-easy meals, and we're not just talking about the Philadelphia man who committed to eating 40 rotisserie chickens in 40 days. Considering picking up a rotisserie chicken or two sometime soon? And, yes, you should definitely pick up more than one, because there are plenty of incredible ways to use up leftover rotisserie chicken. Wondering if you should fall back into going on to your standard grocery store stop, or if you should try another store? We have the answers for you, straight from the people who have been there.

Walmart's rotisserie chickens certainly look delicious in the pictures, and it might seem like there's no way to go wrong for the price. As of this writing, you can pick up a 36-ounce bird for $5.97 or $6.97 (depending on whether you buy it online or in the store). Listen to what customers have to say, though, and it seems as though the general consensus is that it's not worth the price — at all.

Even on the Walmart website, 5-star reviews that laud the chicken for taste and juiciness often include a caveat. One 5-star review even says that because they don't like pink meat, they bake it again when they get home. Does that defeat the point of these ready-to-go meals? Kind of! When it comes to 1-star reviews, customers aren't pulling any punches. Complaints include dry meat, giblets still in the chicken, and while some customers said they had undercooked birds, others complained they had been overcooked to the point where they were inedible. Another wrote, "Oversalted. Tastes terrible. So much salt brine injected into it that the taste was overpowering. Threw it away.

Customers on Reddit are equally unimpressed. One thread began, "I get creeped out by eating Walmart rotisserie chickens and not sure why. I don't like the texture, it doesn't even look like chicken in my eyes." Another posted a photo of a chicken they were delivered, and it had been charred beyond recognition. The consensus? Go somewhere else.

When Safeway posted a Facebook video celebrating National Rotisserie Chicken Day, it's safe to say that it didn't go entirely as the social media team had probably hoped. "Chickens are so small and usually undercooked... disappointing," wrote one customer, while another added simply, "Nasty dry chickens," while explaining that they'd covered it with mayo and turned it into chicken salad to make it edible. Pro tip: If you do end up with dry meat, keep in mind that broth is your friend when reheating rotisserie chicken.

While it might be possible to argue that perhaps these customers just got a randomly bad chicken, there's plenty of other customers who echo these thoughts on Reddit. One posted that they'd picked up a fresh bird, but added, "So dry, so disappointed... Couldn't imagine what [it] would have tasted like if the chicken weren't fresh." Another responded that they'd actually gotten lucky their bird was just dry, and some experiences were much worse: "I purchased a roasted chicken today. And it had cooked long feathers on the wings. And the inside was pink and bloody. I tossed it in the garbage."

In other threads asking about the best places to go for a really good rotisserie chicken, some customers went out of their way to not only make recommendations on where to go, but what stores should be avoided. "Safeway... is the one to avoid," said one. "Just awful chickens there."

There's a few reasons to take issue with Kroger's rotisserie chickens, and let's start with a potentially big one. On Kroger's website, one reviewer claimed that they became severely ill after eating one of their chickens. They suspected that it contained the additive carrageenan, which can be used in the processing of rotisserie chickens. It's pretty commonly used as a preservative, but some people do have a sensitivity to it.

Another customer commented that although Kroger's website doesn't list carrageenan as an ingredient, it was listed on the physical label of the chicken they bought. What is on the website is a massive disclaimer, saying that the information on the website is for "general reference purposes," and customers should read labels. That's fine, but considering that you can order chickens online without seeing physical labels, that's where things get iffy.

Redditors aren't thrilled with the state of Kroger's chickens regardless, with many complaining that they're undercooked, soggy, and generally tasteless. Some suspected that new ovens installed in Kroger stores were less-than-stellar when it came to cooking the chickens, while others blamed understaffed departments being forced to handle too many customers and leaving chickens to cook way too long.

Customers at Publix seem to say this store is a little hit-or-miss when it comes to its rotisserie chickens, and that's a shame. Go back a few years, and customers posting to Facebook had nothing but good things to say, including one customer who said, "There's a single problem with your rotisseries. They're too good. If I'm to feed my family, I have to buy 3. One for me, 2 for the rest of the house to share."

But fast forward to some Reddit threads from 2024, and the reviews are not as kind. In one thread called, "Publix is a rip off and chickens are smaller," one customer said, "So I spent $7.50 for a rotisserie chicken. I brought it home and weighed it." One of the responses from someone who said they worked in the deli explained they were no longer able to sell birds per pound, and instead, it was all down to what came from the supplier. Small birds, they suggested, were inevitable. Another person said their store sold them by weight.

In another Reddit thread, a customer posted photos of their rotisserie chicken, completely raw inside. They claimed that when they called Publix to complain, the employee confirmed they didn't check the temperature on every chicken, just some. Complaints have hit Facebook, too, including one post of a customer who got their chicken home only to find it still had the head on. Publix responded with a request for more information and an apology.

When it comes to Winn-Dixie, the rotisserie chickens also seem to be hit-or-miss. Although some customers took to Yelp to compliment their local location on its chickens (including a customer in Mobile, Alabama who called it "The best in town!!"), others are less than impressed. When one Redditor asked for input on favorite places for rotisserie chickens after sharing, "Today I bought one from Winn Dixie and it was so juicy and tasty," literally no one else suggested the store as a viable option.

Common complaints include never having rotisserie chickens available, with customers noting that it seemed to happen when chicken were on sale. In the same post on the chain's national Facebook page, customer comments ranged from celebrating their chicken for their incredible flavor, texture, and juiciness, to complaining that it was impossible to get a traditionally-flavored one, to criticisms about the size and price. Over the years, still more have complained about underdone chickens, with one person commenting, "It would be hugely nice if the chicken were actually cooked. E.g. Done. When we get them. Like, not raw. The last one was not even close." When it comes to Winn-Dixie, it seems like it's a roll of the dice.

Now, we're getting into the completely respectable offerings with BJs, and for starters, a look at the reviews on the website reveals that as of this writing, there are more than 9,500 reviews, and they're almost overwhelmingly favorable. Surprisingly, reviews in other places compare BJ's rotisserie chickens to Costco's, with one Redditor explaining, "We love the BJ's rotisserie chicken... I have to say that we buy rotisserie chicken mostly for our spoiled-but-grateful dog, but we eat some of it and the BJ's is delicious."

In a thread discussing whether or not rotisserie chickens were worth buying, BJ's and Costco's chickens were recommended alongside each other, as they were both found to be good-sized and affordable. That's pretty much the baseline of what customers expect, but there is a caveat to this, though: Not everyone is unanimously thrilled with these particular birds.

Some Redditors are saying that they tended to be too bland for their liking. "BJ's took away all the spices," they wrote, adding, "I don't really know if I'd rather have a small chicken or one with a horrid texture and no flavor." Others headed to Facebook with a common complaint of undercooked chicken, with one person even saying, "I have returned a couple that were raw. It is very dangerous and I have complained but no change..."

Here it is: Costco, right in the middle of the pack. Please, before there's complaints, remember that we're just the messengers here. Back in 2018, Costco sold so many rotisserie chickens that the company opened a chicken plant to keep up with demand. Still, customers have recently started complaining that there's something different about the chickens. In a Reddit thread asking customers to name their favorite rotisserie chickens, a conversation kicked off starting with, "Costco chicken has such a weird smell and taste. It smells like dirty dish water. Very off smell that other birds don't have."

That's a very specific complaint, and it turns out that it's one that a lot of people had. Others said, "It's disgusting and tastes like chemicals, " "I'm gonna have to agree on the dirty dish water smell," and even, "Yea, I can't believe everyone raving about Costco." Still others trying to hop on the Costco chicken bandwagon were baffled as to why they were so popular, claiming they were under seasoned and slimy.

There are a ton of naysayers out there when it comes to Costco's rotisserie chickens, but there are just as many who continue to swear by it. Costco still gets plenty of mentions any time anyone asks for favorite and recommendations, and there's no shortage of fans in the Costco subReddits. All that adds up to put this fan favorite in the middle of our ranking.

Wegmans is a regional grocery store with just over 110 locations, and if you don't have one near you, we're sorry. Wegmans is the sort of grocery store experience that you should include in vacation plans, and let's talk about its rotisserie chickens. There are a handful of different varieties on offer — including rosemary and BBQ roasted — and they're all ranked consistently high by customers.

Reviews for the rosemary laud it for being tender, always perfectly cooked, and big enough to feed a family of four. Sentiments are perhaps best summed up by a reviewer who wrote, "These chickens are just perfect in every regard. The ease of just picking them up and the perfect taste make it a hit in my home. Well worth the price!" Customers over on Reddit largely agree, so why are they not higher on our list?

For starters, we had to take the regional nature of Wegmans into consideration, and just the fact that not everyone has access to one is a shame. There's also the price point to consider, and depending on the type, Wegmans chickens are priced (as of this writing) as either $9.99 or $14.99 for organic. That's sparked some fierce debate, with some saying that although Wegmans charges more for its rotisserie chickens than many other grocery stores, it's still not a high price to pay when you're planning on feeding a whole family. And not only can you, but you'll want to.

Much like Wegmans, the rotisserie chickens at Sprouts are on the pricey side. They, too, are $9.99 and $14.99 for the organic chicken (as of this writing), and reviews are across-the-board favorable — mostly.

Customers do take issue with the size of the chickens in comparison to the price, but many seem to think that it's all balanced out by the ingredients. One wrote that even though it's more expensive and smaller, it was still a favorite: "I think this is the simplest ingredients list I've stumbled upon thus far," they explained. Another was thrilled by the lower sodium content, with others noting that the unseasoned chickens were delicious and flavorful without additives.

Redditors agree, with one saying that for them, Sprouts was definitely the way to go in spite of a smaller size. "...the best grocery store chicken," they said. "Definitely a smaller bird. But it's more flavorful, and the meat is chewy in a good way. The meat also holds much better in the fridge." Using up some rotisserie chicken in a buffalo chicken dip? This might be a great option for you.

When Whole Foods employees — and customers — took to a Reddit thread to discuss the store's rotisserie chickens, there was a common complaint: The kitchens just couldn't keep up with demand. That's a good sign that they're popular, and those who took to Amazon to share their thoughts agreed; for the most part.

As of this writing, these chickens were sitting at a 4.1 out of 5 stars, and given that there were well over 3,000 reviews, that's pretty good. Although some of the reviews claimed that they received undercooked chicken, some added that once they finished it in the oven, it was downright delicious. Others were happy that it wasn't as salty as some of the other rotisserie chickens that are on the market, and another wrote, "Every so often I buy one of these and eat it for a few nights straight. It is very tasty and there is plenty of meat on this chicken... It feels very clean and the price is very reasonable for all that you get."

And honestly, what more can you ask for? Some customers do note, however, that there was a marked difference between rotisserie chickens that were delivered and those bought in-store, suggesting that if you want the real deal, you're going to have to go pick it up. Those who choose to do so seem generally pleased with the outcomes, with another adding, "I am so glad to have found these chickens that have excellent flavor and no additives."

Surprised? We were, too. While Walmart has nothing but naysayers for its rotisserie chickens, Sam's Club has some serious fans — even luring dedicated Costco customers away. One Redditor posted, "I am a diehard Costco fan and tonight, had my first Sam's Club rotisserie chicken. I was stunned to learn how much better Sam's Club chicken is! Am I a traitor?" Others agreed, while being grateful that upvotes were anonymous.

Head over to the Sam's Club website, and you'll find more than 32,000 ratings and a 4.7 out of 5-star rating. One of the biggest selling points was the size. It's possible to assemble a week of meals using one rotisserie chicken, and if that's your goal, you might want to head to Sam's Club. Reviewers say chickens are big enough for several meals with leftovers, and in addition to size, they're also pretty popular when it comes to taste and texture, too.

"I just love these Sam's Club rotisserie chickens the value is STILL enormous, especially for these days! Tender, tasty, juicy..." wrote one, with another adding simply: "best rotisserie chicken around." Others gave the store a shout-out for not raising the price when the price of so many groceries are skyrocketing, but perhaps the best five-star review is the one that had an instruction for a title: "Get chicken."

We wanted to know what people were really saying about some of the most popular and widely available rotisserie chickens on the market, so we scoured store websites, Reddit threads, and social media posts to tune in to customer experiences. While there was, of course, the sort of disagreement that comes with any social media opinions, we went with the most common opinions on each store's offerings. Frequently mentioned were factors like availability, taste, texture, and each store's ability to put out a consistent product.