# Supermarket Roasted Chicken



## Hungry (Mar 23, 2006)

*What to Eat*

What has bden your experience with the Roasted Chickens that are now in a lot of markets?

I'm quite concerned about their holding these chickens at ?? degrees temperature.

If they hold them hot enough to kill any bacteria, then they would probably be dried out if I was going to take one home for supper at 5:30p.

Bad news if they hold them at a temperature where the bacteria thrives! (I forget the numbers)

I bought one once and it tasted like cardboard!

Charlie


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## GB (Mar 23, 2006)

I have had great experience with them. They are held hot enough that they are safe, but somehow do not dry out.


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## thumpershere2 (Mar 23, 2006)

I have tried them a few time and I'm still here. They tasted ok but would rather roast my own at home.


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## Robo410 (Mar 23, 2006)

they taste of injected flavorings and are way overcooked.  In an emergency it's great to go get one and make quick fajitas or buritos, maybe a sandwich  etc.  But as a dining experience they lack a lot.  As safe as anything else you buy.


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## GB (Mar 23, 2006)

The ones I get ar not injected at all. occasionally I have gotten an overcooked one, but usually I have not. Maybe I have just been very lucky.


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## Michelemarie (Mar 23, 2006)

I don't buy them often, but the are good in a pinch. The ones I have bought have not been too dry -but now I am thinking about the temperature thing - just one more thing to make me loony!


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## Hopz (Mar 23, 2006)

Wife and I have one about every other week on average. We like them a lot.
I enjoy splitting them in half and throwing them on the grill. If I am in the BBQ mood a little sauce is nice. Do not need to really cook them again, but a little browning on the skin side is nice as well on the inside.
BUT the bonus of it all is after you eat off all you want... MAKE A CHICKEN STOCK!!

Throw all the bones and all the meat bits you didn't eat into the stock pot, cover with water. Throw in some garlic, carrots, celery, some thyme, and salt/pepper if needed.
Boil for two hours or so.... strain- freeze... makes every savory dish better.


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## Andy M. (Mar 23, 2006)

We like the ones from Costco.  They're delicious.  They are always well seasoned with a rub and moist as well.  We buy one on a Saturday morning when we're out doing the grodcery shopping (last stop) and take it home for lunch and leftovers for another lunch.

I also save the inedible parts for my stock.


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## BigDog (Mar 23, 2006)

An item I do not plan on indulging in ever again. Yes, they are flavorful and still quite juicy, but every time I've eaten from one, shortly thereafter I'm rapidly en route to the bathroom while looking for a dose of Stop Leak (read: Immodium AD or Advanced).

Those chickens and drugs, just say no! Need something in a pinch? Get a sandwich at your local deli, IMHO!


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## Andy M. (Mar 23, 2006)

BigDog said:
			
		

> ...but every time I've eaten from one, shortly thereafter I'm rapidly en route to the bathroom while looking for a dose of Stop Leak...


 
Consider shopping elsewhere !!!!!


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## licia (Mar 23, 2006)

They are better from some places than others.  The ones I buy are very good and every bit as good as one cooked at home.  I use them for sandwiches, salads, the carcass for soup or broth.  It is a head start I need sometime when pressed for time and I can count on the quality from the right place.


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## Constance (Mar 23, 2006)

I used to buy them from our locally owned store, and they were very good. That store went out of business after the SuperWalmart opened, and the roasted chickens at Walmart look like they're fossilized.


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## kadesma (Mar 23, 2006)

I get them at Costco or at my grocery store, Both are moist, hot, and well seasoned..We use them for sandwiches either hot or cold ones, then the left overs and a second chicken go into sop or enchilladas or tacos..Never have had a problem..I do though make sure I get to the store as they are taking them of the roasting machine, take them right home and put in refrigerator to cool.

kadesma


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## Gretchen (Mar 23, 2006)

I like the ones from Costco and Sam's. I HATE the ones from the supermarkets. They inject/brine them in something. AND some of our markets do not get them done. I have taken them back to complain.


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## Gretchen (Mar 23, 2006)

And bye the bye, you can do it yourself in the time it takes to go to the store. Salt and pepper liberally and bake at 400* for an hour. Better than theirs.


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## corazon (Mar 23, 2006)

We get the ones from Costco too.  We like them and I buy a couple whenever I go.  I bring them home a pull them apart and usually freeze the meat.  We make enchiladas and mostly sandwiches for dh to take to work.  Shredded chicken on a warm tortila with tomatoes, avocados, cheese and sunflower seeds.  I'm getting hungry, what's for lunch?


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## GB (Mar 23, 2006)

Gretchen said:
			
		

> And bye the bye, you can do it yourself in the time it takes to go to the store. Salt and pepper liberally and bake at 400* for an hour. Better than theirs.


LOL it takes me 3 minutes to get to the store, 5 minutes to buy the chicken, and 3 minutes to get back. When I get home from work at 7pm I want to be able to eat something right away. If I had to wait until 8pm for my chicken and then have the roasting pan to wash, well I am just glad my supermarket makes good ones


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## velochic (Mar 24, 2006)

We are huge fans of roti-chicken. I cook only from scratch (don't use processed foods) and our tastebuds would tell us if there were any chemicals injected. I can think of about 100 worse "fast-foods" for you than roti-chicken.

ETA:  In Germany the chickens are usually made by the Turks and they are still on the spit when you buy them.


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## Claire (Apr 2, 2006)

I buy them fairly often in the summer (don't have A/C); when on the road the trailer's A/C couldn't compete with the oven, so I used them even more often then.  I find them to be a great convenience and we've never even had the mildest stomach distress from them.  With a tossed salad, taboule, or couscous they make a great minimal cooking summer meal.  Occaisionally they will be too salty, depending on the regional tastes where you buy them, but overall my experiences have been good.


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## Barbara L (Apr 2, 2006)

We get them now and then when we want something quick. Most of the ones we have gotten have been really good.  The last one I got was a little dry, but over all we haven't had that problem.

 Barbara


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## amber (Apr 2, 2006)

I like the rotisserie chickens at my store.  They stamp the time they are cooked on the label, and keep them hot enough in the meantime. I bring it home, stick it in the fridge if it's not time for dinner, then just heat it up according to their directions.  I've never had a problem.


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## Andy M. (Apr 2, 2006)

Thanks for the tips, guys.  Monday night we're having chicken quesadillas using a Costco rotisserie checken we bought Saturday.


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## BreezyCooking (Apr 2, 2006)

Since I received my (dare I admit it??) Ron Popeil Showtime Rotisserie (which makes the very best rotisserie poultry, by the way), I haven't bought any store rotisserie birds, but before that I'd also have to vote for CostCo.  Their birds have always been hot with crisp skin & juicy meat.


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## Essie (Apr 3, 2006)

They are very tasty, but loaded with sodium so a no, no in our house, because of my husband's heart condition.


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## Poppinfresh (Apr 3, 2006)

Our local Fred Meyer changes the chickens every hour so they don't get TOO dry, but I still don't really care for them.  There's a fine line between a good chicken and a hockey puck chicken, and sitting under a heat lamp isn't going to keep it on the good side.

The bacterial aspect...eh, honestly I wouldn't even care about that even if the chickens tasted alright to me.  I've always held the belief that this whole "unclean, unclean!" hysteria regarding uncooked chicken, room temperature chicken etc. is highly overrated.  With seafood I'll buy into the craze, but chicken, beef, pork?  Hard to buy into that when you can think back to your childhood years and remmeber eating some (what is referred to today as) truly hazardous poultry and always being fine...and don't even get me started on my college years where my fratmates' laziness with cleanup and storage expanded the 5 second rule to the 5 hour rule for all in the house.


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## GB (Apr 3, 2006)

Poppinfresh said:
			
		

> Hard to buy into that when you can think back to your childhood years and remmeber eating some (what is referred to today as) truly hazardous poultry and always being fine...


The difference being that chickens were handled differently back then (obviously depending on when your childhood actually was). The major scare comes from the way the chickens are processed now, which was different years ago. that is why it used to be much safer than it is today.

yeah it is rare that you will get sick, but one it happens to you just once you will be wishing you had taken every precaution at that point, but then it will be too late.


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## RMS (Apr 3, 2006)

I've bought them but sometimes they can be a bit too salty tasting.  My store dates them with the time also which I like but since I've gotten my Showtime Rotisserie, I've been making my own and they are much better.


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## BreezyCooking (Apr 3, 2006)

Ahh - another Ron Popeil Showtime Rotisserie fan!!!  You know, I've had people laugh at me for having one - but boy do they stop laughing when they taste my chicken, & my duck, & my rock cornish hens, & my turkey drumsticks, & my trout, etc., etc., etc.

When my husband first gave it to me I figured I'd use it a couple of times & then it would end up in the basement along with other rarely used gadgets.  Never happened.  After using it, it now has a place of honor on my small ever-crowded countertop.


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## RMS (Apr 3, 2006)

Breezy,
I thought it was corny too and for the longest time wondered about it and finally gave in and bought one.  I think it was well worth the money and I use it all the time, I especially like the way the poultry comes out.  Mine has a place of honor on the counter too!  If not I'd be constantly bringing it out and who wants to bother with that!


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## jennyema (Apr 3, 2006)

Poppinfresh said:
			
		

> The bacterial aspect...eh, honestly I wouldn't even care about that even if the chickens tasted alright to me.


 

Hmmmmmm.  IMO, you should probably care .  Chicken held at lower than 140 accumulates bacteria that multiply very fast.  Even if the chicken was "clean" when you cooked it, it can go downhill very fast if not held properly after cooking -- and it still probably would taste good.

Foodbourne illness that you get this way is more annoying than serious, but it's still not fun.  paritcularly when you are on the golf course (happened to me last fall ).

It's against the law to hold perishable foods at between 40 and 140.  That said, you can't always trust restaurants/stores to handle food properly.

Here at work, they recently attached little thermometers to the coolersd where they keep juices/milk/yogurt, etc.  The thermometer on the cooler with Gatorade and juice and soda says its 37 degrees.  But the one on the milk product cooler says its 48 degrees!  When i pointed that out to them, they just  and said there was nothing they could do about it.


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## BreezyCooking (Apr 3, 2006)

I'm not sure if you can still access it via internet, but not too long ago there was a long in-depth article in The Washington Post on the safety of prepared food - including rotisserie chicken - at major supermarkets.

If I recall correctly, CostCo & WalMart were close to the top; Safeway was rock bottom, or close to it.  Everyone else wavered inbetween.


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## Andy M. (Apr 3, 2006)

When we pick up a Costco chicken, they're too hot to hold in your hand.


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## ironchef (Apr 3, 2006)

Ditto what Andy said. Costco chickens are *very* good. It's more worthwhile to buy a Coscto roast chicken for dinner than to go through the trouble of preparing one at home. You just have to worry about making the side dishes. And they are stored very hot, and only for a limited time in the warmers.


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