It was a signature of Julia Child and continues to be a staple for Ina Garten, Chef John, and countless home cooks: roast chicken. The quintessential Sunday night dinner is comforting and often asks for less than 20 minutes of prep time, however, it’s the cooking time that often stands between us and roasting our own birds more often. We don’t know about you, but sitting around for more than an hour for chicken to cook isn’t always something we can (or want to) swing.

This is where a store-bought rotisserie chicken can come to the rescue. Just as versatile as a home-cooked bird—and often just about as affordable as purchasing frozen chicken to roast ourselves—rotisserie chickens are one of Allrecipes editors’ go-to weeknight dinner staples. Quick, easy, satisfying, and with no dishes to clean up after? Sold. 

It’s clear we’re not alone: Americans purchase about 950 million rotisserie chickens per year, according to estimates from the National Chicken Council. We’re investing in a lot of rotisserie chickens, but from where? Are we missing out on the best of the best by overlooking certain places that sell top-notch protein?

We tapped poultry-loving chefs from coast to coast to dish about what they look for in the best rotisserie chickens, how they use them, and where they buy their birds. Turns out, they all only give a cluck about one brand—it’s the same one that came out on top of our team’s grocery store rotisserie chicken taste tests.

Allrecipes