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Okay... years ago I got the Ron Popeil rotisserie machine. Since then, I have tried a handful of times to make a good chicken, but I constantly fail. The chicken turns out fine (moist, cooked through, etc.) but the flavors stink.
I've tried flavor injectors, but the problem I have is that with the injectors, you get a LOT of flavors in one area (almost overpowering), while the next bite over, there's almost no flavor. Maybe I'm going too deep or not deep enough with the injector?
I've tried rubs (over the skin, under the skin), but I still can't get a good flavor. For those in Texas, if you've had H-E-B rotisserie chicken, I'd love to get a flavor like that. Some sort of good barbeque, hickory, mesquite, or original flavor. My wife won't eat a lemon herb so that's out.
Does anyone have a good recipe or technique that works? I'd love to make a rotisserie chicken more often (even using cornish hens, maybe). But until I can get it with a good flavor, the rotisserie sits in my pantry closet!
Honestly, my best advice is to start with the best chicken possible. I think there is a huge difference in flavor between the pastured, insect eating, frog chasing chicken I get at the farmer's market and one of the commercial battery cage ones.
I season the skin with all manner of herbs, but I don't think that really makes much difference, I just like eating the crunchy bits of skin, and it's pretty and it sure smells nice when it's cooking.
Something you could try would be stuffing the cavity with onions, apples, carrot and celery, herbs- aromatic stuff.
We have an old horizontal rotesserie that we use. I use a simple seasoning mix such as Lawry's seasoning. The key is to season the inside of the bird as well as the outside. I used to work in a grocery store deli and their spice mix was pretty similar. Just clean the bird, season the inside of the bird. Secure it on the rotisserie rod. Season the outside, and let it cook, slowly and evenly. Make sure the tray in the bottom has some water in it and you're good to go.
You got suckered into buying one of those ! We bake our chickens after a quick brine, perfect every time. If you can do without the crispy skin try baking a chicken upside down. Try it and you'll see why cooking it upside down makes the breast meat as tender and tasty as the other meat.
How about you ask the friendly folks at HEB what they do - it probably comes in a ready mix and they'll have no idea - but worth a try!!!
I buy their chicken too and it is incredibly good.
In fact, I'm gonna ask them too!!!
Well.. HEB wouldn't cough up the recipe (I really didn't expect them to). So, I'm back to trying to figure it out on my own. A couple good ideas here to try (like inside the bird, too). We'll see how it turns out. If anyone else has a good way to even flavor the bird, please don't hesitate to "chirp" in!
Rath-believe that's the way Costco and Sams does theirs. Brine first.
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