What Excess Container Juice Means For Your Rotisserie Chicken

One of the best things about grocery store rotisserie chickens is tender, juicy meat that's conveniently ready to eat. But when that chicken turns out to be dry, it is a total let down. As a chicken roasts, juices are naturally pulled from the meat as part of the cooking process, and those juices often settle at the bottom of the container as the bird rests after cooking. This juice is normal and expected, but while it is flavorful and completely safe to eat, the amount of juice is something you should pay attention to if you want a juicy and tender bird. 

As you pick out the best rotisserie chicken at Costco or another supermarket, keep an eye on the juice in the bottom of the container. This is a surefire way to tell whether that chicken is nice and juicy, or potentially dried out. Rotisserie chickens are often seasoned, but that flavoring is accomplished through a brine and herbs and spices applied to the skin, not by drenching it in sauce. So if you see a pool of juice at the bottom of the container, there is only one place it can be coming from: the meat. In other words, if there is a lot of juice in the container, there is a good chance that chicken is dried out because the liquid that contributes to tender meat has already drained out of the chicken.

It may be hard to resist the urge to dig into your rotisserie chicken with your fingers the minute you get it home, but those succulent, flavorful birds can be used in plenty of creative ways. Aside from reheating rotisserie chicken and enjoying it as it was intended, that flavorful, leftover meat provides the perfect shortcut for favorite comfort foods like chicken pot pie. 

You can also repurpose leftover rotisserie chicken by chopping up the meat and mixing it with mayo, celery, and seasonings to make a creamy chicken salad. Or, add it to soup, chili, pasta, or a casserole — or shred it for tacos or burritos. It can be utilized in just about any recipe that calls for chicken, and save you loads of time in both prep work and cooking. The juice itself also has tons of flavor and can be used in place of chicken stock in many recipes, including soups. The trick is to use it sparingly — chicken drippings are packed with flavor and feature a high fat content — so start slow and add more juice as needed to flavor your dishes.