rotisserie chicken

2baninja
2baninja Posts: 518 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Odd question, but why is rotisserie chicken so much higher in sodium then reg chicken? It's tastes so much better then plain chicken, but the sodium.....ouch

Replies

  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,871 Member
    It's likely injected with a sodium solution in order to encourage retention of juiciness, on top of the external seasoning that is applied. Unless sodium is of particular concern to you, I wouldn't be overly concerned about it though.
  • 2baninja
    2baninja Posts: 518 Member
    It sorta is, I have high blood pressure- (under control with meds), I won't stop eating it because of that, but I am curious....
  • COGypsy
    COGypsy Posts: 1,353 Member
    Yep, if you made rotisserie chicken at home on your grill and ate it right away, it would be moist and juicy from the fats that are reabsorbed by cooking it that way. However, to get chicken to be moist and juicy after being slow cooked and sitting under heat lamps for hours, they inject them with brine to keep them plump and delicious.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Salt is delicious.

    I make a rotisserie analogue by quartering potatoes, laying them in a slow cooker, and put a chicken on top. This time I liberally sprinkled the chicken with Mrs. Dash. And 1/2 teaspoon salt. And a bay leaf.

    The next day I cooked beans in the resulting broth.
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,997 Member
    According to a couple of Net articles I just read, all rotisserie chicken sold at Costo (and elsewhere) is pre-brined and seasoned by a 3rd party vendor who supplies the chickens which are then roasted by Costco.

    It is also estimated that Costco loses $30-40 MILLION a year by selling the chicken at only $5. Just like they lose money on the hot dogs, pizza and other things they sell for cheap in their food court.

    It's a cost of doing business to keep customers coming in.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    It's the same reason that chicken cooked at home tastes better if you brine it. Salt enhances the flavor and it retains more moisture.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    The one's you buy at the store are injected with brine.
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,997 Member
    edited January 2018
    BTW, the chicken stock that I make w/Costo rotisserie chicken bones and scaps tastes FANTASTIC!

    Buying a cooked chicken for less than it costs raw and making a quart or more of chicken stock from in for the cost a an onion and a couple of carrots, a couple of stalks of celery and some seasoning is a win-win. :)

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