Love store-bought rotisserie chicken? If your grill has a rotisserie attachment, it’s time to make it at home! Save the store version for busy nights and enjoy the irresistible aromas of homemade rotisserie chicken in your own backyard. Juicy, golden, and packed with flavor, it’s the ultimate summer grilling experience. Follow my step-by-step guide for how to make rotisserie chicken.
Picking up a warehouse rotisserie chicken or a grocery store rotisserie chicken is easy, but wait until you have homemade rotisserie chicken! You'll only grab one of those in a pinch (if ever). After making rotisserie chicken for more than 20 years on a regular basis on both gas grills and a pellet grill, believe me when I say it's the best. Juicy, tender, and flavorful, the results will make you a believer!
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Why You'll Like This Recipe
- The best reason, it's delicious!
- Easy to do with a rotisserie grill attachment or a counter top oven with rotisserie capability.
- Leftovers are gold, if there are any for rotisserie chicken salad, soups, and more.
- Rotisserie chicken self bastes as it rotates for moist and flavorful chicken.
For another terrific basic chicken recipe, try these roast split chicken breasts, a weekly dinner at my house (along with rotisserie chicken).
Recipe Ingredients
Rotisserie chicken
- Whole chicken: A whole fresh chicken, get a large one so you have leftovers.
- Oil: For a gas grill I use olive oil, and for my pellet grill rotisserie I use mayonnaise.
- Seasoning: You can use anything from simply salt, pepper, and granulated garlic powder to my homemade BBQ dry rub (what I do), lemon pepper, or other dry rubs.
Optional stuffing
I like to stuff the cavity of the chicken with citrus (lemon or orange), half an onion, bay leaves, herbs sprigs from either rosemary or thyme, and crushed garlic cloves. This is optional but adds flavor and moisture to your rotisserie chicken.
Substitutions and Variations
- Variations come by the dry rubs and seasonings that you use.
Recipe Instructions
Prep the Chicken
- Remove the chicken from the refrigerator 1 hour prior to rotisserie to get the chill off.
- Discard any little bag of innards, dry the inside of the chicken with paper towels.
- Remove any extra fat around the neck cavity and bend wing tips back under the bird.
- Season the bird inside with salt.
- Stuff the cavity with half a chopped onion, a few peeled and crushed garlic cloves and a few sprigs fresh thyme, rosemary and a bay leaf. A wedge of lemon or orange is nice too.
- Lightly rub the outside with olive oil or mayonnaise and sprinkle generously with your seasoning, turning the bird to coat evenly.
Truss the Chicken and Position the Spit
- Tie the legs together with kitchen twine. This keeps the chicken in a nice shape for even roasting and rotation.
- Center the chicken on the spit (rotisserie rod) so the weight is evenly distributed. Slide the meats forks onto each side of the rod pushing them into the chicken to secure. Turn the screws very tight. Do this on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any raw juices and keep things clean and allowing for easy transport to the grill.
- Place the rod with the chicken into the rotisserie and turn on the motor to be sure it is turning. Add extra rub if you have any bare spots.
Chef's tip: When setting up the chicken on the rotisserie rod (the spit), make sure they are totally secure and very tight. If they come lose during the rotisserie the chicken will not rotate. It will get stuck in a position and could burn. When the chicken is on, check it once in a while to be sure it's turning evenly.
Temperature and Timing for Rotisserie Chicken
For a gas grill, there may not be a temperature setting. If there is, set it for 350°F - 375°F as you would for a pellet grill.
Roast for approximately 1 ½ hours or until the inner thigh reaches 170º degrees tested with a digital thermometer. The chicken should be a deep golden brown. Peak in and check on the rotisserie occasionally to be sure it is turning. Its done when it's at temperature, not time. Each grill is different and the weather may effect the timing.
Remove chicken from the rotisserie and allow chicken to stand for about 10 minutes before carving.
Rotisserie Chicken for a Gas Grill or Pellet Grill
I originally wrote this post for my gas grill, but now have a wood-fired pellet grill. This works for both.
If you have a pellet grill with rotisserie attachment, the only change is this: smear the bird with a light coating of mayonnaise instead of olive oil. I know that sounds strange, but trust me, it works great as a binder. Season the chicken well and proceed. Set your temperature at 375°F and be sure the hopper is full of good hardwood pellets.
Serving Suggestions
What to make with rotisserie chicken? Just about anything.
- Potatoes: creamy riced mashed potatoes, whipped sweet potatoes, or this French potato salad in summertime.
- Vegetables: Balsamic Brussels sprouts, sweet corn succotash, or broccoli slaw with creamy apple cider dressing.
- Salads: broccoli salad with bacon, simple easy coleslaw, or a lemony pasta salad.
Rotisserie Leftover Chicken Recipes
- Chinese chicken salad with ginger vinaigrette.
- Mexican chicken tortilla soup.
- Grilled chicken salad with blueberry vinaigrette.
- Use it for tacos or quesadillas.
- Caesar pasta salad with chicken.
- Chicken vegetable soup.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can freeze rotisserie chicken, but not the whole thing. I recommend cutting the chicken up into major pieces before freezing, or stripping all of the meat from the bones and freezing it that way. It depends on how you plan to use it. Be sure to label and date the container. An airtight container or vacuum sealed bag preserve it the best.
Leftover rotisserie chicken is like gold! Chop it for creamy chicken salad. Shred it for rotisseries chicken tacos and enchiladas. Make chicken tortillas soup. Use it to top fresh salads greens for a terrific lunch or dinner. Make a Cobb Salad or a chicken tostada. Leftover rotisserie chicken is a welcome thing to have.
Cooking time for a rotisserie chicken depends on your type of rotisserie. There are outdoor gas grill and pellet grill rotisserie setups, countertop indoor kitchen rotisseries, and air fryer oven rotisserie's, but here are several tips.
The first few times you rotisserie chicken, keep an eye on it. When done, they are a rich golden brown and smell terrific. Second, of course read the brands manual and checker their website for possible times.
Third, use a good digital kitchen thermometer to test the internal temperature. When the probe is inserted into the inner thigh without hitting the bone, the temperature should be 170°F.
I've always used an outdoor grill set up and it take anywhere from an hour and a half to two hours to rotisserie a chicken. Timing also depends on how hot your rotisserie is and if you can control the cooking temperature. Weather is another factor.
There are several ways to add flavor to a rotisserie chicken: with a binder such as olive oil, mayonnaise, mustard, with dry dry rubs, by marinating the whole chicken before hand (or brining), and by stuffing the internal cavity with flavorful ingredients such as cut lemon or orange wedges, chunks of onion, fresh thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf, and with crushed fresh garlic cloves.
Also, remember to salt the internal cavity of the chicken, and salt the outside if your dry rub is salt-free.
More Chicken Recipes
Need more ideas for chicken recipes? Here are a few, and be sure to check out the chicken recipes index page for more inspiration!
Did You Make This Recipe?
If you make rotisserie chicken, please add your comment. I appreciate your feedback and enjoy hearing from you. Any questions? Let me know! If you loved it, please give it a 5-star rating! They really help other readers.
📖 Recipe
How To Make Rotisserie Chicken (gas grill and pellet grill)
Equipment
- Rotisserie attachment for outdoor grill
Ingredients
Basic Rotisserie Chicken
- 4 ½ pound whole organic chicken
- 2 teaspoons olive oil OR mayo for pellet grill
- seasonings of choice see notes below
Options for Stuffing the Chicken
- ½ small onion, quartered
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ small lemon, quartered
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Instructions
- Remove chicken from the refrigerator 1 hour ahead to get the chill off. Remove and bag of innards, discard, and carefully rinse the bird inside and out and dry with paper towels. Remove extra fat around the neck cavity. Bend the wing tips back under the bird.
- Rub the bird with olive oil (or mayo) then season the inside with a sprinkle of the seasoning you plan to use on the outside of the bird. If stuffing with aromatics, do it now, then tie the legs together with kitchen twine. This keeps the chicken in a nice shape for even roasting and rotation.
- Place one pronged holder on the steel rod with prongs facing in. Skewer the chicken through the cavity and tail end. Add the other pronged holder and center the bird. Be sure the chicken is tight between the prongs. Use pliers to tighten down the screws if needed. I do this on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any raw juices and keep things clean.
- Place the rod with the chicken into the rotisserie and turn on the motor to be sure it is turning. Season the outside of the chicken while on the spit as it turns to get it evenly coated or do it in the kitchen.
- Roast for 1 ½- 2 hours or until the inner thigh reaches 165º – 170º degrees when tested with a digital thermometer. The chicken should be a deep golden brown. Peak in and check the rotisserie occasionally to be sure it is turning.
- Remove from the rotisserie and allow chicken to stand for about 15 minutes before carving.
Notes
- Salt, ground black pepper, granulated garlic
- Southwestern taco seasoning
- My all-purpose dry rub
- Lemon pepper
Nutrition
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