Rotisserie Chicken on a Grill

Golden brown chicken on a rotisserie grill with silver meat forks.

5 from 2 votes

Juicy and golden, rotisserie chicken is mostly hands-off cooking and you get a better, tastier chicken by doing it at home. If you don’t have an attachment for your grill, look into options for adding one. Timing tip: start about 2 ½ hours (or a little more) ahead of when you plan to serve. You will need extra time to set up the attachment, get the bird ready and get it going, then allowing it to rest when done.

Prep Time10

Cook Time1 30

Remove chicken from refrigerator1

Total Time2 40

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: to 6

Calories: 443kcal

Author: Sally Cameron

Equipment

Rotisserie attachment for outdoor grill
Rimmed baking sheet
Kitchen twine
Digital thermometer

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

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

Delicious options for seasoning:

Salt, ground black pepper, granulated garlic
Southwestern taco seasoning
My all-purpose dry rub
Lemon pepper

Note - if you use my dry rub recipe it's salt free, so be sure to salt your chicken first, then use the rub. Otherwise it's great for those on a sodium-restricted diet.

Nutrition