One Man Is Reviewing Every Grocery Store Rotisserie Chicken So You Don’t Have to — Here Are His Top Picks

Rotisserie chicken is a weeknight savior in many households, and it’s one of the best leftover ingredients to have in the fridge for transforming into shredded chicken dips, quesadillas, salads, or even chicken pot pie. 

Not all rotisserie chickens are alike; a good one should be crispy and perfectly glazed on the outside while being juicy on the inside. As customers have clearly expressed their love for these convenient proteins, grocery stores and supermarket chains across the country—including both large chains and regional favorites—have developed their own versions of rotisserie chickens. Naturally, someone had to rank them.

Johnny Novo (@jnov__) is a food content creator on a niche (but important) mission: finding the best grocery store rotisserie chicken. It all started in March this year when he posted his first rotisserie chicken review and introduced this journey to his followers. In a humorous voiceover, Novo says, “The next phase of my evolution as a man is to start reviewing all the grocery store rotisserie chickens.” He says that this is one of the best items you can get from a grocery store — and we agree.

Novo calls this series “Chicken Wars” and is fully committed to the task. Since March, he has reviewed 25 rotisserie chickens, all from various grocery stores. His videos consistently highlight the price of the chicken first, followed by his live taste test and review of the poultry. After the first 20 reviews, the creator posted his rankings thus far in April, noting that he still has more work to do.

After testing the first 20 grocery stores, three chickens had to settle for the bottom spots in the rankings: these were from the regional supermarkets Morton Williams, Butterfield Market, and Vons. 

Novo has already sampled rotisserie chickens from a wide range of major grocery stores, including Walmart, Whole Foods, Costco, Publix, and Albertsons. Some large chains dominated the top rankings, while in other instances, smaller stores emerged victorious. Here are the seven best rotisserie chickens that this expert has identified so far.

Fairway Market

After the first 20 reviews, New York City-based supermarket Fairway Market emerged as the clear winner in the grocery store chicken wars, with Novo awarding it a 9.1 out of 10. Fairway’s Pollo Asado Rotisserie Chicken is seasoned with traditional Latin spices, and Novo notes that several viewers requested he review this specific chicken, despite the grocery store being a small chain. 

“This is looking phenomenal,” says the rotisserie connoisseur at first glance as he admires the texture of the meat and the crispy, well-seasoned skin. He’s especially impressed by how moist the meat is, saying, “It’s not dry at all. This might be the best grocery store rotisserie chicken I’ve had.” 

Publix 

In second place on the rotisserie chicken rankings is none other than Publix, the Florida-based supermarket chain that has avid fans throughout the Southern United States.

In his review, Novo notes that many of his followers highly requested the Publix Deli Mojo Oven Roasted Chicken. He rates this item a remarkable 9 out of 10, citing its flavorful, well-seasoned skin infused with lime and garlic, as well as the exceptionally moist chicken breast, which is often prone to drying out. 

The Fresh Market 

Consumers on the East Coast might be familiar with medium-sized grocery chain The Fresh Market. As Novo evaluates the butter, garlic, and thyme-flavored chicken, he says that “this might be the best skin” he’s had. According to the creator, the breast meat is flavorful and perfectly tender, earning it an 8.9 out of 10. If you end up loving this chicken, the supermarket also offers another flavor option: its Roasted White Wine Herb Chicken. 

Sprouts 

In addition to a plain option, Sprouts offers three flavors of rotisserie chicken: pollo asado, barbecue, and herb. Novo opted for the limited-edition pollo asado roasted chicken to evaluate. While he notes that the skin “is a little soggy,” he finds this acceptable given that it’s a “bag rotisserie chicken.” The meat’s tenderness and the flavorful seasoning on the skin ultimately impressed him, leading him to rate it an 8.6. 

Wegmans 

Wegmans is where it all began for Novo and his chicken wars series. As the first review in the quest to find the best grocery store chicken, the Wegmans rotisserie chicken received an 8.5 out of 10 from the creator back in March. 

In the review video, the chicken looks well-seasoned and crispy, topped with a generous amount of rosemary on the skin. Since this initial review, Novo has sampled over 20 grocery store chickens, making it no surprise that Wegmans has dropped to fifth place on the list. Nonetheless, when the creator first tasted the Wegmans Rosemary Roasted Chicken, he was immediately impressed. “I don’t know what’s going to beat this,” he remarked — and now we have the answer.

Jubilee Market 

Brooklyn-based supermarket Jubilee Marketplace is located in Greenpoint and exclusively sells chickens sourced from widely respected meat wholesaler Pat LaFrieda. Novo notes that the supermarket’s chicken is priced similarly to Costco’s, which is surprising considering the warehouse retailer is known for its affordability — and Jubilee’s chicken even outranked this towering competitor in terms of flavor and texture. 

Prior to tasting the poultry from Jubilee, he observes that the meat looks fairly dry, but he’s then pleasantly surprised by how juicy it turns out to be. Novo is also pleased with how the meat falls off the bone, but the star of the show was once again the seasoning, making the poultry worthy of an 8.4 out of 10.

Acme 

From the Northeastern grocery chain Acme, Novo reviewed and rated the Lemon Pepper Roasted Chicken. When he first takes the chicken out of the bag, it’s visibly very juicy. He observes a “little bit of dryness” in the chicken, but still finds it to be “pretty tender for a breast.” For him, what makes this poultry really delicious and above average is the chicken’s leg and thigh, earning it an 8.3 out of 10. 

According to Novo, when rating chickens and reviewing them on the spot, he believes that a rotisserie bird qualifies as “a truly elite chicken if the breast is moist too.” A grocery store will likely receive a score from him in the nine range if the breast is “perfect,” as he explains in the Acme review. So, if you’re someone who hates a dry chicken breast — or one of the many people who rely on rotisserie chickens for meal prep — you might want to keep tuning in to his poultry reviews.