How to Make Rotisserie-Style Chicken (without a rotisserie!)

Recently I learned how to make rotisserie-style chicken without a rotisserie and realized how easy it is! I’ve decided that from here on out, it’s homemade rotisserie chicken for us.

Homemade rotisserie chicken has less sodium, better taste, and it’s so easy to make. I’ve made five whole chickens five different ways: crock pot, oven, grill, Instant Pot, and Ninja Foodi–I’m sharing links to recipes, seasonings, and thoughts about each method below.

How to make a rotisserie chicken:

It’s so easy to make a rotisserie chicken without the actual rotisserie. I think when people say “rotisserie chicken” these days what they mean is a whole chicken–one that you can use for many purposes and eat for a few days. Here’s how to prep your whole chicken for any recipe.

After you purchase a whole chicken, keep it refrigerated until you’re ready to cook it. When you’re ready to make the chicken, remove the chicken from the fridge and carefully unwrap it over the sink –there will be a lot of liquid that comes out of the package and it’s best to contain it and reduce the splashing as much as you can.

Do I need to rinse or wash my whole chicken? 

Nope! I always want to rinse my chicken, but I don’t. You can spread more germs by rinsing the chicken and it’s just not necessary.

You’ll want to pat your chicken dry with a few paper towels, and then place it on a large platter so you can season it.

What temperature should cooked chicken be?

For any chicken, you’re going to want to cook until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees. When I cook a whole chicken, I like to take the temperature of the chicken in 2-3 different places since it can vary a bit when you get near the bones.

How long does rotisserie chicken stay good for?

Different people feel comfortable with different times when it comes to leftovers, but I will serve shredded chicken from these recipes for 5 days after cooking it. Here are some great recipes for using leftover rotisserie chicken:

• Dill Pickle Chicken Salad
• Southwest Egg Roll in a Bowl
• Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip
• Healthy Crack Chicken
• Sweet & Savory Chicken Salad

Five Ways to Make Rotisserie-Style Chicken without a Rotisserie

These rotisserie chicken recipes are great to mix and match–take the seasonings you like best and pair it with the cooking method that works best for you.

1. Homemade Rotisserie-Style Chicken on the Grill with Lemon and Parsley

Grilling rotisserie-style chicken is my favorite way to make it. Rotisserie Chicken on the Grill produces a flavorful and tender chicken that is perfect for dinner. It’s a healthy whole chicken recipe that’s better than store bought because there are no added sugars and sodium. I love adding them lemon to this grilled whole chicken because it tastes delicious and the lemons are edible!

Ingredients in this Rotisserie Chicken Seasoning:

Outside the chicken (make sure to read the directions before doing this step), make a spice rub in a small bowl:

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 lemons. You’ll need the zest and juice of 2 lemons, then 3-4 slices of the third lemon)
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper

Inside the Chicken (adding ingredients to the inside of the chicken can help flavor the meat):

• one half bulb of garlic
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• The rinds from the lemons used in the oil mixture. If you want to add extra quartered lemons into the chicken, I highly encourage that!

2. Homemade Rotisserie Chicken in the Oven with Rosemary & Garlic

Ingredients in this Rotisserie Chicken Seasoning:

• 2-3 cloves of fresh garlic, minced. If you’re stuck you can use garlic powder.
• 2 tablespoons dried rosemary
• 4 tablespoons olive oil

While this chicken is cooking, use a turkey baster to move drippings from the bottom of the roasting pan to the top of the chicken.

3. Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken with Mexican Citrus Marinade

Ingredients for this Mexican Chicken Marinade:

• 4 ounces orange juice
• 2 fresh limes, squeezed
• 1 tablespoon vinegar (I prefer white)
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cloves of minced garlic
• 3 teaspoons Mexican oregano
• 2 teaspoons turmeric
• 1 teaspoon of chili powder (more if you like spice, less if you don’t)

That beautiful yellow color that you see is the turmeric, which has some amazing anti-inflammatory properties. It also has a very distinct (but not very powerful) taste, and it’s one of our favorites in chicken. This recipe produces shredded rotisserie chicken that’s perfect for tacos and burritos.

4. CrockPot Rotisserie Chicken with Hearty Vegetable Broth

Ingredients for this Chicken Seasoning:

• salt & pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 whole sweet potatoes, cut into chunks
• 2 whole yellow onions, chopped
• 3 whole carrots, chopped
• 2 stalks of celery, chopped

5. Ninja Foodi Rotisserie Chicken with Lemon, Garlic, and Onion

Ingredients in this Rotisserie Chicken Seasoning:

Inside the Chicken:

• one red onion, quartered (you don’t want onion powder for this–use real onions)
• one half bulb of garlic
• 1-2 quartered lemons

Outside the chicken (make sure to read the directions before doing this step), make a seasoning mix:

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• juice of 1 lemon
• zest of one lemon
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper

More healthy comfort food recipes:

• Healthy Chicken Pot Pie Soup
• Homemade Hamburger Helper
• Healthy Vegetable Chowder