Mashed's Exclusive Survey Uncovers Which Grocery Store Has The Worst Rotisserie Chicken

Not being in the mood to cook after a long day at work is a universal (and understandable) experience. This is where takeout, fast-food establishments, and pre-cooked meals come into play. Chicken, for example, isn't something that can be whipped up in a few short minutes. According to Chicken.ca, a whole, unstuffed chicken takes around one hour and 40 minutes to cook, and it must hit internal temperatures of 180 F to kill harmful bacteria. However, there's still hope: Most grocery stores keep pre-cooked rotisserie chickens in stock.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Americans purchased 625 million rotisserie chickens from grocery stores in 2017. Another draw is the affordability of the product; Kroger's vice president of deli and bakery, Russ Richardson, detailed why it's important to keep prices within the $5 to $7 range (as of 2018). "We are relentlessly focused on keeping that price point. It's a hallmark item," he told the WSJ at the time. 

But not all rotisserie chickens are made the same, which is why Mashed conducted a survey to find out which grocery store's chicken is the worst and which one reigns supreme. 

Mashed conducted an exclusive reader survey to find out which grocery store serves the worst rotisserie chicken. Out of the 582 participants who responded, 36.77% believe Walmart serves the worst chicken. Second-to-last place goes to ShopRite with 30.07% of votes, while third-to-last place was Costco with 12.37% of votes. 

The rotisserie chicken people love best is served at Kroger, as the supermarket only received 9.45% of the negative votes. The second-best grocery store was Whole Foods, with 11.34% of votes.

It seems the general public agrees with Mashed readers when it comes to the highest-quality bird. One shopper on CvilleBuzz tried the rotisserie chicken from Sam's Club, but when he tried Kroger's chicken, it was love at first bite. He said of the rotisserie chicken, "[The chicken is] lightly seasoned in [its] 'savory' sauce, and [it is] cooked just right. Nice and juicy, not tough and dry." He was also impressed with the price point: two chickens for $10. If you're used to going somewhere else for rotisserie chicken, you might want to try out Kroger to see what all the fuss is about. (And on the other hand, you may want to stay away from Walmart.)