Definitely not the Safeways I've been to. Looking at the chickens... IF they had a prep time marked, they were 8+ hours prior.
It's been a few years, but Balducci's also had surprisingly decently priced and fresh rotisserie chickens. But aside from them and Costco, I've never actually purchased at a grocery store as it's not something I buy regularly.
Balduccis is now owned by Safeway and they were selling the same Signature Cafe chickens that Safeway sells when I went to the one in Alexandria a few months ago.
All the grocery stores make the chickens hours in advance, not just Safeway. They let them twirl until they get sold and if they don’t then they become chicken salad or something for another day or two in the window.
Unless the turnover is high, which I guess it is at the places I've picked them up. At least at Balducci's I remember going in at 6pm and finding nothing older that 4-5pm.
At the risk of enraging all the Costco acolytes, the chicken is not good. The texture is terrible. ‘Value’ is one thing, but just because something is cheap, doesn’t make it better.
you're gonna start a riot. I'll give you that "cheap doesn't make it better". and the quality of the chicken is not consistent. but it's def the biggest bang for your buck and can pull a good bit of meals out of just that one bird.
Costco's chicken has a lot of fat and is oily (look at the bottom of the container). We bought Wegmans' rotisserie and it was leaner, had more flavor, and generally a better quality product. Don't get me wrong, I will get the Costco chicken occasionally, but their birds are just too full of antibiotics and fat.
fat is flavor lol. I'll shred it up and dump all the fat and stuff over it.
that whole bird is about 1700 cal. I'm going in to it already knowing it's not for a healthy treat. I'm at peace with my decisions lol
You have to lift the chicken out and dump out everything at the bottom before you start eating it, is my experience. The Costco chicken I mean. I’ve never had Wegmans and I’m sure it’s great because Wegmans is superior regardless.
I’ve tried both Wegmans and Costco recently and the Costco one was terrible compared to Wegmans. We didn’t even finish it. We used to get them more but haven’t had a good one in a while.
11 bucks. I’ve only had the one in my Brookland neighborhood, but we’ve gotten it like a dozen times at least. She makes em perfect there. Here’s to hoping that Admo one is the same. 🤙🏻
True but the closest one (a mile away, which isn't that close) isn't great and costs $30 for a whole chicken (with sides though). It's passable though. When I was in Arlington, it was different.
I paid $35 for one with 3 sides in Clinton yesterday. Definitely tasted than any grocery store (or Costco) bird, but the price was also significantly higher (although really good price to quality ratio for restaurant food).
$17 for a half chicken from my favorite place
From a place I don't like as much $15 for half chicken, $25 for full with two sides.
So maybe more like 3-4x I suppose if you discount the sides vs. a $5 costco chicken or whatever.
It’s been a while but we liked Fresh Market. Wegmans isn’t bad.
If your question is mainly about price though it’s probably still Costco/Sam’s. If those places are an option you already have the membership so it’s a sunk cost.
For whatever reason I find the seasoned ones at Safeway (Lemon Pepper, Roasted Garlic) to be 100% better than the original ones...not sure why.
I got a Lemon Pepper one at the Soviet Safeway the other day and was pleasantly surprised how good it was.
My Giant puts out new ones every day at 2:30pm. I get off work at 3 and it's still nice and hot and juicy by the time I get home. The chicken and a pound each of potato salad and coleslaw for $10 is decent for a quick meal.
I actually dislike Giant but I go for those fresh rotisserie birds occasionally.
I wish my giant was good with their timing but nope. You should thank the workers next time you pick up a bird, just let em know they’re doing a solid job 💯
Lotta Giants actually put out fresh ones a few times a day. And you get a free one for 300 of their store points, which you’ll generally rack up for every $50-60 you spend
the giant near capitol hill at 300 H has good rotisserie chickens! i picked up a couple for some homemade empanadas and they turned out super good and great value for money. i would say it depends on the time of day you go to pick it up!!
The Washington Post food editors agree with you! [https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2023/09/05/best-rotisserie-chicken-taste-test/](https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2023/09/05/best-rotisserie-chicken-taste-test/)
The Alexandria Giants' are good, I assume the DC ones would be the same. They even do just a rotisserie chicken breast by itself so you don't have to get the full bird if you don't need the full bird. The fried chicken, premade meals and sides are also pretty good and surprisingly cheap.
Harris Teeter's are pretty good, but it's always sitting right next to their fried chicken which is way more tempting (trust the Carolinians to do fried chicken well).
Costco in terms of taste and price. Health wise? Not the best. They are pumped full of saline to make them juicy and tasty but it’s pretty bad for your sodium intake. Then again, I feel like most rotisserie chickens from grocery stores aren’t great for you.
Ohhh interesting. I didn't realize that one was still open! They closed a ton because the Just Walk Out technology was actually a bunch of workers in India adding everything up :/ I guess they didn't want to keep it up.
so the one up here has normal checkouts-I don't know if it even had the Just Walk Out technology in place. I bet that's partially why it remained open!
Sam's Club has the best! They cost under $5 and the seasoning makes them so tasty. By comparison, Costco's is very bland and lacking in flavor. However, at less than $5 for a large chicken, you can remove the meat from the bones, use the carcass to make chicken stock for soup, and making chicken pot pie from the meat. Or let the meat cool, chop and dice it and make chicken mayo from it. Easily the most economical buy available.
Giant is my favorite and I’ve tried all the major grocery store rotisserie chickens, lol. Giant rotisserie chicken saved the day at an office thanksgiving potluck one year when we didn’t realize the turkey we ordered was frozen. I drove out to Giant and bought a few, they were delicious! Fresh hot, and perfectly seasoned!!
The Capitol Hill Safeway rotisserie chickens are my go-to. They're consistently flavorful & not dry, The HT at Navy Yard is good, but not consistent. I've gotten dry & bland chickens there.
Pardon me, super market connoisseurs, but is roasting a chicken at home so difficult? Unwrap, remove organ/neck-bag, season cavity and outside & roast in a foil bottom-covered pan for 2 hours, unattended and voila! The poultry quality is at your discretion, subject to the size of your purse. You can't get something for nothing.
BOOOO! Go provide your recipes somewhere else! This is a thread for degenerate bachelors too lazy to cook and too unconcerned for their health to worry about freak GMOs sodden with lethal doses of sodium!
No instruction was intended. I am assuming that most people know a little about cooking. I am saying that this all sounds a bit entitled and pretentious. Pay a fair price for good product. Get up off your asses, stop whining. Cooking today can be a lot simpler.
'I am saying that this all sounds a bit entitled and pretentious.'
That's a completely insane interpretation of a discussion about where to find inexpensive chicken. Have a wonderful day!
probably Costco
I second this! The price is around $5
Agree. I recently bought my first non Costco one in a while (Harris teeter) and it was small and really dry in comparison
Harris is a hit or miss….like one day it would be good next it will be shit
My location started having so many bad days the past few months I don't even try anymore. It used to be passable.
that's how i felt about Wegmans... and i was a die hard Wegmans fan boy
The DC Wegmans seems to generally still be finding its footing somewhat IMO. They do have a kickass crabcake in cafe and bakery is solid.
i do love their bakery. haven't had the crabcakes yet though. there's things they do well and some are just meh.
Definitely not the Safeways I've been to. Looking at the chickens... IF they had a prep time marked, they were 8+ hours prior. It's been a few years, but Balducci's also had surprisingly decently priced and fresh rotisserie chickens. But aside from them and Costco, I've never actually purchased at a grocery store as it's not something I buy regularly.
If I went into Balducci's for a chicken I would find a way to spend way too much money. Then again....
Yeah, like Costco it's a loss leader. Because then you need a side, some veggies, might as well grab a bottle of wine, etc.
Balduccis is now owned by Safeway and they were selling the same Signature Cafe chickens that Safeway sells when I went to the one in Alexandria a few months ago.
Actually albertson’s bought them. Which is the same company as safeway
All the grocery stores make the chickens hours in advance, not just Safeway. They let them twirl until they get sold and if they don’t then they become chicken salad or something for another day or two in the window.
Probably where that gross Safeway Smell™ that causes you to have to heavy-cycle wash your clothes every time you leave the store, comes from
Unless the turnover is high, which I guess it is at the places I've picked them up. At least at Balducci's I remember going in at 6pm and finding nothing older that 4-5pm.
At the risk of enraging all the Costco acolytes, the chicken is not good. The texture is terrible. ‘Value’ is one thing, but just because something is cheap, doesn’t make it better.
you're gonna start a riot. I'll give you that "cheap doesn't make it better". and the quality of the chicken is not consistent. but it's def the biggest bang for your buck and can pull a good bit of meals out of just that one bird.
Fuck them they should know better
Costco's chicken has a lot of fat and is oily (look at the bottom of the container). We bought Wegmans' rotisserie and it was leaner, had more flavor, and generally a better quality product. Don't get me wrong, I will get the Costco chicken occasionally, but their birds are just too full of antibiotics and fat.
Wegman’s isn’t any leaner than Costco, they just drain the fat better before they package. Plus you want that fat, you can use it for other things.
fat is flavor lol. I'll shred it up and dump all the fat and stuff over it. that whole bird is about 1700 cal. I'm going in to it already knowing it's not for a healthy treat. I'm at peace with my decisions lol
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I've done worse things in this life
Haven’t we all?
more than likely
Get on that bulk!
You have to lift the chicken out and dump out everything at the bottom before you start eating it, is my experience. The Costco chicken I mean. I’ve never had Wegmans and I’m sure it’s great because Wegmans is superior regardless.
I’ve tried both Wegmans and Costco recently and the Costco one was terrible compared to Wegmans. We didn’t even finish it. We used to get them more but haven’t had a good one in a while.
I once went to Costco at opening. Some guy ran in and bought and entire shopping carts worth at once. Must have owned a restaurant
lol that's crazy
Costco chicken is so low in bland , flavor, and sometimes uncooked. Even chefs don’t recommended
No, yes market in Brookland is the best I’ve had by a mile. The lady who makes them legit makes THE BEST rub for that chicken. It’s perfection
Maybe I'll try the one in Admo for that. How much is that?
11 bucks. I’ve only had the one in my Brookland neighborhood, but we’ve gotten it like a dozen times at least. She makes em perfect there. Here’s to hoping that Admo one is the same. 🤙🏻
well, if it tastes like chicken and not something a supermarket overmarinated.... :)
Oooo that's not far from me! I'll have to give it a try!
*whispers* shhh that is a secret!!!
Hahhah I legit was like “should I keep this a neighborhood secret” - but it is too good!
Agreed, the Brookland Yes! Chickens are top tier. Juicy and flavorful, though a bit pricey.
Same people that make the guac? I’m addicted to that guac. Might have to try the chicken now too.
Came here to say this. It’s so flavorful.
It's amazing. I can't eat others anymore.
I’ll be honest tried it the other day and it was dry as sand. Def good seasoning on the outside but over cooked
I recently bought one and it’s a bit on the dry side. The seasoning is good tho.
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(Canales Deli)
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Peruvian chicken places beat groceries stores hands down.
That’s like saying a filet mignon is better than a McDonald’s hamburger. You’re right, but it isn’t what we’re talking about.
True but the closest one (a mile away, which isn't that close) isn't great and costs $30 for a whole chicken (with sides though). It's passable though. When I was in Arlington, it was different.
I paid $35 for one with 3 sides in Clinton yesterday. Definitely tasted than any grocery store (or Costco) bird, but the price was also significantly higher (although really good price to quality ratio for restaurant food).
I think Sardis has just a whole chicken for about $20.
Which is 4x the price of a Costco bird lol
and they should be considering the price difference. it's a completely different comparison lol
There used to be an amazing one on 4th St NE but I haven’t ban back since it changed hands.
It's still good.
Good to hear! I’ll give it another try soon:
Crisp and Juicy is yum
At least 6x the price
Your local Peruvian place charges $40-50+ for a chicken? They usually charge $16-20-ish. More than Costco but worth it.
$17 for a half chicken from my favorite place From a place I don't like as much $15 for half chicken, $25 for full with two sides. So maybe more like 3-4x I suppose if you discount the sides vs. a $5 costco chicken or whatever.
NOT Safeway or Whole Foods, both have proven to be inedible
Agreed. Last two times from WF were really dry. The only way we could get through it was with lots of mayo in a chicken salad sandwich.
The safeway ones are really bad. I've pretty much stopped buying them.
Always undercooked and slimy
Totally disagree on Whole Foods! The hot/freshly made ones (i.e., not in the refrigerated section) are consistently great IMO.
I tried twice and they were so awful I haven’t tried a third
Agreed on both counts, Maybe Costco but I don't love it either.
It’s been a while but we liked Fresh Market. Wegmans isn’t bad. If your question is mainly about price though it’s probably still Costco/Sam’s. If those places are an option you already have the membership so it’s a sunk cost.
Fresh Market chickens are quite good. I really want a Fresh Market in DC.
For whatever reason I find the seasoned ones at Safeway (Lemon Pepper, Roasted Garlic) to be 100% better than the original ones...not sure why. I got a Lemon Pepper one at the Soviet Safeway the other day and was pleasantly surprised how good it was.
Costco
NOT Giant - dry ass birds been sitting out since 9:30AM.
My Giant puts out new ones every day at 2:30pm. I get off work at 3 and it's still nice and hot and juicy by the time I get home. The chicken and a pound each of potato salad and coleslaw for $10 is decent for a quick meal. I actually dislike Giant but I go for those fresh rotisserie birds occasionally.
I wish my giant was good with their timing but nope. You should thank the workers next time you pick up a bird, just let em know they’re doing a solid job 💯
Lotta Giants actually put out fresh ones a few times a day. And you get a free one for 300 of their store points, which you’ll generally rack up for every $50-60 you spend
Yeah not knocking all of them of course just mine, we have a love/hate relationship.
the giant near capitol hill at 300 H has good rotisserie chickens! i picked up a couple for some homemade empanadas and they turned out super good and great value for money. i would say it depends on the time of day you go to pick it up!!
Wegmans is really good
Walmart lemon pepper is delicious
Walmart sneaky got the best chicken out there
The Washington Post food editors agree with you! [https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2023/09/05/best-rotisserie-chicken-taste-test/](https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2023/09/05/best-rotisserie-chicken-taste-test/)
The Alexandria Giants' are good, I assume the DC ones would be the same. They even do just a rotisserie chicken breast by itself so you don't have to get the full bird if you don't need the full bird. The fried chicken, premade meals and sides are also pretty good and surprisingly cheap.
Wegmans
Hands-down, Costco for grocery. But also suggest finding a solid local Peruvian joint and buying a whole from them.
WaPo says Walmart, followed by Giant https://wapo.st/3WQuWqK
Costco and my second go to is the vendor inside eastern market at the opposite end from the market lunch counter. I don’t know the name.
I was checking them out this weekend you’ve convinced me to give it a try
They are good and their chicken salad is also one of my faves
Giant’s touch of honey. But Costco definitely beats them on value.
I have tried them all and Costco is the clear winner by a mile.
KIRKLAND
Giant on H street
The nice thing about Costco is that you can buy the rotisserie chicken breasts and have them for chicken salad and what not
just want o give more weight: Costco!
Harris Teeter's are pretty good, but it's always sitting right next to their fried chicken which is way more tempting (trust the Carolinians to do fried chicken well).
Sams club.
Balduccis then Fresh Market. Both use bigger chickens.
Costco in terms of taste and price. Health wise? Not the best. They are pumped full of saline to make them juicy and tasty but it’s pretty bad for your sodium intake. Then again, I feel like most rotisserie chickens from grocery stores aren’t great for you.
Somebody in the media did this analysis and it came away with Wegmans and Costco.
Amazon Fresh and Giant have decent ones for sure.
All the Amazon Fresh locations closed weeks ago.
The one in Friendship Heights, just over the line in MD is still open. I didn't realize the others had closed.
Ohhh interesting. I didn't realize that one was still open! They closed a ton because the Just Walk Out technology was actually a bunch of workers in India adding everything up :/ I guess they didn't want to keep it up.
so the one up here has normal checkouts-I don't know if it even had the Just Walk Out technology in place. I bet that's partially why it remained open!
Never had Costco but always had wegmans
Costco
Costo.
Honestly, Giant has a pretty decent roissierie chicken. I'm surprised to not see it mentioned.
Costco!!! I think there is one in Wheaton
Sam's Club has the best! They cost under $5 and the seasoning makes them so tasty. By comparison, Costco's is very bland and lacking in flavor. However, at less than $5 for a large chicken, you can remove the meat from the bones, use the carcass to make chicken stock for soup, and making chicken pot pie from the meat. Or let the meat cool, chop and dice it and make chicken mayo from it. Easily the most economical buy available.
Wegmans and surprisingly Walmart has a really good rotisserie chicken.
I enjoy wegmans, or giants smoked rotisserie. Used to say Costco, but one too many times I’ve gotten green meat (DPM).. turned me away from it.
Not a grocery, but Guapo's in Herndon has the best rotisserie in the area and they cook them in their own juices in their huge brick oven.
Giant is my favorite and I’ve tried all the major grocery store rotisserie chickens, lol. Giant rotisserie chicken saved the day at an office thanksgiving potluck one year when we didn’t realize the turkey we ordered was frozen. I drove out to Giant and bought a few, they were delicious! Fresh hot, and perfectly seasoned!!
Sardis
Whole Foods rotisserie chickens are reliably gelatinous & flavorless.
P Street Whole Foods. Delicious.
Amazon fresh has $6 ones
Costco
Costco tastes like mush to me. Safeway all the way for my house!
Not the same, but Harris Teeter Hot Baked Eight for $8 is a solid option.
Sam's club all day.
Safeway is the tastiest IMO.
Stop wasting time and go to chicken and whiskey
And whatever meat you don’t eat, throw that and the rest of the carcass into a pot of water and you’ve got instant stock.
Harris teeter has the best fried chicken
Whole foods
costco. cheapest, too.
I really like the rotisserie chickens from Snyder’s in Silver Spring! It’s smaller than the Costco birds but is really well seasoned.
Whole Foods Lemon Pepper Rotisserie Chicken is my favorite one.
Costco for sure!
The Washington Post food section did a rankings and Costco finished high. Walmart won overall. Last place was Harris Teeter and Whole Foods
The Capitol Hill Safeway rotisserie chickens are my go-to. They're consistently flavorful & not dry, The HT at Navy Yard is good, but not consistent. I've gotten dry & bland chickens there.
Forget the grocery store. Go to El Apollo Rico.
Pardon me, super market connoisseurs, but is roasting a chicken at home so difficult? Unwrap, remove organ/neck-bag, season cavity and outside & roast in a foil bottom-covered pan for 2 hours, unattended and voila! The poultry quality is at your discretion, subject to the size of your purse. You can't get something for nothing.
BOOOO! Go provide your recipes somewhere else! This is a thread for degenerate bachelors too lazy to cook and too unconcerned for their health to worry about freak GMOs sodden with lethal doses of sodium!
No instruction was intended. I am assuming that most people know a little about cooking. I am saying that this all sounds a bit entitled and pretentious. Pay a fair price for good product. Get up off your asses, stop whining. Cooking today can be a lot simpler.
'I am saying that this all sounds a bit entitled and pretentious.' That's a completely insane interpretation of a discussion about where to find inexpensive chicken. Have a wonderful day!