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Learn how to make rotisserie chicken at home with my super simple spice rub (4 ingredients plus salt & pepper). Or, recreate that same delicious flavor for your next oven-roasted chicken!
Table of Contents
Rotisserie seasoning ingredients
I’ve perfected the rotisserie chicken dry rub, which can be made in big batches to use when you need it. Just add a chicken and oil, and you’re good to go!
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Chicken: 4 to 5 pounds of chicken pieces such as breast, thighs, or quarters may be substituted for the whole chicken. Reduce total baking time to 30 to 45 minutes.
Rotisserie instructions
First, you’ll need a great rotisserie oven. The one I own has been discontinued (the Cuisinart Rotisserie Convection Toaster Oven), so I recommend the Instant Vortex Plus Air Fryer. It has a program for making rotisserie chicken, and it’s highly rated with 4.5 stars from over 55,000 reviews on Amazon.
The below cooking times are based on my rotisserie oven, but times for other rotisseries may vary.
- Truss and skewer the chicken (giblets removed). Coat generously with the dry rub. Insert the rotisserie skewers into the rotisserie.
- Cook according to rotisserie manufacturer’s instructions (for my Cuisinart rotisserie, it’s one hour on the “Rotisserie” setting). Let it rest about 10 minutes before carving.
Oven instructions
If you make it in the oven, it’s a roasted chicken. But if you use the same spice rub, it tastes just like a rotisserie chicken.
- Truss the chicken (giblets removed), then coat with olive oil. Coat generously with the dry rub. Place in a roasting pan, baking dish, or cast iron skillet.
- Bake at 425 degrees for 70-80 minutes, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Baste the chicken every 15-20 minutes with juices from the bottom of the pan (or olive oil). After baking the chicken, you can devour it immediately or place it in a crock pot for a few hours to keep it warm for later.
Recipe tips and variations
- Trussing the chicken: This falls under “optional yet recommended.” Trussing your chicken ensures an evenly cooked, juicier bird, but you don’t have to if you don’t want.
- Basting: If you go the oven route, it’s critical that you baste the chicken every 15 minutes or so. It’s a high-temp oven for crispness, but that means you can scorch the skin if you don’t keep it moist.
- Make ahead: After rubbing on the spice blend, the chicken can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours before baking.
- Slow cooker: The skin won’t get crispy, but the chicken will still be tender and delicious. Transfer your spice-rubbed chicken to a slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours or LOW for 6 to 8 hours.
- Leftovers: Cool leftovers quickly and store covered in the refrigerator. Use within 3 to 4 days.
- Making 2 chickens: The baking time is the same if you want to roast 2 chickens instead of 1. Make extra for a friend in need or for your favorite recipes.
- Chicken gravy: Use your pan drippings, chicken broth, cornstarch or flour, and salt and pepper to make delicious chicken gravy anytime.
Recipes for leftover chicken
Stews and Soups
Best Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
Casserole Recipes
Chicken Pot Pie Recipe
Salad Recipes
Chinese Chicken Salad
Casserole Recipes
Recipe for Chicken Tetrazzini
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How to Make Rotisserie Chicken
Learn how to make rotisserie chicken at home with my super simple spice rub (4 ingredients plus salt & pepper). Or, recreate that same delicious flavor for your next oven-roasted chicken!
Equipment
- Rotisserie oven (We recommend the Instant Vortex Plus Air Fryer)
- Roasting pan (This one for GraniteWare is perfect for the oven)
- 3 feet Kitchen twine
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 (4 to 5 pound) whole chicken (see note 1)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
To prepare the chicken:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the paprika, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt and pepper to taste (I like 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper). Remove giblets and truss the chicken (this is recommended for even cooking, see note 2).
To make the chicken in a rotisserie:
- Skewer the trussed chicken. Rub the spice mixture all over the outside of the chicken (no olive oil necessary).
- Insert the rotisserie skewers into the rotisserie. Cook according to rotisserie manufacturer's instructions (for my Cuisinart rotisserie, it's one hour on the "Rotisserie" setting). Remove from rotisserie and let rest 10 minutes before carving.
To make the chicken in the oven:
- Move an oven rack to the lowest position and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place the trussed chicken in a roasting pan, baking dish, or cast iron skillet. Brush the outside of chicken with olive oil. Rub the spice mixture all over the outside of the chicken.
- Bake uncovered until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees, about 70 to 80 minutes. Baste the chicken periodically (every 15-20 minutes, see note 3) with accumulated juices or olive oil. Remove from oven and let rest 10 minutes before carving.
To keep the rotisserie chicken warm:
- Place in a slow cooker for up to 8 hours on the lowest possible heat setting.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Chicken: 4 to 5 pounds of chicken pieces such as breast, thighs, or quarters may be substituted for the whole chicken. Reduce total baking time to 30 to 45 minutes.
- Trussing the chicken: This falls under “optional yet recommended.” Trussing your chicken ensures an evenly-cooked, juicier bird, but you don’t have to if you don’t want.
- Basting: If you go the oven route, it’s critical that you baste the chicken every 15 minutes or so. It’s a high-temp oven for crispness, but that means you can scorch the skin if you don’t keep it moist.
- Make ahead: After rubbing on the spice blend, the chicken can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours before baking.
- Slow cooker: The skin won’t get crispy, but the chicken will still be tender and delicious. Transfer your spice-rubbed chicken to a slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours or LOW for 6 to 8 hours.
- Leftovers: Cool leftovers quickly and store covered in the refrigerator. Use within 3 to 4 days.
- Making 2 chickens: The baking time is the same if you want to roast 2 chickens instead of 1. Make extra for a friend in need or for your favorite recipes.
Nutrition
Calories: 359kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 27gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 109mgSodium: 103mgPotassium: 295mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 541IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 21mgIron: 2mg
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Do you have to do this in a small dish like you show? I’m halfway there following directions to a T with a roasting pan, but barely escaped my fire alarm going off at 20 min because the juices are burning. So far I’ve basted with oil and added about a cup and a half of water total.
I used this recipe twice but had to tweak a little both times. I replaced blended fresh onion (1.5 white onion or 2 red onion) and fresh garlic (3 or 4 cloves? I love garlic) for onion powder and garlic powder both times and added 1.5 teaspoon of sugar and 1 teaspoon of cayenne the second time. My husband likes it and suggest we serve this for our guests next time. I forgot to rub oil on my chicken the second time but it still turned out great. Your recipe is simple and so easy to follow. Thank you for such a great, simple recipe!
Delicious!!! I have NEVER made a roast chicken until today (can you believe that?) and after coming across your recipe the other day I just knew I had to try. The spice blend was perfect and both my partner and I loved it.
Just put this one in my personal recip file. Everything down to the cook time was reliable and my husband was crazy about the flavor. Also, great job wth the video, very helpful and fun to watch
Hi Nicole, the personal recipe file is the highest praise I could ever hope for! Thank you so much. I’m so glad you and your husband enjoyed it. If you need anything else just let me know. And thanks for your kind words on the video. I have to practice more but it’s fun! Take care and thanks again.
This was the BEST chicken I’ve ever made! I’ve been on the search for different ways to cook chicken where it doesn’t feel tough in my mouth and under my fork and that’s really juicy like store bought rotisserie chicken. My Crockpot is an older model where the lid doesn’t lock and it’s either low or high. Everything I cook in there doesn’t come out right. I’ve also tried soaking chicken parts in brine and then baking it, searing it on the stove and then baking, using one of those baking bags, and covering it with tin foil as it stands up on a cone up the bum, and it all comes out less than perfect. When I picked your recipe, I didn’t have a lot of time, so I didn’t take the time to measure out the herbs and spices, so I just used a chicken rub by Emeril. I can’t wait to roast another chicken, but this time I’ll take the time to measure out your seasonings. The seasoning that I used, that fell off the bird, burned in the bottom of the pan – I don’t know if that’s normal. I also didn’t have time to hog-tie the chicken and I found out why it’s a good idea – one of the legs stuck to the side of the roasting pan. I’ll be tying it up, next time, too. I bet it keeps the legs from drying out for anyone who didn’t baste every 20 minutes. I did take the time to baste with more olive oil, however my oil also has canola, olive, and grape seed oil blend. Every time I pulled the bird out to baste, a plume of smoke came out and oil splattered. I wonder if it’s because of the oil blend. I’m going to try butter, next time. Do you think chicken stock would work? Or is the oil used to keep the juices in the bird? I wasn’t sure, but after the first 20 minutes, I turned the bird over to get crispy on the breast side and then 20 minutes after that, flipped it back over to be breast side up, again. Is that what you do, or do you just keep the bird on it’s back? Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom with all of us!!
Esther, when I was hosting thanksgiving dinner, I always roasted the turkey breast side down for 2/3 of the time. Then flipped it to brown the rest of the time. I have carried that over to roasting a chicken. I hope you found the breast to be incredibly juicy because of your “mistake”.
This looks awesome! I am 13 and i have 5 brothers and a dad that eat like horses (My mom and I more like humans) So this looks great. I love the spice rub idea. We have always just used Lawry’s (seasoned salt).
This looks wonderful. I am using this recipe for our Christmas dinner this year. Cooking a turkey for just 2 has been so silly the last few holidays. I don’t know why i never thought to do a smaller chicken instead. Thanks!!!
meaning a rack in the pan you cook it in
Yes, like a roasting rack. I don’t use one because there isn’t grease dripping in to the bottom of the pan. But you should use one if you want to! I did try putting the chicken on a bed of vegetables once and it worked very well. Thanks!
Maybe I missed it….but does these need to be on a rack in the oven since they do drip alot of grease
Hi Cathy, I do not use a rack (although you are welcome to). And actually, the chicken does not drip a lot of grease. Most of the time, if I have to baste the chicken during roasting time, I just olive oil because there is nothing in the bottom of the pan. This definitely depends on the chicken though! I hope this is helpful. Use a rack if you want, and if you have no grease for basting, add some. Thanks for the question!
OMG It was amazing Rotisserie Chicken is a favorite in our house and I need new ways to cook it. I love how easy this sounds and this looks like something my family will love!Thanks