How to Make Rotisserie Chicken

Meggan Hill

• Updated

5 from 301 votes

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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!

A rotisserie chicken on a white plate with slices of lemon.


 

Table of Contents

  1. Rotisserie seasoning ingredients
  2. Ingredient notes
  3. Rotisserie instructions
  4. Oven instructions
  5. Recipe tips and variations
  6. More From Culinary Hill
  7. How to Make Rotisserie Chicken Recipe

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!

Rotisserie chicken seasoning ingredients on a white plate.

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.

  1. Truss and skewer the chicken (giblets removed). Coat generously with the dry rub. Insert the rotisserie skewers into the rotisserie.
    A raw chicken in a rotisserie oven.
  2. 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.
    A cooked chicken in a rotisserie oven.

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.

  1. 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.
    A raw chicken rubbed with seasoning in a cast iron skillet.
  2. 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.
    Sauce being drizzled onto rotisserie chicken in a cast iron skillet.

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

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A rotisserie chicken on a white plate with slices of lemon.

How to Make Rotisserie Chicken

By Meggan Hill
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! 
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Calories 359
5 from 301 votes
ReviewPrint

Equipment

Ingredients 

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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Make ahead: After rubbing on the spice blend, the chicken can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours before baking. 
  5. 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.
  6. Leftovers: Cool leftovers quickly and store covered in the refrigerator. Use within 3 to 4 days.
  7. 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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5 from 301 votes (232 ratings without comment)

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Comments

    1. please delete my previous questions. i just read the part where she explains everything. thank you

    1. Hi Janet, you can, you don’t have to! It’s up to you. I usually don’t because it’s fewer dishes to wash after. If you decide to use one, coat it with nonstick spray so it’s easier to clean up. I have tried roasting my chicken on a bed of veggies though, and that was nice. You just have to watch them to make sure they don’t burn. Toss them in a lot of olive oil – that helps. Thanks! -Meggan

    1. This is copycat rotisserie chicken. It tastes like the one at the store but you just bake it in the oven. But people who want to make a rotisserie chicken at home that tastes like one from a store, but DON’T have a rotisserie, will like this. Sorry for the confusion Sharon! Thanks. -Meggan

  6. Super easy and just so so so amazing. I would have never thought cooking a whole chicken this good would be so uncomplicated!

    I used the slow cooker, and I think that if you go that route you will definitely need to broil it afterward for crispy skin. We recently moved and I was unaware of how powerful the broiler is on our new oven…. practically caught on fire immediately… nothing a little scrapey scrape can’t solve. Put it on the bottom rack under broil setting and turned out perfect. Thank you !5 stars

    Reply

    1. Hi Mari, thanks so much for your comment! I’m glad your chicken turned out great! So relived that your oven didn’t blow up, and thank you for the laugh… “nothing a little scrapey scrape can’t solve.” 🙂 🙂 🙂 -Meggan

  7. I really want to make this recipe in my new instant pot Omni but can’t figure out how to do it in an actual rotisserie. Do you have any recommendations?

    Reply

  8. Would love to see more recipes add C alongside F.
    Most of the world got on board with metric a long, long time ago.
    Thanks for the recipe though.

    Reply

    1. Hi Mike, it’s a really good idea. I should definitely start posting the celsius. It will take a while to fix up all the recipes, but we’ll get started. Thank you! -Meggan

    2. Mike,
      So, you come across a recipe using fahrenheit (which screams American) and you comment about what you would like to see and then add the passive-aggressive comment about how most of the world has been using the metric system for “a long, long time…” Your dislike for the United States and/or Americans is very clear. Why don’t you do what “most of the world” does and figure out how to convert a recipe and keep your unrelated snide remarks to yourself?
      Thanks,
      Proud American5 stars

    3. There are 2 different standards for measuring temperature. Most of the world has figured out how to make the conversion. In the time it took you whine about it, you could have done the conversion and gone on your merry way.

    4. Excellent comment Mike. There are lots of proud Americans too stupid to know that our standards of measurement are absurd and the rest of the world has it right. Don’t let the ignorant bog you down. Go metric. Proud and humble American.5 stars

  9. I have a showtime rotisserie and have always wanted to cook a whole chicken like the markets do. But always was disappointed. But, I found your recipe and WOW, it was everything you said it would be. The skin was so crispy and very flavorful, the meat was so tender and juicy. Not at all like the markets chickens, I’ll never but one of those ever again. Thank you for your recipe.

    Reply