can you freeze rotisserie chicken meat
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Rotisserie chicken
Rotisserie chicken is a chicken dish that is cooked on a rotisserie by using direct heat in which the chicken is placed next to the heat source.
Electric- or gas-powered heating elements may be used by using adjustable infrared heat. These types of rotisseries have proven quite functional for cooking rotisserie-style chicken. Leftover rotisserie chicken may be used in a variety of dishes such as soup, chicken salad, and sandwiches.
United States
In the United States, ready-to-eat rotisserie chickens were available in supermarkets and some butcher shops during much of the twentieth century. However, they did not become a widely available option for consumers until the early 1990s, when Boston Market helped popularize the selling of packaged rotisserie chickens.
Rotisserie chickens are now highly popular. In 2010, 600 million rotisserie-cooked chickens were purchased by consumers “in U.S. supermarkets, club stores and similar retail outlets.” In 2018, over 900 million rotisserie chickens were sold by foodservice outlets and retail stores.
Buyers enter the store
Rotisserie chickens are often lower in price than raw whole chickens. Two explanations are often given to justify this phenomenon. First, some grocery stores may use rotisserie chickens as loss leaders to bring shoppers into the store. The logic behind this theory is that if customers come to a store for its rotisseries chickens, they will buy other products while they are there, too. Second, rotisserie chickens are often made with poultry that is about to reach its “best by” date. By cooking and selling the chickens, the grocery stores are able to recoup some of their expenditures.
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In the U.S., chickens used for rotisserie cooking may be injected with brine to retain moisture. Additional ingredients may be used to add flavor and to brown the chicken, such as oleoresin, yeast extract, sodium tripolyphosphate, and natural flavorings.
Costco and rotisserie chickens
Costco is one of the largest producers and vendors of rotisserie chickens in the United States, with one commentator describing it as “the undisputed king of rotisserie chickens.” In 2017, Costco sold approximately 87 million rotisserie chickens in the United States. Costco’s CFO, Richard Galanti, has repeatedly rebuffed suggestions that Costco might eventually increase the cost of its chickens above $4.99, which has been the price of a Costco rotisserie chicken since 2009.
In 2017, Costco broke ground on a new 414-acre facility in Fremont, Nebraska that would include a hatchery, feed mill, and processing plant. The facility – which is expected to produce around 100 million chickens per year, or roughly 40 percent of Costco’s needs – has been reported as costing between $275 million and $400 million. The plant is scheduled to open in September 2019.
How to Freeze Rotisserie Chicken
A quick tip I want to share because it’s a tip I use religiously.
I never buy raw chicken anymore. It’s just not worth buying for me. I buy raw beef, but not chicken because having store bought rotisserie chicken is much more convenient and affordable. It’s already cooked, and it has all the parts I need— breast, legs, thighs, etc.
The first thing I do when I buy rotisserie chicken is freeze it. It freezes exceptionally well, and thaws like it was never frozen.
This makes cooking a breeze. If a recipe calls for chicken, I just whip one of these out, let it thaw, and add it in to whatever dish I am making.
HOW TO FREEZE ROTISSERIE CHICKEN
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AS SOON AS YOU GET HOME, DEBONE THE CHICKEN WHILE IT IS WARM, AND GATHER MEAT.
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It’s best to do this when warm because the meat falls off the bone easier.
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INDIVIDUALLY SARAN-WRAP CHICKEN INTO ½ SERVING OR 1 SERVING SIZES.
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I personally pack ½ serving sizes because that allows me to have more control of how much chicken I want to use when I cook. It’s easy to add more, than have leftover chicken that I don’t want to freeze again.
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Leave a little flap hanging so it’s easy to find the opening when you are ready to use the chicken
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FREEZE INDIVIDUALLY WRAPPED CHICKEN AND PLACE IN A PLASTIC BAG.
TIE THE PLASTIC BAG, AND MAKE SURE THERE IS NOT MUCH AIR IN THERE.
Whip these chicken out whenever you need them! They thaw quickly, or you can run them in the microwave for about 25 seconds.
Hope this helps!
Eat Well,
Sarah
3 steps for effective freezing
Costco hand-pulled rotisserie chicken is not only cheap – around $4.9 only, but also a very popular choice amongst customers for its premium quality and crispiness. But how can you freeze this chicken effectively, so as to make it more practically usable especially at times when you want a last-minute healthy meal and don’t have enough time to cook meat from scratch? It’s simpler than you may think!
Can you freeze rotisserie chicken? Yes, you can! In a nutshell, freezing rotisserie chicken involves three basic steps. The first is shredding the meat into various pieces – cutting off the skin, the breast, thighs, and legs whilst the meat is still warm.
The second step involves storing the pieces into air-tight containers such as Ziploc bags and plastic wrappings, which is finally followed by freezing the pieces in a freezer at an appropriate temperature for future use.
Read the details and various do’s and don’ts for these steps below.
Can Homemade or Store-Bought Rotisserie Chicken be Frozen
Both homemade and store-bought rotisserie chicken can be frozen. However, the overall timings for the various processes such as shredding, storing, and freezing would vary.
For example, homemade rotisserie chicken will take longer to cool down to the appropriate temperature for storing and freezing since it would be freshly cooked. When properly stored, it would last around 4-5 days in the refrigerator.
Step 1: Shredding The Meat
Wear disposable vinyl food gloves in order to prevent your hands from getting sticky in the process, and get your rotisserie chicken ready, placing it in a wooden cutting mat. Allow the chicken to cool for a while.
The time may vary depending on weather conditions and when exactly did you purchase it, but one of the indicators to know it has been cooled enough is to consider whether the bottom fat has begun to solidify or not.
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Finally, start cutting your rotisserie chicken from the middle – the area where the string separates the two legs. Take one whole leg apart, followed by cutting off the whole skin and the wings. Keep shredding until you achieve a good number of pieces, and repeat on the other leg.
One tip is to make sure the skin covering the breasted areas is shredded as this will reveal the majority of the shredded chicken. Place all the pieces in a porcelain bowl.
Step 2: Storing and Bagging the Shredded Pieces
How much chicken you want to bag depends on your individual circumstances. For a family of four or five, three or four cups will suffice.
For effective storage of the shredded pieces and optimization of their shelf life, it is best to use multiple layers of plastic wrappings. You may wrap the pieces in parchment or butcher paper, followed by using two coverings of plastic wrappings. Finally, drop the entire thing in an air-tight Ziploc bag, further reducing the exposure to air or moisture.
Make sure to divide the various containers through labels in order to remind yourself when to thaw which.
Step 3: Freezing
This might seem like a no-brainer, but there are various ways to effectively and properly freeze rotisserie chicken so that when thawed, it retains its rich texture and flavor as best as possible.
If you wish to freeze your chicken quick, as in, when you are in a hurry, -10 degree Fahrenheit would suffice. Otherwise, -0 Fahrenheit is the ideal temperature to allow for slower and even cooling of the chicken. Overly reducing the temperature may deteriorate the texture, richness, and flavor of the chicken.
During the freezing step, the division of the shredded pieces into various Ziploc bags in Step 2 comes in handy because freezing individual parts allows for faster defrosting.
It is best to freeze rotisserie chicken once instead of multiple times as moisture loss through constant freezing and thawing will negatively affect its flavor, texture, and quality.
What is Needed to Freeze Rotisserie Chicken?
As freezing an entire rotisserie chicken whole will make it quite difficult both to store and to defrost, it is a good idea to first divide it up prior to placing it in the freezer.
In order to begin freezing your rotisserie chicken, you will require the following: aluminum foil, a cutting board, kitchen shears, a paring knife or otherwise small enough knife to remove connective tissue, as well as resealable plastic bags or freezer bags.
What is the Ideal Temperature for Storing Rotisserie Chicken?
According to a query response article published by the United States Department of Agriculture, the ideal temperature to store cooked chicken is at a temperature significantly lower than 40°F, or the approximate temperature of most commercially available consumer refrigerators2.
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It is important to keep in mind that temperatures sufficiently close enough to 40°F do not completely impede bacterial. And fungal growth, instead serving to only slow them down. In order to almost entirely eliminate the colonization of your chicken by these microbial life forms. One must place the chicken in a freezing temperature storage vessel or environment.
Danger zone
The worst possible temperature to store rotisserie chicken, dubbed as the “danger zone” by the same author. It is between the warm levels of 40°F and 140°F.
At these temperatures, pathogenic bacteria and fungi will rapidly develop colonies on and within your food. So it is best to either consume the rotisserie chicken immediately after buying or to preserve it shortly after.
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