You'll Find Mutiple Rotisserie Chicken Flavors At This Southern Grocery Store

If you live in the American South, you may be familiar with Ingles Markets, which currently has stores in six states. At its over 200 locations, the supermarket offers an array of amenities, which may vary, including gas pumps, pharmacies, bakeries, fresh produce, and full-service delis ... the last department of which serves rotisserie chickens. Store-bought rotisserie chicken has dozens of uses that can save you time and energy making dinner, including tacos, chicken salad, and both meat and broth for soup. They are also super cost-effective: grocery store rotisserie chickens are cheaper than raw specimens because, generally, they are repurposed from the meat case — which has no bearing on how fresh and delicious they are when cooked up!

At Ingles, you are generally spoiled for choices when it comes to flavors of rotisserie chicken. These flavors vary by location and daily availability (which is a good thing, since a large amount of grocery store rotisserie chickens on display is a red flag you shouldn't ignore, since it logically can indicate low quality), but they cover a wide range: lemon pepper, Italian herb, Smokey Mountain Bourbon, Santa Fe, and BBQ are some, along with traditional and a "no antibiotics ever" variety. Ingles also sells cold rotisserie chickens that can be pulled apart as ingredients or reheated, along with containers of just chicken quarters. Like many other stores, it also repurposes its rotisserie chickens into prepared deli items like chicken salad and sandwich trays.

"Ingles has the best rotisserie chickens in my area," a glowing comment reads on Facebook, with a second commenter adding that the store's birds are the superstar ingredient in her chicken and dumplings. Over on Yelp, several reviewers of the Morristown, Tennessee store mentioned the rotisserie chickens, bragging that they bested the offerings of several local competitors, including Publix and Whole Foods, especially when the chickens had just been put on the deli shelf. 

On the other hand, an entire Reddit thread overflowed with vitriol directed at Ingles for increasing the price of its chickens from $4.99 to $8.99. "No chance I'm dropping a ten spot for what might actually be a wharf rat carcass," the OP wrote dismissively (and perhaps hyperbolically). Several other commenters chimed in that Ingles was full of overpriced groceries overall, including the rotisserie chickens — although, notably, nobody complained specifically about the quality of the birds.

Judging from the sheer multitude of supermarket rotisserie chicken rankings available on the internet, no two people (no two writers, anyway) feel the exact same way about broiled hens. A bird that's perfect for one shopper may be deemed sub-par by another, since there's truly no accounting for taste. Buy your rotisserie chickens somewhere you like the quality and price. One thing is for sure, however ... with so many varieties to try, Ingles will keep you busy sampling rotisserie chickens for many meals to come.