Why Kroger Shoppers Can't Agree On Whether To Buy Or Skip The Rotisserie Chicken

There's a reason that a hot rotisserie chicken often features on our grocery lists — just look at the list of the best uses for store-bought rotisserie chicken, and you'll realize that the versatility of this prepared ingredient is second-to-none. Grocery store rotisserie chickens are often cheaper than raw ones, an anomaly when it comes to buying food, and a good roasted chicken is a taste sensation. So what, exactly, is the deal with Kroger's Simple Truth birds?

Out of 90 ratings online, most of them are either one-star or five-stars, with an equal amount of both. It's fair to say that folks either love or hate this chicken. Honestly, it's downright strange. Reading the reviews, however, a few possible explanations become clear. First of all, Kroger shelves the chickens between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. each day, and, if anecdotal information from reviews is to be believed, the chickens have a four-hour shelf life. Some reviews claim that the chickens are overcooked and dry, while others call them moist and tender. Could the unhappy customers have purchased chickens that have been sitting for a long time? Costco's rotisserie chickens famously have a two-hour shelf life that is half of the one that Kroger reviewers claim. Maybe four hours is just too long to leave a chicken under a heat lamp.

Furthermore, customers seem to either love or hate the fact that the Simple Truth chickens are light on seasoning. Customers who appreciate the low salt levels and minimal seasonings rave that the chicken is ideal for recipes, since it doesn't have a large amount of added flavors. On the other side of the coin, some buyers complain that the birds are tasteless and bland.

If you peruse the reviews for the Simple Truth chickens, you might get whiplash. "Horrible! I paid $10 for a rotisserie chicken that was extremely dry and not edible! Would not recommend!" ranted one unhappy buyer. Another took the complaints further: "This Chicken was such a disappointment! The chicken had no seasonings, lacked flavor! My family and I could not eat it, and threw it in the trash where it belonged." 

Meanwhile, one very satisfied customer had nothing but good things to say, clapping back at detractors: "I'm not sure what all the bad reviews are about. I normally get mine delivered around 12:30 to 1 o'clock and it's been delicious every time, very juicy and tender." This same customer speculated: "Maybe people are just waiting to get it at the end of the day where it has sat under a heat lamp. [...] I have purchased this one about four times now and love it. It's lower in sodium which is a good thing."

If you head to Kroger for a rotisserie chicken, perhaps check out our tips on how to make sure you're picking the juiciest rotisserie chicken and be mindful of the time that the chickens were put out on the shelf. Dried out skin and a generally wizened appearance are signs that maybe you should skip hot chicken that day. You should also know that these chickens are light on seasonings, so expect to either add your own flavor at home or use the chicken in recipes that add plenty of ingredients.