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A whole chicken trussed on sheet pan with chicken sheers.

At Home Rotisserie Chicken (with Herbs)

A rotisserie chicken has long been one of my favourite meals. When I was just a young boy, I would grocery shop with my grandmother to read the prices for her and place the items in her cart. As a thank you, she would offer to buy me a treat. She expected my choice to be a pastry or cake, but I would always ask for a rotisserie chicken. The moist, tender meat just melted in my mouth. Good memories.

A golden brown chicken on a rotisserie at home on the grill.

Fast forward a few decades to an incredibly joyful day when I got a grill that had a rotisserie. Since then, I can not even imagine life without the option to cook a rotisserie chicken. I also love using the rotisserie for beef, pork, turkey, lamb. Oh no, now I am getting hungry again.

For this recipe I rubbed the breast meat (under the skin) with a lemon-garlic-herb mixture of fresh parsley, rosemary and thyme. Then used the remaining herb mixture to smother the entire interior and exterior of the chicken.

Rotisserie chicken sides that you will love:

If you have a griddle plate, I highly recommend you place it under the chicken so that you can cook fingerling potatoes in the drippings and sauté your favourite vegetables.
Also delicious with rotisserie chicken are these make ahead salads: Cucumber Salad, New Potato & Bean Salad and Grilled Corn Salad

Watch how my at home rotisserie chicken recipe was made here.

A rotisserie chicken on a platter with grilled vegetables and orange slices surrounding it.

Cooked on my 36″ Hestan freestanding Grill. with a built in rotisserie. Such an awesome feature. Proud Hestan Ambassador. Opinions in this post are my own.

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Cheers! James & Elaine

At home Rotisserie Chicken (with Herbs)

Fast forward a few decades to an incredibly joyful day when I got a grill that had a rotisserie.

For this recipe I rubbed the breast meat (under the skin) with an herb mixture of fresh parsley, rosemary, and thyme. Then used the remaining herb mixture to smother the entire interior and exterior of the chicken.

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1 15

Total Time 1 30

Course Dinner, Entree, Main Course

Cuisine North American

Servings – 4 People

Ingredients

1 chicken 3.5 to 4 pounds
¼ cup packed chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary plus 2 small sprigs
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves plus 5-7 sprigs
4 garlic cloves peeled
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Zest of one lemon
1 ounce lemon juice
2 ounces olive oil
½ a lemon

Instructions

Add the parsley, rosemary, thyme, garlic, salt, pepper, lemon zest, and lemon juice into a food processor and blitz until combined. Slowly pour in the olive oil with the motor running.
Using the infrared top burner (set to medium-low to low), plus one or two bottom burners, preheat the grill to 425°F.
Trim any excess fat off the chicken (remove giblets from the cavity). Then gently slide your fingers under the skin of the breast, to loosen the skin from the breast meat (being careful not to rip the skin). Rub the breast meat (under the skin) with some of the herb mixture. Use the remaining herb mixture to smother the entire interior and exterior of the chicken.
Thread the seasoned chicken onto the rotisserie rod, then stuff the cavity with half a lemon, the rosemary & thyme sprigs. Using kitchen twine tie the legs together to keep everything inside. Fold the wings under the bottom of the chicken and tie with kitchen twine to hold in place. Securely tighten the chicken with the rotisserie forks.
Carefully place the rotisserie rod onto the grill and turn on the rotisserie.
Place a sheet pan, foil tray or griddle, directly under the chicken to catch the drippings and avoid flair ups. (I also like to use the chicken drippings to flavour potatoes or vegetables).
Close the lid and cook the chicken at 425°F for 30 minutes until the skin has begun to brown. (Check the temperature occasional and adjust as required). As the juices begin to bubble on the surface of the skin, use a brush to lightly baste the entire bird for more even browning.
Lower the heat to 350°F by turning down or turning off some of the bottom burners, allowing the rotisserie burner to continue to crisp up the skin.
Close the lid and cook for 25 to 30 minutes. Using an instant read thermometer, take the temperature in the thickest part of the breast and then in the thickest part of the thigh (avoiding the bones).
Adjust the temperature on the rotisserie burner as required to achieve desired level of browning on the skin. Continue to cook until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
Remove the chicken to a sheet pan and let rest for 10 minutes.
Then remove the rotisserie rod and forks and carve.

Video

Notes

Note: The timing on a rotisserie chicken can vary significantly, based on the size of the chicken and the maintained ambient temperature surrounding the bird. A 3.5-pound bird, cooked with the lid kept closed can cook in about 60 minutes. That same bird cooked while the grill lid is constantly open (for tending to sides like potatoes and vegetables or taking videos), might take as much as an additional 45 minutes.

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