Rotisserie chicken at home
When we bought our home and added the kitchen, I knew I had to have two ovens. I don’t use them both often — but when I do want to cook a feast and need them, it’s priceless. This is a concept that really hasn’t caught in Germany, mostly because people have rather small kitchens anyway. Thankfully we already had one oven that we bought when we first moved to Germany which was part of our first kitchen. In case you haven’t heard, most rental apartments don’t have a kitchen. It’s a bit strange to get used to the idea that people move their kitchens like the rest of their furniture, but it seems to be working for people.
At any rate, we bought a new really nice Whirlpool oven from IKEA when we bought the rest of our new kitchen. I got it because it was self-cleaning…and I would be lying if I said I’d used that feature more than 5 times. That doesn’t mean that my oven is filthy. Thanks to discoveries like pouring salt on a baked on spill while the oven is still warm, my oven is pretty much spotless. I even cleaned the glass inside the oven the other day which was a mission…but I’m digressing.
So one of the other features this oven has is a rotisserie spit. I know, it’s sounds incredible…and it pretty much is. But before you go and get too jealous, it actually doesn’t turn so you have to rotate the chicken yourself every 30 minutes or so. But oh-my-gosh was that chicken good! We feasted on it two nights in row (that bird weighed in at about 5 pounds) and then I boiled it down and made some delicious chicken noodle soup with it. Twelve meals from one chicken…that’s what I’m talking about!
Here’s my recipe for rotisserie chicken. I can’t wait to head back to the farmer’s market for another one. There is a guy who visits our town every Wednesday with a trailer full of rotisserie chicken –sort of a mobile chicken roasting station. They’re actually quite popular here. The entire town smells like roasted chicken on those days. And it tastes darn good. But there’s just something special about making your own…and we certainly got a lot more meals out of our bird!
The setting in our oven uses both the broiler and a fan at the back blowing air around. I don’t know if your oven has a feature like that too, but if so, here’s how you can try this out. Or maybe you’re like me and have this feature but haven’t used it in the 4 years you’ve had your oven. You can also adapt this recipe for the grill.
Serve this with a fresh salad or your favorite vegetables and beer rice.
Rotisserie Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 5 pound chicken
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 can beer
Directions
- Place broiler pan in bottom of oven and rotisserie rack in the appropriate rack space (second from the bottom in ours).
- Season the inside of the chicken with a few sprinkles of salt. Place on rotisserie stake and place into oven. Grill for 10 minutes at 400°F (200°C). Pour half the beer into the roasting pan.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter and combine with paprika, salt and pepper. Spoon about 1/3 of it into a smaller dish and brush it onto the chicken (cutting back on salmonella spread).
- Check the chicken every 20-30 minutes, rotating the spit and basting the chicken again. When most of the beer has cooked out of the roasting pan, add the rest. In 1.5-2 hours, the chicken should be done. Take an internal temperature in the thigh and breast. When it reaches 180°F (83°C) it is done. The juices from the chicken should also run clear.
- Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
Fine more mouthwatering recipes like this one at Mouthwatering Mondays hosted by A Southern Fairytale.
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6 Responses to “Rotisserie chicken at home”
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- Easy and delicious chicken noodle soup | No Ordinary Homestead - [...] Friday I was talking about finally using our rotisserie spit in our oven (which is awesome) and one of ...
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Tiffany is an American who has been living in Germany with her husband since 2001. The two are self-proclaimed "Self-Reliant Yuppies" who are in their early-30's and bought an 1830's farmhouse several years ago, which they have been turning into a more sustainable and green dream house. Two cats, a Newfie and their 2 year old daughter enjoy the adventure with them. Tiffany enjoys cooking, rock climbing, lux-camping trying to turn her black thumbs green and taking road trips. Visit the 
I like to throw in a whole garlic bulb inside the chicken at the same time. Then I use it either for garlic mashed potatoes and/or french bread. Ok… now I’m hungry.
Great idea! I’ll have to try that next time!!
We had only one oven, with no rotisserie until I saw a small counter top convection oven at Sam’s Club which cost only $100.00. It has a rotisserie which can handle a chicken up to 7 pounds.
I like to brine the bird for a few hours, place a few garlic cloves and a rough chopped lemon in the body cavity, very carefully loosen the skin from the body without tearing the skin, then place fresh sage leaves and liberal amounts of black pepper under the skin.
Once the bird is trussed and skewered I can put it on the rotisserie and forget about it for about an hour and thirty minutes. When the temperature at the thickest part of the breast is 180 the bird can be removed from the oven and allowed to rest for about thirty minutes.
While the bird is resting I skim most of the fat from the pan it was cooked over then deglaze with a bit of red wine and use this sauce on the mashed parsnips I prefer to serve rather that potatoes.
Their are so many absolutely divine uses for the leftovers.
The rotisserie has payed for itself several times over in the couple of years we have had it. It also does a great pork roast or small boneless leg of lamb.
Wow! That sounds like an incredible little oven! And to accommodate a 7 pound chicken! Fantastic!!
I am definitely going to have to try your version, too, Charlie. It makes my mouth water just thinking about it. Thanks for sharing. We have a sage plant that is just producing like crazy and I never know what to do with it all! I’ve never tried mashed parsnips…that sounds really interesting
We collected a bunch of potatoes after the farmers here harvested the big ones with the machines and canned them. I just use two big jars of them, boil them a little to heat them and do a little extra softening and mash. Quick and easy!
Love the idea of a garlic bulb in there! This looks awesome! i can smell it from here! Thanks!
I am from the school of thought that says there is no such thing as too much garlic. I have stuffed the body cavity “full” of unpeeled garlic and then plugged the opening with a stick of celery to prevent the garlic from falling out during the chicken’s time on the rotisserie.
The garlic peels easily after cooking and has a sweet nutty flavor that is good spread on a crusty piece of bread. It’s not strong tasting at all but if you want you can dilute it by mixing with a little Greek yogurt or regular yogurt that has been drained of whey. Makes a very healthy mayonnaise replacement.