Is it Cheaper to Make or Buy a Rotisserie Chicken?
I am sure you have seen the display of already cooked Rotisserie Chickens at your local warehouse club or grocery store. These super convenient chickens are great for making last minute meals even quicker.
I was recently asked if these Rotisserie Chickens are actually cheaper than cooking a whole chicken at home. Let’s deep dive into a cost breakdown and find out!
How much does a homemade rotisserie chicken cost?
For this cost breakdown we really need to figure out 2 main things: how much a whole chicken costs and how much a whole chicken weighs after it has been cooked. This will allow us to be able to compare costs to the store-bought rotisserie chicken.
Let’s find some ideas of price for a whole chicken and then figure out the cost per ounce of it raw and cooked.
| Weight & Price Per Pound of Whole Chicken | Store & Total Price | Cost per Ounce (Raw) | Cost per Ounce (Cooked) |
| 5.56lb Heritage Farm chicken @ $1.39 a pound | Kroger, $7.73 | $0.09 | $0.12 |
| 5.6lb Meijer chicken @ $1.69 a pound | Meijer, $9.46 | $0.11 | $0.14 |
| 4.46lb Kirkwood chicken @ $1.99 a pound | Aldi, $8.88 | $0.12 | $0.17 |
| 11.12lb Kirkland chicken @ $1.85 a pound (2-3 chickens) | Costco, $20.57 | $0.12 | $0.15 |
| 5lb Fresh Thyme chicken @ $2.19 a pound | Fresh Thyme Market, $10.95 | $0.14 | $0.18 |
| 5lb Member’s Mark chicken @1.81 a pound | Sam’s Club, $9.05 | $0.11 | $0.15 |
| 5.5lb Tyson chicken @ $1.89 a pound | SaveALot, $10.40 | $0.12 | $0.16 |
| 5lb Food Lion chicken @ $1.29 a pound | Food Lion, $6.45 | $0.08 | $0.11 |
| 5lb Harris Teeter chicken @ $1.99 a pound | Harris Teeter, $9.95 | $0.12 | $0.17 |
| 3.75lb Perdue chicken @ $2.66 a pound | Safeway, $9.99 | $0.17 | $0.22 |
| 5.58lb Tyson chicken @ $1.32 a pound | Walmart, $7.37 | $0.08 | $0.11 |
| Average Price per Pound= $1.82 | Average Cost per Oz (Raw): $0.11 | Average Cost per Oz (Cooked): $0.15 |
We broke down the costs of whole chickens into cost per ounce raw and cooked. This is because to make a homemade rotisserie chicken at home we would have to buy a raw chicken, but the store-bought rotisserie chicken will obviously already be cooked.
In general, a whole chicken loses about 25% of its total weight during the cooking process. This is why the cooked cost per ounce is higher than the raw cost per ounce.
Overall, we will pay an average of $1.82 per pound for a raw whole chicken. Once cooked the average cost per ounce will be about $0.15 for our homemade rotisserie chicken.
How much is a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store?
If you are still with me after that raw chicken math, let’s go head to a couple grocery stores to see the current prices for rotisserie chicken!
| Chicken Size | Store & Price | Cost per Cooked Ounce |
| 32oz | Publix, $8.19 | $0.26 |
| 32oz | Kroger, $8.99 | $0.28 |
| 32oz | Sam’s Club, $6.20 | $0.19 |
| 32oz | Ingles, $7.59 | $0.24 |
| 34oz | Wegman’s, $11.49 | $0.34 |
| 30oz | Shaw’s, $7.99 | $0.27 |
| 32oz | Big Y, $9.89 | $0.31 |
| 32oz | Stop & Shop, $8.99 | $0.28 |
| 32oz | Sam’s Club, $5.83 | $0.18 |
| 48oz | Costco, $6.21 | $0.13 |
| 32oz | BJ’s Wholesale, $8.89 | $0.28 |
| Average Cost per Oz: $0.25 |
Now, not every store will list the final weight of their rotisserie chickens, but we can thank Texas A & M for determining that the average rotisserie chicken weighs 2 pounds.
So, unless specified, we used the weight of 2 pounds (32oz) to determine the final cost per ounce. (The only difference in this is that Costco rotisserie chickens typically weigh 3 pounds)
We found that the cheapest rotisserie chicken was from Costco at $0.13 per ounce. The most expensive rotisserie chicken was from Wegman’s at $0.34 per ounce.
Overall, the average cost of a Rotisserie chicken from the grocery store was about $0.25 per ounce. This was much higher than the homemade version that cost $0.15 per ounce.
Is a homemade rotisserie chicken worth it?
If we are just judging based on cost, then a homemade rotisserie chicken is totally worth the time it takes to make one. Typically, the homemade version of a Rotisserie Chicken costs about 40% less than store bought.
Now what happens if you don’t have a fancy rotisserie to cook your chicken? Well, you can still have a similar taste and experience by baking the chicken in the oven or crockpot for a few hours.
If you want to buy a rotisserie to make chickens at home, check out the Facebook marketplace. I found a ton of them for super cheap! Another great option is your local Goodwill or a thrift store.
So why does the rotisserie chicken in the store seem like such a good deal?
There are a few reasons that precooked chicken seems like a great deal! Here is why:
- Time Saver – no one can argue that an already cooked chicken is so much quicker than having to cook it yourself
- Size – did you notice that the size of a rotisserie chicken is typically only 2 pounds, but the raw chicken was usually around 5 pounds? This is because those rotisserie chickens are usually only about 2.5 pounds prior to cooking. So your not buying a normal fully cooked chicken, you are buying a much smaller version.
- Location – Most rotisserie chicken displays are up front in a store, where you can smell and see them right away and then again right before you check out. This is the adult version of an impulse buy.
- Low Price– Some stores will actually sell their rotisserie chickens at a loss in order to get you to spend more money. Costco is a great example of this. They sell so many rotisserie chickens a day, that they can sell them at very little to no profit because they know that rarely does one go to Costco and only buy a rotisserie chicken.
But they are so convenient….
I am not going to disagree that a rotisserie chicken is not convenient and a huge time saver. I will say that a rotisserie chicken is not the most cost-effective way to spend your grocery budget.
With a little pre-planning, you can make your own baked chicken at home and make twice the amount of cooked chicken for much cheaper! You can do this during the week in a crockpot, or go ahead and bake a chicken on a weekend afternoon.
My mom used to always say that you can save time, or you can save money, but it is very rare to be able to save both. In the case of the rotisserie chicken, it will definitely save you time, but it will cost you.
If you are really in a rush and need to put something on the table, then a rotisserie chicken is a great idea. Otherwise, I would not buy these regularly if I was trying to cut down or save money on my weekly grocery shopping.
