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Rotisserie chicken purchased in a store can excite your taste buds with an abundance of flavor, or can be bland and dry. If you are short on time, and can't find the time to cook dinner at home, then a juicy rotisserie chicken may be your best bet.

Tips on what to look for in a rotisserie chicken:

1. The skin covering the chicken is in tact. This ensures the flavor of the chicken, not to mention the juices are still inside the chicken-keeping the meat moist and tender. If the chicken has been out of the rotisserie oven for a while, the chicken will still be nice and hot when you get it because the juices keep the meat warm.

2. Check the skin for blackened spots on the skin. The blackened spots are not dangerous, but this is where the juices may have escaped from the chicken during cook time. If there are a lot of crispy, black spots, then the chicken may be dry.

3. Make sure the skin of the chicken isn't wrinkly. If the skin is wrinkly, it means the chicken is over cooked and is dried out. The meat will be dry, and will not break apart easily. Although, it may still taste all right, it simply just isn't the best.

4. When the chicken is barbecued, you should still be able to see the skin. Is the skin gathering, are the legs or wings pulling away from the body of the chicken? If so, don't buy it. The chicken has been over cooked and will be very dry. The skin may be soft, torn and there may not be any juice left in the chicken to keep it warm and moist.

Most stores will keep their chickens for a couple of hours, and it is all right. However, if the skin isn't in tact, the chicken will just keep getting drier and drier sitting under the heating lamps.

You will want to carefully inspect the chicken first, and then ask the clerk when the chickens were done and placed under the lamps (if there isn't a time stamped on the package). Chickens should not be under the heating lamp for more than 2 hours. They will begin to wrinkle, dry out, and lose their flavor after an hour under the lamp.

Learn more about this author, Laura Garrow.
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