Quick Tip: How to Freeze Rotisserie Chicken

Can rotisserie chicken be frozen? Yes!

I posted on my Facebook page recently about a great deal I snagged on rotisserie chickens when I was out grocery shopping–the manager announced they were selling for just $2.99 (regular price $6.99)! Mr. Boy and I hurried over to get two. They had restocked by the time we passed through again, so I grabbed a third.

Rotisserie chicken is my favorite convenience food. It’s relatively inexpensive and much healthier than other grab-and-go options. One whole chicken provides at least two meals for our family of three. I definitely had to take advantage of the low price, but what would I do with three whole chickens? Freeze them!

Stock up and freeze rotisserie chicken for easy meals

How to Freeze Rotisserie Chicken

Rotisserie chicken will freeze well once carved from the bone. I remove the skin, then cut the meat into small pieces, or shred it. Once all of the chicken is prepared, I divide it into meal-size portions and pack into small resealable plastic bags.

I place all of the bagged chicken into one larger resealable freezer bag. If you’re the sort of person who loses track of the contents of your freezer, it’s a good idea to write the date on your bag. The chicken is best used within four months.

Remove from bone and freeze rotisserie chicken in meal portions

To reheat, I usually place the chicken in a skillet with a small amount of liquid (water or chicken stock), spices and sometimes vegetables depending on what I plan to make.

Ways to Use Rotisserie Chicken

Here are just a few ideas for using rotisserie chicken:

  • Tex-mex (tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas, etc.)
  • Pizza
  • Chicken Caesar Wraps (serve with lettuce, cucumber, tomato, feta cheese and caesar dressing in a pita or wrap)
  • Stir Fry
  • Soup

Most stores offer a variety of chicken “flavors”, like Lemon Pepper or Italian. I find that it’s only the skin that tastes that way–the meat will work well with whatever type of dish you choose.

My husband likes to take things a step further and use the remaining chicken bones to make stock. He places them in water and boils until reduced to a flavorful broth. We freeze that to use in other recipes or to cook rice.

Grabbing meat when it’s on sale and making the most of your freezer will help you stretch your grocery budget. With rotisserie chicken there’s a great convenience bonus, too!

 

Jennifer Roberts

is the founder, designer and author of Jen Spends Less. Formerly an architectural drafter and designer, Jen cut her spending and embraced a frugal lifestyle to be a stay at home mom.

20 thoughts on “Quick Tip: How to Freeze Rotisserie Chicken”

  1. that is such a great deal! I always hear of people snagging deals on meats just being in the store at the right time…it hasn’t happened to me yet! I also love rotisserie chicken as a convenience food, but at our Giant I’ve never seen it cheaper than about $5.
    We like to make chix salad with it, any recipe, one of our favs is a curried chix salad.

    Reply
    • I usually don’t have much luck with meat deals either–that’s why I was so thrilled this time. It looked like they had overstocked…maybe due to lack of demand over the holiday? I love making chicken salad too. I just recently discovered a recipe that subs in plain yogurt and mustard for the mayo and it’s so good!

  2. First of all, awesome deal! I’ve never managed to find them on sale for that much, usually you can get them for $4.99 at stores near me. If I should happen on a sale I’ll be sure to grab a few and freeze them though. Smart idea!

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    • Thanks, Tamara! Sometimes it’s just a matter of being in the right place at the right time. Rarely happens to me.

    • It’s been a while, so I can’t recall if I used thawed meat, but I have many times used rotisserie chicken to make chicken salad, or used it just plain on sandwiches. I think it would be fine, as long as you use it soon after thawing.

  3. Jen I bought 3 rotisserie chickens..asked the deli how Ishould freeze them..she said take whole chicken out of container..slip whole chicken in a plastic bag and put in freezer..still on bone..is this safe to eeat

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  4. I buy a rotisserie chicken just about every week sometimes 2, when on special for $5 each. (a good deal, for a quality chicken, ALREADY cooked.) I cut the meat from the bone and freeze one, use the other for 2 meals. BUT THEN, I put the bones from both into a big pot, add water, heat to boiling, reduce the heat and let it simmer for an hour or two to make an excellent chicken broth….hence using the entire chicken. Use the broth for soups, for making rice instead of water, etc. you can freeze the broth.

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  5. I let a hot chicken from the deli cool down completely in its thermal bag and inside a cold microwave before freezing. Is this now safe to eat once defrosted in the fridge?

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  6. I do the same making chicken broth, I find that if you wrap the chicken meat in freezer paper,then i wrap it in foil and a ziplock it last alot longer in the freezer with no altered taste

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  7. The meat deals are at the end of the day, depending on the store it varies usually close to Ann hour before th department! Not the supermarket closes. I work at a bistro and deli. The only Delima with frezzing the chicken is that at the end of the day they have been on the heater for quite a while usually more then two hours thus not making it as safe to freeze again. But I have done it and have not gotten sick. I do separate the parts I want to freeze. I have never put the whole thing in.

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  8. I purchased some rotisserie chickens that were marked down from Day before, removed meat from bone and froze.
    Will be doing chicken salad with them, if I thaw out and make it, would it be ok for at least 2 days to serve?
    Thank you

    Reply
  9. I love this idea. I buy rotisserie chickens from Sams Club (usually $5 or less) and freeze the meat after picking them. I often use the frozen meat for chicken noodle soup, so it’s a good idea to shred the meat before freezing. Then after you thaw it, it’s ready to go, and you can throw it right into your soup. It’s also just helpful to have this meat on hand for when you need it.

    Reply

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