Chicken of Choice

(Chronicle photo)

When Boston Chicken (later Boston Market) introduced rotisserie chicken to the masses in the late 1980's, we were frequent patrons of its restaurants. In 1994 Costco began selling a whole rotisserie chicken for $4.99 (a price which hasn't changed for 30 years), and we visited Boston Market much less often. The Costco chicken was juicy, well-seasoned, and cheap; it was a much better value proposition than Boston Market or any other restaurant.

The Chronicle conducted a blind taste test of rotisserie chicken prepared by 17 different Bay Area vendors. How well did the Costco product measure up?

We took note of saltiness, appraised aromatics and analyzed distinguishing seasonings. We loved schmaltzy, crisp skin and abhorred the rubbery ones. We wanted meat rich in moisture and dreaded when a piece was dry...We rated each on flavor, juiciness and skin. A good chicken excels in all of those categories, which influence the judge’s overall score, on a 10-point scale. The findings show that restaurants typically make better chickens than markets and butchers; they often use higher quality birds...

[Costco's] chicken was by far the juiciest, practically dripping with moisture, and stayed warm longest. The value also must be noted: The price disparity between Costco and every other place was cavernous, nearly five to 20 times cheaper than the rest at $1.16 per pound. However, there is one big caveat: The oversized fowl is only available to those with a Costco membership, which starts at $65 per year.

Without considering the cost, Costco's chicken finished second to Rooster’s Peruvian Rotisserie, a restaurant in San Francisco's Mission district. If we happen to be in that area, we'll check out Rooster's. Meanwhile, Costco's second-best offering will do just fine.