How to Keep a Rotisserie Chicken Warm: All Methods

Aug 22, 2022

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Are you ready to learn how to keep a rotisserie chicken warm while you keep finishing up the rest of the meal?

To keep the chicken warm and ready to serve, the simple tips below will help. You’ll love the ease of having a cooked chicken ready to feed your crew!

Jump to:

Keeping a Rotisserie Chicken Warm in Foil
How Long Can You Keep a Rotisserie Chicken Warm Without it Drying Out
How to Keep a Rotisserie Chicken Warm In the Oven
In the Microwave
In the Air Fryer
In a Slow Cooker
How Long Can a Rotisserie Chicken Sit Out
How to Store Rotisserie Chicken
Best Way to Reheat a Rotisserie Chicken
Recipes Using Rotisserie Chicken

Keeping a Rotisserie Chicken Warm in Foil

If you removed the rotisserie from the plastic tray from the store to heat it up, the best method to keep the chicken warm is to cover it with aluminum foil.

Whether you reheated the chicken in the oven or the microwave, covering the plate or platter with a few layers of foil and tightly sealing the edges, will help retain the heat for about 20 minutes, depending on how hot it was heated up to begin with.

If you roasted a whole chicken at home and are still working on your sides for chicken, just cover the tray or sheet pan with one or more layers of foil, tightly wrapped around the edges to trap it in the heat.

side by side photos of rotisserie chicken in a baking dish covered and uncovered

How Long Can You Keep a Rotisserie Chicken Warm Without it Drying Out

Keeping chicken warm without drying it out is always a balancing act of how long you heat it up, which method you used to heat it up, and how much liquid was placed at the bottom to create steam and trap the juices in.

Once you remove the chicken from the microwave, the oven, or the slow cooker and keep it covered, your chicken should not dry out.

If you’re using a slow cooker to heat up a rotisserie chicken, make sure you add liquid at the bottom and don’t keep it in there for more than 4h on warm. Anything past that will be too long, and the chicken will start to lose juices and tenderness.

How to Keep a Rotisserie Chicken Warm In the Oven

If you picked up a rotisserie chicken on the way home from the store, it’s still warm, and you want to keep it warm while you prep your sides or make an easy side salad, the oven is a great place to keep the rotisserie chicken warm.

If the chicken is warm, transfer it to an oven-safe baking dish, including the juices from the tray, and wrap it in foil. Heat the oven to 200F and keep it warm for no longer than 20 to 30 minutes. You don’t want to keep cooking it you just want to keep it warm.

If you bought the chicken the day before or it’s cold and needs to fully warm check the section below on best ways to reheat it.

In the Microwave

The microwave is a great storage place for the warm rotisserie chicken you just brought home since it’s a small space without air circulation (when the door is closed), and it should keep the chicken warm while you prep sides for about 20 minutes.

In the Air Fryer

To keep a whole chicken warm inside an air fryer, first heat the air fryer at 400F for 5 minutes. Once hot, quickly place the rotisserie chicken in the air fryer basket and close it.

The air fryer can keep your chicken warm for 10 to 15 minutes. If you want to heat it up or took longer than you wanted and now the chicken isn’t as hot as you like, warm it up at 360F for 5 minutes.

In a Slow Cooker

Simply select the “keep warm” function of your slow cooker and place the chicken and the juices inside. Put on the lid until you’re ready to serve.

How Long Can a Rotisserie Chicken Sit Out

A rotisserie chicken should not be left to sit out on the counter for longer than 2 hours.

How to Store Rotisserie Chicken

Rotisserie chicken leftovers are a terrific way to get new meals started quickly! To store leftover rotisserie chicken, let the chicken fully cool down and then store it in the fridge in an airtight container or sealable bag.

Best Way to Reheat a Rotisserie Chicken

There are several methods to reheat a rotisserie chicken. If it’s cold and you just took it out of the fridge, heating times will be longer than if it’s at room temperature.

In the oven:
Preheat the oven to 350F. Transfer the rotisserie chicken into an oven-safe baking dish, include the gelatin at the bottom, and add ¼ cup of water to the pan. Cover it with foil and warm it up for about 30 minutes, a little less if the chicken was not cold.

In the slow cooker:
Wrap the rotisserie chicken in foil and place it in the slow cooker with ½ cup of water. On high for 2 to 3 hours and 4 to 5 on low.

In the air fryer:
Preheat the air fryer at 400F for 5 minutes (without the chicken). Remove the rotisserie chicken from the plate or package and place it in the air fryer basket. Heat it up at 350F for 5 to 6 minutes.

In the microwave:
Place the tray it came in directly in the microwave, loosely covered, and heat it up on high for 1 minute and 30 seconds. Check for temperature and add additional 30 seconds as needed.