Following a keto meal plan is no easy endeavor. You may be compelled to break your diet after a long day at work with a sugary delight or feel like you have limited eating options since opting for this diet.
If you're bored of repeatedly eating the same keto friendly foods, we might have some good news for you. How about you pick up some rotisserie chicken on your way home and enjoy it to your heart and stomach’s content?
Sounds tempting, but is rotisserie chicken keto?
Yes, it is! Rotisserie chicken is an excellent and low-carb dietary option. Not only is it effortless to make, but it's also very versatile in its use: you can use it in homemade salads, sandwiches, or simply eat it on its own!
Let us delve into the delightful goodness of rotisserie chicken and find out more about what makes it keto friendly.
What is Rotisserie Chicken?
Rotisserie chicken is a famous meal option and can be simply made by cooking a chicken in a rotisserie.
Cooking on a rotisserie is a kind of roasting, which entails cooking the whole chicken uncovered in a grill or oven. This roasted chicken cooks into crispy and juicy meat with mildly charred skin.
The roasted chicken can be cooked into rotisserie chicken by rotating over a grill or open fire or skewering it on a spit for even cooking.
It's also common to inject brine into the chicken before roasting, as it helps retain moisture. Some other common ingredients that can brown the chicken and add flavor to it include sodium tripolyphosphate, yeast extracts, spices, and natural flavorings.
Is Rotisserie Chicken Keto Friendly?
Yes, rotisserie chicken is keto friendly as long as it's not covered in sugar. Most places generally use a low-carb scrub that retains the chicken’s ketosis-maintaining qualities.
However, other rotisserie chicken places may cover it in sauces such as BBQ, adding a few additional carbs to the total count. It's wise to dig a little into the ingredients when buying a rotisserie chicken or using low-carb sauces when making one at home.
Most stores have nutritional information on the packaging, whereas others are available through a simple google search.
How Many Calories Are In A Serving Of Rotisserie Chicken?
As mentioned before, the number of calories in a rotisserie chicken can vary, depending upon where and how it is made. It's also crucial to remember that different parts of the chicken have different nutritional counts.
Not all parts of a rotisserie chicken are keto friendly; thus, you can keep your daily carb intake in check by choosing an adequate part of the chicken.
The dark meat portion of the chicken – which includes the thighs and drumsticks – is lower in protein but higher in fat than the white meat.
In contrast, white meat – usually the breast portion – contains a small amount of fat. To gain some keto-perspective, let us look at the nutritional difference between the different chicken pieces
Nutritional value of three ounces of rotisserie chicken:
Chicken Thigh With Skin
| Calories | 192 kcal |
| Fat | 12 g |
| Carbs | 0 g |
| Protein | 18 g |
Chicken Thigh Without Skin
| Calories | 165 kcal |
| Fat | 9 g |
| Carbs | 0 g |
| Protein | 21 g |
Chicken Breast With Skin
| Calories | 149 kcal |
| Fat | 7 g |
| Carbs | 0 g |
| Protein | 22 g |
Chicken Breast Without The Skin
| Calories | 122 kcal |
| Fat | 3 g |
| Carbs | 0 g |
| Protein | 24 g |
The Dark Side Of Rotisserie Chicken
Rotisserie may be all tasty and healthy, but it has a potential downside: sodium. Most people buy rotisserie chicken from the grocery stores, which is made by marinating it in a highly saline solution to retain its juiciness and tenderness. Maltodextrin, phosphate, and certain other additives may also be added.
High intake of sodium can unequivocally lead to hypertension and high blood pressure, according to research. Excessive and prolonged intake can even cause cardiovascular complications. You can avoid sodium and other added additives by removing the skin of your rotisserie chicken.
How Can You Add Rotisserie Chicken To Your Keto Diet?
There are many easy and healthy ways you can incorporate rotisserie chicken into your keto diet. You can either eat it as it is with a low-carb sauce or add it to some alternative recipes, such as the ones mentioned below:
Chicken Lettuce Wrap
Traditional wraps are generally made with rice paper or tortilla and are thus high in carbs and calories. You can slightly alter the recipe to make keto wraps by using lettuce instead of tortillas or rice paper.
Next comes the filling! Heat a pan and add some chopped rotisserie chicken pieces with salt, scallions, soy sauce, and rice vinegar.
You can also put in as many vegetables as available or as you like. Cook all these ingredients together until they turn slightly brown. The filling is ready!
Add a helping of the filling into lettuce using a spoon, and wrap it up for eating!
Chicken Parmesan Stuffed Bell Peppers
Chicken parmesan stuffed bell peppers are juicy, creamy, and relatively easy to make. All you need to do is cut some bell papers in half and stuff a pre-made mixture of tomato sauce, parmesan cheese, pepper, salt, garlic powder, and rotisserie chicken. Refrain from adding breadcrumbs, as they can increase your dish’s carb count.
Assort the stuffed bell peppers into a casserole pan. Spray some water over them and cover them with aluminum foil.
Bake your masterpiece in a 375-degree preheated oven for about thirty minutes, and serve them when they cool down.
Chicken Garden Salad
This recipe is an excellent and fun way of eating your greens. You can make it if you are unsure of what to do with all the leftover vegetables in your fridge.
Just put them all – such as cucumber, cabbage, tomato, carrot, onion, and lettuce – in a bowl along with finely sliced rotisserie chicken. Add some ranch or any other low-carb sauce, mix everything evenly, and ta-da! You’re done!
Chicken Soup
You can use your leftover rotisserie chicken to make some yummy and filling chicken soup. Heat a pan and add some oil, garlic, celery stock, carrots, sautéed onions, and any other vegetables you may like.
Next, add spices such as ginger, pepper, thyme, rosemary, salt, turmeric, and pepper. Also, add in the rotisserie chicken pieces and some broth to bring the mixture to a boil.
Lastly, add some cauliflower rice and let all the ingredients simmer for about twenty or so minutes. Serve when hot.
Wrapping Up
Rotisserie chicken is one of the simplest, healthiest, and yummiest dishes to make while on a keto diet. Not only does it have almost zero prior preparation time, but it can also be eaten immediately after cooking.
Rotisserie chicken is also readily available everywhere: you can grab one from your nearest store if you don’t feel like cooking. Just make sure you opt for one with the lowest sodium amount!
It's considerably better than fried chicken, and even better if you remove the skin. Compared to other food options, rotisserie chicken is also the least expensive.
Now that you know the answer to “Is rotisserie chicken keto,” it's time to pick one up on your way home to excite your taste buds!
Come back for more healthy, yummy, and easy recipes you can make when on a keto diet.
Click on one of the links below to learn more about keto friendly foods: