# Gourmand Dopers: How does Boston Market Chicken compare to the big guys?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gourmand-dopers-how-does-boston-market-chicken-compare-to-the-big-guys/588554
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [July 10, 2011, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gourmand-dopers-how-does-boston-market-chicken-compare-to-the-big-guys/588554 "2011-07-10T22:41:59Z")
**Posts on this page:** 11
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@No\_Wikipedia\_Cites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/No_Wikipedia_Cites)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2011, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gourmand-dopers-how-does-boston-market-chicken-compare-to-the-big-guys/588554/1 "2011-07-10T22:41:59Z")
Can someone who is a frequent diner of those fancy white-tablecloths restaurants and knows his Escoffier, evaluate Boston Market’s Rotisserie chicken?
I’m looking for a no-holds-barred, don’t give them cred just because the price might be less, just give me the straight dope.
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### Author:  [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2011, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gourmand-dopers-how-does-boston-market-chicken-compare-to-the-big-guys/588554/2 "2011-07-10T23:30:43Z")
I’ve always found BM’s chicken to be tasteless and mushy. Not worth it at half the price.
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### Author:  [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2011, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gourmand-dopers-how-does-boston-market-chicken-compare-to-the-big-guys/588554/3 "2011-07-11T00:23:43Z")
A fancy place is probably going to source their chickens from a free-range farm, while Boston Market is battery hens fed soy.
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### Author:  [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2011, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gourmand-dopers-how-does-boston-market-chicken-compare-to-the-big-guys/588554/4 "2011-07-11T00:39:37Z")
No need to compare to Escoffier – my experience with Boston Market is that their chicken is pretty run-of-the-mill oversalted cheap rotisserie chicken. No improvement over the $5 grocery store birds, although the sides may arguably be better.
I’ve never had super-high-end rotisserie chicken (I do dine in some fancy dives, but I’ve never even seen rotisserie chicken on the menu at such a place), but my experience with good roast chicken is that it’ll generally be meatier and less mushy, have crisper skin, and have seasonings that taste more flavorful and less like salt.
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### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2011, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gourmand-dopers-how-does-boston-market-chicken-compare-to-the-big-guys/588554/5 "2011-07-11T00:51:05Z")
Meh. I can get better bird cheaper at my local market.
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### Author:  [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2011, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gourmand-dopers-how-does-boston-market-chicken-compare-to-the-big-guys/588554/6 "2011-07-11T01:18:54Z")
The Peruvian rotisserie chicken places make chicken 10 times as good and at better prices.
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### Author:  [@Aestivalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aestivalis)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2011, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gourmand-dopers-how-does-boston-market-chicken-compare-to-the-big-guys/588554/7 "2011-07-11T02:42:07Z")
They’re too salty for my tastes, but then again, store bought ones can easily be as bad, depending on how long it has sat before it gets to you. I’d rather roast one myself, it’s fairly simple, and the end product is much better.
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### Author:  [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2011, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gourmand-dopers-how-does-boston-market-chicken-compare-to-the-big-guys/588554/8 "2011-07-11T02:59:15Z")
Compared to my home roasted chicken, I wouldn’t feed Boston Market to my cat.
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### Author:  [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2011, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gourmand-dopers-how-does-boston-market-chicken-compare-to-the-big-guys/588554/9 "2011-07-11T12:53:00Z")
I can make a roasted chicken in about an hour and fifteen minutes, using three ingredients (one of which is the chicken) that beats pretty much everything I’ve ever had from a fast-food place and most everything I’ve had from restaurants. Roasted chicken is one of the easiest things to make. Unless you’re short on time, just make your own. Bonus is that you can use the carcass for stock!
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### Author:  [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2011, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gourmand-dopers-how-does-boston-market-chicken-compare-to-the-big-guys/588554/10 "2011-07-11T13:18:53Z")
I’ve only had Boston’s chicken once, and I was far less than impressed. It was barely edible. Same with their meatloaf. So even when I don’t feel like cooking, I would not recommend it. Like an earlier poster, I would choose a nearby Peruvian chicken place. However, I agree that doing one’s own chicken is as easy as can be (I use more than 3 ingredients as I like to vertically roast mine on a beer can).
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### Author:  [@Roseanne\_Valerie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roseanne_Valerie)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2011, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gourmand-dopers-how-does-boston-market-chicken-compare-to-the-big-guys/588554/11 "2011-07-11T13:21:52Z")
> [@Acsenray](#):
>
> The Peruvian rotisserie chicken places make chicken 10 times as good and at better prices.
This.
I’d never really tasted rotisserie chicken until I sampled some of [Nelly’s](http://nellyschicken.com/). It’s so good, you’ll want to compose a love ballad about it. And it’s danged cheap, to boot.
That said, though, Boston Market’s chicken is certainly better than passable.