There may have been alcohol involved when Annie and I, along with four friends (Pat, Steve, Janet, and Jeff) decided a ‘Rotisserie Chicken Challenge’ was a necessary thing. You see, Pat and Steve had their favorite place to get theirs. Janet and Jeff had their favorite…and Annie and I have recently been really in to a certain one.
Prior to getting into the details, there was one thing that was unfair to our friends. Pat and Steve were coming up from southern California so they had to buy their’ rotisserie chicken on Thursday and the challenge wasn’t until Saturday evening. Janet and Jeff had the same issue as they were coming from the Bay Area. Annie and I cheated and got our two chickens the day of the challenge.
That said, Pat and Steve got theirs from Juan Pollo down south. Janet and Jeff went to Costco for their pick. Annie and I got one from The Hatch in downtown Paso Robles but Annie threw in an additional bird on her way home from The Hatch. She stopped in the Smart & Final near our house that used to be a Von’s.
Our friend Lisa joined us for this challenge so there were 7 adults tasting. The basic rules were that you grade each bird on a scale of one to five stars, five being best. We did not taste blind so there may have been some bias.
The results:
Smart & Final – 27 stars
The Hatch – 26 stars
Juan Pollo – 24 stars
Costco – 19 stars
I guess you could say that Annie and I won. Haha. I’ll take the win but I know that two-day difference in when their birds were purchased compared to ours made for a big difference. It was fun nonetheless. I think we need to incorporate more dinners like this. Good food, wine, and friends all mixed with slight competitiveness. Cheers and thanks again guys.
Note: I do not know the exact cost of the four birds but the one from The Hatch in Paso Robles was the most by far. My favorite chicken dish of theirs right now is the Caesar salad with rotisserie chicken. Annie and I love the smokiness the chicken brings to the salad.
Gary says
Hard to beat the Hatch chicken unless you have their meatloaf.
Pat says
Meatloaf challenge!!
Janet says
I had the BEST time with you guys and this Chicken Challenge!! Thanks, Matt and Annie, for hosting it!
And just for the record, I didn’t have any alcohol when I said I would put my 2-day old $4.99 Costco chicken up against anyone who dared. I still stand behind it!
Looking forward to the meatloaf challenge!!!