Chook Me!

What do BBQ chicken shops in Australia use to give their chicken skin such a great taste?

What do chicken shops in Australia use to give their chicken skin such a great taste? I've moved overseas, and really miss the taste of chicken shop chickens. I know the ones done over charcoal are the very best, but even everyday rotisserie chicken tastes SO good! How do they do it?

Public Comments

1. Assuming the chickens are roasted whole, they're probably brined. It's a mixture of water and salt, and a little acid (vinegar or citrus juice), dissolved in water, in which the chicken is soaked for several hours prior to cooking. Any given eatery will have a proprietary blend of herbs and other flavorings added to their brine. Brining allows the cell walls of the chicken flesh to retain a lot more of their fluids during cooking, so the result is a moister bird with more flavorful skin. Also, rotisserie cooking (whatever the food is) always yields a more uniformly cooked product, with a seared exterior. The problem is, it's difficult to reproduce the effect at home. I spent a few weeks in Newcastle back in 2001, and I did notice a certain special "flair" in the local food. Eliminating any sort of witchcraft, I can only imagine that there is something in the local water, or in the air, that makes everything taste better.