Shocking Secret Ingredient in Roast Chicken Skyrockets Price Unjustly!

Skipping the traditional Sunday chicken dinner is out of the question. In many households, it’s more than just a custom; it’s practically sacred. However, preparing it is no small feat: stuffing the cavity, tying the legs, massaging the skin with butter both above and below, and possibly chopping a vegetable garnish. These technical moves and time-consuming steps are a hassle you could do without. If only it could cook itself… But no, the ordeal continues even in the oven, with side rotations and frequent basting.

In an attempt to save time (and maybe even money), you’ve opted for the supermarket’s rotisserie chicken, not the one from the butcher, but the vacuum-sealed kind. You specifically chose the “treated in brine” breasts, whose enticing golden hue almost convinces you they just came off the rotisserie. Whole fillets, French poultry, boasting a flattering Nutri-Score B—should you be wary?

On France 5’s “Le Mag de la Santé,” physical chemist Raphaël Haumont explored the ingredients list of one of these supermarket selections. While the primary ingredient is indeed chicken breast (hooray!), the second is nothing other than water, making up 11% of the final product. Injected during the brining process, it adds tenderness, but primarily lowers the production costs. The chicken also contains a mix of additives to retain this moisture: pea proteins, carrot fibers, and the controversial carrageenans. As for their appealing caramel color, it doesn’t come from long hours of roasting, but rather from an industrial trick involving oil and brown sugar that speeds up the well-known Maillard reaction.

A chicken pumped with water… at an inflated price too. “I paid €19.45 per kilo for this,” admits Raphaël Haumont, compared to €12 to €15 for whole chickens certified by Label Rouge or Bleu-Blanc-Cœur, which offer protections for both the farmer and the consumer, and provide the opportunity to create multiple dishes from one chicken – including using the carcass for broth. Even accounting for 2 hours of cooking at 150°C in the oven, the electricity cost is just over €1. Moral of the story: unless you want to get fleeced by a rotisserie chicken, steer clear of shortcuts!