Why TikTok's Wrong About Reheating Costco Rotisserie Chickens In The Slow Cooker

If you're a Costco member, with each shopping spree, there's a solid chance you're always eager to purchase extra cost-saving food items, like the food court hot dogs and ready-to-eat rotisserie chickens. After all, when it comes to maximizing each trip to Costco, buying in bulk is almost always guaranteed to save you money. Especially when you consider how much meat you can get from one of Costco's rotisserie chickens, over 2 pounds of meat per bird is a steal. Therefore, as you consider various ways to successfully freeze and reheat extra rotisserie chickens from Costco, you may want to avoid one TikTok user's foolproof method.

In a recent TikTok video, @chelsirose88 details her hassle-free process by first removing a fully frozen Costco rotisserie chicken from its resealable bag and placing it directly into a slow cooker on the low setting for an entire day. She claims the ice crystals that have formed during freezing help the meat slowly steam throughout the reheating process. However, while freezing and heating extra rotisserie chickens from Costco may be an ingenious idea, for optimal food safety, you should avoid using your slow cooker to reheat fully-cooked food. Chicken that's been previously cooked and then stored at cooler temperatures runs the risk of staying too long in an unsafe temperature zone when warmed in a hands-off appliance. In fact, when it comes to reheating rotisserie chickens from Costco, your slow cooker may be the worst appliance for the job.

More than anything else, you need to be mindful of the temperature of your meat throughout the reheating process. According to the USDA, when it comes to reheating leftovers, using a slow cooker to warm fully-cooked meat isn't recommended. Since perishable food (and meat in particular) is more susceptible to bacterial growth between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit, using a slow cooker to heat fully-cooked chicken from your freezer or fridge is recipe for disaster. Since slow cookers work at a slower pace than your stovetop or oven, your food is likely to linger in the temperature danger zone for far too long and stay below the safe temperature of 140 degrees.

That being said, for more effective ways to reheat rotisserie chickens, first allow your frozen chicken to thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Then, add the chicken to a baking dish with a small amount of water, cover it with foil, and heat it in your oven. Alternatively, you can use your air fryer or shred the meat and heat it in your microwave with a small amount of water or broth.

While using a slow cooker to reheat rotisserie chickens is a no-go, you can always use this appliance to make sauces or stews that incorporate leftover reheated chicken, such as slow cooker chicken mole or chicken and wild rice soup. Just make sure to reheat your chicken beforehand and add it into an already hot meal.