[jyl]

I know brining is the answer to some of my issues, and have had good results brining overnight in salt, pepper and orange juice. I'm trying to develop a technique for everyday meals, when I haven't planned 24 hours ahead, but rather am in a "honey, pick up a chicken on your way home" situation. For that reason I'm avoiding long-and-low-cooking methods, although I like reading about those anyway, always good to get ideas.

Of course, you can buy a rotisserie chicken cheaper than a raw bird. I find them tasty enough, but the taste never changes so it gets monotonous, the breast meat is dry, and I've heard stories of how they are prepared, that make me interested in an alternative. Their skin is awful - pasty, mushy, at best rubbery. In Paris we used to get fantastic rotisserie chicken from a cheerful man in a small shop, but here we just have Costco . . .

The not-so-funny thing is, on a cooking forum that I frequent, people occasionally post "how can I make a chicken as good as a supermarket rotisserie chicken". Sad.