WASHINGTON — Rotisserie chickens are a ready-made, hot, convenient, and reasonably priced option for a chicken dinner choice for many Americans. And through a recently introduced, bipartisan bill in Washington, they could soon become allowed to be purchased through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
This bicameral initiative in the U.S. Senate is led by Sens. John Fetterman (D-Pa.); Jim Justice (R-W.Va.); Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.); and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.).
“America’s best (and delicious) affordability play is Costco’s $4.99 rotisserie chicken,” Sen. Fetterman said in a statement. “It’s one of my family’s favorites and I’m proud to join this bill with Senator Justice for all to try. SNAP funds would be well spent to feed our nation’s families who need it.”
“Allowing folks on SNAP to buy rotisserie chickens is truly just commonsense,” Sen. Justice added. “It’s as basic as you can get to help busy parents or grandparents put something as simple as this on the table to feed their families. We have to give people the option to put a healthy protein-dense choice on the table that actually tastes good and doesn’t take an hour and a half to cook.”
Oddly enough, current statutes do not allow SNAP benefits to be used for hot, prepared foods, but cooked rotisserie chicken that has been cooled can be purchased with the benefits. This newly introduced act works to amend to Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 and modifies food definitions to now include “hot rotisserie chicken.”
The senators added that this new bill doesn’t increase SNAP funding or participant eligibility, and it also doesn’t include the allowance of all hot foods to be purchased with the benefits.
“Congress should be making it easier, not harder, for families to put food on the table,” Sen. Bennet said.
“Allowing SNAP recipients to purchase hot rotisserie chicken is a simple, practical step to make the program work better for the people it serves,” Sen. Capito noted. “For seniors, working families and those without reliable access to cooking equipment, this is about convenience and dignity. With multiple states … already requesting flexibility in this area, this bill brings SNAP in line with real-world needs while making smart, efficient use of taxpayer dollars.”
Industry groups like the National Chicken Council also give their support for this legislation.
“The Hot Rotisserie Chicken Act is a commonsense solution to an unnecessary problem,” Harrison Kircher, NCC president, said. “Right now, a SNAP family can buy a cold rotisserie chicken — but the moment it’s hot, it’s off limits. There is no nutritional difference, only an outdated technicality that forces grocery stores to heat the product and cool them back down just to comply, wasting energy, and adding cost.”
“Rotisserie chicken — a real food — is one of the most affordable and complete proteins in the grocery store. At around $7, it can feed an entire family. For the 42 million Americans on SNAP, that matters enormously,” Kircher added. “The National Chicken Council is proud to support it, and we urge Congress to pass it without delay.”
A similar bill — H.R. 8403, the Healthy Obtainable Tasty (HOT) Rotisserie Chicken Act — was also introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford (R-Ark.), along with 17 other representatives.
“It is just plain common sense to allow SNAP participants to purchase a rotisserie chicken with their benefits,” Rep. Crawford said. “Hot rotisserie chicken is healthy, widely available, popular in grocery stores, and aligned with the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans.”
