The Foolish Chicken: Where Rotisserie Is a Lost Art Revived
“Why did the chicken cross the road?” Guy Fieri asks at the top of this segment, before answering his own riddle: “I think I figured it out. This is the Foolish Chicken.”
And foolish you’d be to skip past this spot. Rick Boland and Natalie O’Coin weren’t foolish when they decided to check it out, and neither should you be. As one diner put it, “This chicken actually tastes the way I remember chicken tasting when I was a kid.”
The Heart of the Operation: A Henny Petty Rotisserie Deluxe
The entire restaurant is built around one piece of old-school equipment that Guy discovered hiding behind him: the Henny Petty Rotisserie Deluxe. “That is old school right there,” Guy noted when he spotted it. The chickens cook at 350 degrees for about an hour to an hour and ten minutes, self-basting as they rotate.
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But before those birds hit the rotisserie, they get rubbed down with a seriously layered spice mixture. The chicken rub includes brown sugar, paprika, salt, parsley, basil, oregano, thyme, onion powder, garlic powder, allspice, and cinnamon. “We’re all over the board here,” Guy observed. The rub gets finished with olive oil and Worcestershire sauce before coating the chickens.
The Homemade Barbecue Sauce
The chicken barbecue sauce is where things get interesting. It starts with ketchup and molasses, then builds with liquid smoke, soy sauce, honey, red wine vinegar, chopped garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. The whole thing gets cooked down before serving. When the rotisserie chicken comes off, it gets halved and thrown on the grill with that barbecue sauce for a couple minutes on either side.
Cornbread Made In-House
No rotisserie chicken plate is complete without sides, and here the cornbread holds its own. Made from scratch, it starts with eggs whisked with brown sugar, then canola oil, creamed corn, sour cream, and green chilies get folded in. The dry ingredients—cornmeal, baking powder, and salt—get folded into the wet mixture and baked for 20 minutes. Guy was particular about his piece: “I definitely like the end piece.”
His verdict? “Oh, that’s good.”
Guy’s Take on the Lost Art of Rotisserie
After tasting the finished plate—half chicken with that homemade barbecue sauce and fresh cornbread—Guy got reflective. “I really love rotisserie. It’s just the lost art of enjoying chicken. Self-basting as it cooks, super juicy, lightly seasoned. The barbecue sauce complements it really nicely. That’s real deal chicken.”
He summed it up simply: “You are in the business of chicken, and business is good.”
One diner with a half chicken and fries had similar praise: “Very juicy and flavorful. I love the crispiness of the skin. The sauce they use is just out of this world.”
Tips from the Foolish Chicken Kitchen
Layer your spices across flavor profiles: Sweet (brown sugar), earthy (paprika, oregano, thyme), and warm (cinnamon, allspice) all work together in the rub.
Finish rotisserie chicken on the grill: A quick char with sauce on both sides adds another dimension to already-cooked bird.
Add texture to cornbread: Creamed corn and green chilies give moisture and subtle heat that elevate basic cornmeal batter.
If you’re a fan of chicken done right, this one belongs on your list alongside other Triple D chicken standouts like Jerk Chicken with Collard Greens or a Chicken AND Biscuit Sandwich. Find more featured spots in our restaurant directory.