COOKED: Nationwide, you can choose from two brands of roasted whole chickens. But your local supermarkets most likely serve up their own versions.

Boston Market Whole Rotisserie Chicken: $7.50 (about $2.50 a pound). The ruler of the roost. Boston Market "double marinates" its birds and roasts them so they baste themselves on the rotisserie. The result is consistently moist, perfectly salted meat.

Tyson's Fully Cooked, Microwaveable Roasted Whole Chicken: $7.50 (about $5 a pound). You'll find it refrigerated with the uncooked chickens. About 8 minutes in the microwave or 35 to 40 minutes in the oven heats it up. The biggest plus: This tender, slow-roasted bird can be kept (unopened) in the freezer for three months.

UNCOOKED: If you insist on roasting it yourself...

Eberly's Free-Range Organic: $2.50 a pound. Has the purest chicken flavor, with especially moist breast meat. Eberly's chemical- and cruelty-free principles of organic farming are major pluses.

Bell & Evans Natural: $1.70 a pound. More reasonably priced than organic chicken, though its flavor is similar. Testers thought the Bell & Evans Natural chicken tasted slightly gamier than Eberly's Organic.

Empire Kosher: $2.40 a pound. Kosher chicken was markedly saltier than the others. Initially, it's a pleasant taste, but after eating an entire portion, it becomes more about the salt than the natural chicken flavor.

Perdue: $1.50 a pound. When we cooked Perdue's breast meat, the color was more white than the desired cream, and it lacked flavor.