ISO help/advice roasting chicken

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jvella2002

Assistant Cook
Joined
Oct 21, 2013
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1
Location
rochester
we are making a roasting chicken
the roaster instructions said cover with alum.foil...is that with the roasting pan cover on or off?
and we added veg right in the roaster
how much cooking time does that add?
do I need to add liquid to the pan??
 
I roast with no covering. If you are going to add veg to the pan, I suggest you add some liquid or they may just dry up because the chicken takes longer to cook than the veg. You can cover the bird but you won't get a well browned finished product. If you want to cook chicken and veg together, I would add about an inch of water, wine, stock. Cook covered for about an hour, then take the top off and let the chicken brown for about 15 20 minutes. I may even take the chicken out and put it on a cookie sheet or another pan of some sort and return it to the over while you fish out your veggies. I would suspect that you will get a layer of fat from the chicken skin remaining in your pan. So, your veggies may need some draining...my .02
 
Good advice, Rock.

If your roaster comes with a lid, cover with that. If no lid, use the foil. One or the other, I don't think you need both.
 
Roasting pans generally don't have lids. Roasting is cooking uncovered with dry heat. A lid creates moist heat. You can do it that way but the chicken skin will be flabby and pale,

Roasting chicken chicken is easy. Stuff with onions, garlic,lemon and herbs. Coat with butter or oil. Liberal salt and pepper. Into the roasting pan on a rack or on top of a pile of veggies .

Roast at 375 uncovered -- no foil-- until the dark meat is 175 and the white meat is 160. Foil in the oven is only if the skin is burning. Use it if needed.

Pull it and rest it for 15 minutes before you cut into it. The meat's temp will go up while it's resting.
 
I never cover chicken when I'm roasting it (except masala chicken BBC - Food - Recipes : Whole roasted masala chicken and potatoes). I stuff the bird, then roast it on one side for 1/3 of the estimated time, turn it onto the other side for the next 1/3 of the estimated time, and then on it's back for the last 1/3 of the time. That way the juices don't run down into the back and make a soggy mess. They travel to the other side of the chicken and then back. And, since the heat in an oven comes from the top and bottom, it allows the dark meat to get more heat than the white meat. Very juicy chicken that way. The dark meat needs to be more cooked than the white meat.
 
Hi, jvella. :)

I know it's too late for your chicken dinner tonight, but this is a good topic. Nothing like roast chicken. One of my fave meals. :yum:

I never cover the roasting pan either, and roast the chicken at a higher heat - 400F - and on a rack in the roasting pan. I rinse and pat dry the chicken, season it with kosher salt and cracked pepper, smoosh a little butter under the skin, put it in the oven and don't even open the oven door for at least the first 45 minutes or so. I usually stuff the cavity with something first...garlic and lemon, or celery and onions, depending on what I have and what sounds good. Tie the legs closed. Golden crispy skin and tender meat almost every time. A 4 lb. chicken will take about an hour and a half, give or take a few.

I don't usually roast veggies for eating with the chicken, and prefer to do them on the side. Unless they're for flavoring. :) Then I usually toss them afterwards. :LOL:

The chicken should come out of the fridge a good half hour, at least, before roasting, and like others have said, let it rest at least 20 minutes after it comes out of the oven before cutting into it.
 
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I put some seasoned/herbed butter under the skin and then I start cooking the chicken breast side down on a rack or crumpled up foil at about 375, time depends on weight of chicken. About 30-45 minutes (smaller chicken shorter time/larger chicken longer time) into cooking, I flip it over. Never have a problem with dry breast meat and the breast never gets too brown to where it has to be tented, just a nice all over golden crispy brown skin.

Oh, I pull it out of fridge prior to cooking like Cheryl above.

I usually cook turkey like this too and just stick in some warm stuffing after I flip it.
 
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I'm in the partially-covered camp. Plenty of aromatic veg in the bottom of the roasting tin - carrots, leeks, celery, garlic, onions (skin on) - with some liquid added. The liquid is either stock or white wine. I cover the bird and roasting tin tightly in foil for the first hour, and then remove it for the remaining time (350, 20 mins per lb plus 20 mins).

The chicken ends up very moist, plus the veg can be pureed and added to the cooking juices for gravy.

For years I used to add butter under the skin and then roast the chicken uncovered, but cooking it as above gives me a more moist bird, excellent gravy, and (I hope) fewer calories.
 
I never cover roasted chicken. I usually use the "beer can" method. Or a rack.

Heavily seasoned inside and out, on the can/can holder (pictured below) and roast until the skin is crispy and the bird is done. About 1 hour for a 3 plus pound bird.
 

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