Types of Chicken Question...

[mugsy27]

what is the difference between a whole chicken and a oven roaster chicken?

i am doing a roasted chicken dish tonight, and when i went to the store they had the 2 different kinds. the only difference i could see was that the roaster was 2X as much per lb.

i went with the whole rather than the roaster. should i approach cooking it differently??

[Piccolina]

If I'm not mistaken, there isn't much of a dif. The name "roasters" (sometimes called Poularde in French cookbooks) usually just refers to a specific size of chicken. A roaster usually weighs about 2-3 pounds. Where as a "whole chicken" is a more generic term which tends to imply a bird which has not been cut into pieces. I think that this term could range from a tiny squab to a big capon, so long as the bird was in one main piece

The price dif seems odd though, I'd ask the in-store butcher what the difference was just to be sure.

[luvs]

i think it is something w/ thier age, all chickens, i mean.

[Andy M.]

I believe an oven roaster is a larger whole chicken, maybe 4-7 pounds. A fryer is smaller, around 2.5 to 3.5 pounds. A whole chicken is a generic term for a chicken smaller than a roaster.

[mugsy27]

Originally Posted by Andy M.

I believe an oven roaster is a larger whole chicken, maybe 4-7 pounds. A fryer is smaller, around 2.5 to 3.5 pounds. A whole chickwereen is a generic term for a chicken smaller than a roaster.

the chicken i got (whole) was 5.5 lbs for $5. the roasters were 3-4 lbs for $11-12.???

[mugsy27]

btw...i crammed this thing full of orange, lemon and garlic wedges...in a roaster, basting with chicken broth for about 1 1/2 hr and its smellin real good!!!

[Andy M.]

Originally Posted by mugsy27

the chicken i got (whole) was 5.5 lbs for $5. the roasters were 3-4 lbs for $11-12.???

That's very interesting. According to the numbers you provide, the whole is around $0.90 a pound while the roasters were more like $3.00 a pound. That's a huge difference unless the $3.00 chickens were organic or free range.

If the chickens were different brands, such as Perdue or Bell and Evans or a store brand, the name differences may just be brand preferences.

I'm used to roasters being the largest chickens in the dislplay case.

[Goodweed of the North]

Roasters are indeed large, but young chickens, that are raised for meat. Cronish Crosses are a breed that produces good roasting chickens. They are fairly tender due to their youth, lack of exercise, and diet, and are fairly juicy. They are bred for roasting. A fryer is a smaller chicken that will cook through when it is seperated and fried. That is, by the time the coating is done, when cooked in oil heated to approximately 36'F., the meat will be fully cooked. If you were to try and fry a roaster, by the time the inner meat was cooked, the outer skin, coating, or breading would be overcooked.

A whole chicken can refer to both an uncut chicken, or a complete cut up chicken, with all of the parts in the package. It is usually a fryer.

Stewing chickens are those that are old and tough, and need a moist heat cooking method to make them tender. They are usually cheaper than the other chicken types. And Capons are usually the most costly. These are castrated chickens. The castration allows more of the food consumed to be transformed into meat rather than energy worked off by strutting, fights, and all of the puffed up arrogance of a regular rooster.

hope this cears things up a bit.

Seeeeya; Goodweed of the North

[Gretchen]

I get the largest fryer I can get--usually about 4+# for roasting. No problems.

[Guts]

Stewing chickens are what you want to use for chicken and dumplings. But can't seem to find them any where.

goodweed
I could not have said it better.