Moist Chicken - Help

[Tonks]

Does anyone know any secrets to really bring out the moisture in chicken and other fowls? I just HATE dry chicken, turkey, duck etc.

 

[TATTRAT]

Welcome!

Best way to bring out the inherent natural juices in bird, is don't overcook it. A Simple herb rubbed, well salted/seasoned bird can be a real think of beauty.

There are plenty of marinades, brines, and techniques to help render a tasty, juicy bird, but it still boils down to don't overcook it. Pull the bird at 160 degrees, and just like steaks and what not, let it rest before you carve into it. Cary over cooking will bump up the internal 165 you want, and just(again) let it rest.

just my $.02

I am sure folks will chime in, lots to be learned here. Welcome to DC.

 

[Margi Cintrano]

@ Tonks,

Welcome Aboard ...

I am in agreement with Tattrat and I have never had a dry roast chicken or turkey ...

Here are other suggestions that work for me;

to cover the roasting bird with aluminum foil for the 1st stage of roasting to provide a moist environment to roast the interior of the bird, and then, to golden brown the exterior skin, with a higher heat at the 2nd stage with the traditional basting process ...

Also, basting the bird in its pan juices is another method employed.

Kind regards and good luck with your roasted chicken ...

Margi Cintrano.

 

[Tonks]

Thank you both of you. I will turn to you guys when I'm next cooking bird.

 

[CraigC]

Brining is another method to insure moist birds. I even brine pieces for the grill. This method also works with lean pork cuts on the grill. Yum, beer brined pork chops.

 

[Gravy Queen]

Have you ever tried roasting bags? It works most definitely. Over here, I can either get roasting bags or a roll of wrap - cellophane type stuff which you twist at the ends and it seals the bird in a nice juicy bag. It still browns but it stays wonderfully moist.

 

[Andy M.]

Three things that will do the trick.

1. Don't overcook. Overcooking is why poultry is dry. Especially white meat, which is the leanest.

2. Brining will add flavor and moisture to the poultry. It also gives you some leeway if you overcook.

3. Buy a digital instant read thermometer so you know when it's done.

 

[Bolas De Fraile]

Have you ever tried roasting bags? It works most definitely. Over here, I can either get roasting bags or a roll of wrap - cellophane type stuff which you twist at the ends and it seals the bird in a nice juicy bag. It still browns but it stays wonderfully moist.

I use the wrap for other thing Quintuplets, would you believe toaster bags are not common in the US.

 

[CraigC]

Have you ever tried roasting bags? It works most definitely. Over here, I can either get roasting bags or a roll of wrap - cellophane type stuff which you twist at the ends and it seals the bird in a nice juicy bag. It still browns but it stays wonderfully moist.

I thought I had already made a post asking how you get the skin crisp. Must be losing my mind!

My brother used a "Brown in Bag" for a turkey one year. He followed the directions to the letter (Ex-Naval Flight Instructor) and ended up with a totally collapsed bird. LOL

 

[jennyema]

Three things that will do the trick.

1. Don't overcook. Overcooking is why poultry is dry. Especially white meat, which is the leanest.

2. Brining will add flavor and moisture to the poultry. It also gives you some leeway if you overcook.

3. Buy a digital instant read thermometer so you know when it's done.

I agree on all counts.

And will add that the quality of the poultry matters, too. I'll never buy Perdue or store brand again.

We brined and grilled a Bell and Evans chicken last night and it was SODALICIOUS!!

 

[Addie]

I agree on all counts.

And will add that the quality of the poultry matters, too. I'll never buy Perdue or store brand again.

We brined and grilled a Bell and Evans chicken last night and it was SODALICIOUS!!

I don't like white chicken meat. but I once bought a Bell & Evans, and it was worth every extra cent. Perdue is so overprocessed.

 

[Caslon]

For cooking individual pieces like drumsticks, I very lightly fry the pieces in a cast iron skillet (very little oil) while the oven is preheating to about 325F. It's just a light frying to bring out the taste of the seasonings I sprinkle on, and also to sear the skin a little (without making it crispy). This seems to help retain the moisture while the chicken bakes in the skillet placed in the oven.

 

[PolishedTopaz]

CI did a up-side-down bird. First brined, then started the roast with the backbone up {or upside down} then flipped over to finish and to brown the skin. With this method the fattier dark meat self-bastes the white meat. I agree however with all the other posters, regardless of the method, not over cooking and using a meat thermometer is essential.

 

[Caslon]

Yes, a lot of recipes have you baking the chicken at 375F - 400F or something which I think is too high. Just cook it longer at 325F to 350F temp to reach the ideal and safe interior temps. These slightly lower temps work ideal if you first get the cooking process started by searing the chicken in a skillet for a short time. IMO

 

[taxlady]

CI did a up-side-down bird. First brined, then started the roast with the backbone up {or upside down} then flipped over to finish and to brown the skin. With this method the fattier dark meat self-bastes the white meat. I agree however with all the other posters, regardless of the method, not over cooking and using a meat thermometer is essential.

I use instructions from Joy of Cooking 1997 edition:
25 minutes for the first 4 pounds of bird + 3 minutes for each additional pound of bird on one side. Then flip it to the other side and roast for the same amount of time. Then flip it on its back for 15 - 30 minutes. All of that in a 400 F oven.

Juicy white meat, sufficiently cooked dark meat, and the back isn't soggy with all the good juices. The skin comes out crispy too. I've even done this with turkey (at my MIL's place) and it worked well.

The flipping on the side points the legs at the top and bottom of the oven, which is where the heat comes from, so the dark meat gets a chance to cook a bit more than the white meat.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

I use instructions from Joy of Cooking 1997 edition:
25 minutes for the first 4 pounds of bird + 3 minutes for each additional pound of bird on one side. Then flip it to the other side and roast for the same amount of time. Then flip it on its back for 15 - 30 minutes. All of that in a 400 F oven.

Juicy white meat, sufficiently cooked dark meat, and the back isn't soggy with all the good juices. The skin comes out crispy too. I've even done this with turkey (at my MIL's place) and it worked well.

The flipping on the side points the legs at the top and bottom of the oven, which is where the heat comes from, so the dark meat gets a chance to cook a bit more than the white meat.

They (Rombauer & Becker) have some great advice in Joy of Cooking! It was my principal reference 20 years before the Internet, and I still find their advice useful and informative in the present day.

 

[taxlady]

They (Rombauer & Becker) have some great advice in Joy of Cooking! It was my principal reference 20 years before the Internet, and I still find their advice useful and informative in the present day.

I'm not sure it was advice from Rombauer & Becker. That particular edition of Joy of Cooking was turned over to professional chefs and is not one I would recommend. They were trying to "improve" it.

Apparently, there was so much complaint and uproar about it that there is now a newer one that is more true to the original authors.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

Thanks TL for telling me the info. I'm pretty sure I bought my current Joy of Cooking perhaps sometime in the '80s, after my original paperback perhaps from the early '70s. I never knew they horsed it up later after I bought my reference copy in the '80s. Mine is in like new condition (unlike my first copy) and one thing for sure, they'll have to personally visit me to mess up my own copy.

 

[taxlady]

Thanks TL for telling me the info. I'm pretty sure I bought my current Joy of Cooking perhaps sometime in the '80s, after my original paperback perhaps from the early '70s. I never knew they horsed it up later after I bought my reference copy in the '80s. Mine is in like new condition (unlike my first copy) and one thing for sure, they'll have to personally visit me to mess up my own copy.

The recipe for rotated roast chicken is the only thing I like about the 1997 edition. I much prefer the previous, 1975 edition.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

That's probably what I have, the '75 edition. I updated mine around the time I bought my first house. My cookbooks are in storage at present time so I can't look and tell for sure.

They should have known to not mess with Rombauer and Becker.