The baked chicken farce
- Thread starter georgevan
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If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Are you using a thermometer in the chicken? You can't go by time when cooking a bird, you have to go by temperature. Get a cheap wired probe thermometer, and use it.
Digital Wired Probe Thermometer
This digital cooking thermometer with timer and probe is a great tool for your kitchen. The thermometer displays temperature in Fahrenheit (32 degrees F to 392 degrees F) and Celsius (0 degrees C to 200 degrees C) and conveniently monitors exact temperature of meat, poultry, or any food without...
www.taylorusa.com
CD
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
Can you post a link to the recipe you're using?
Spatchcock the chicken. I've also cooked turkeys that way. Haven't had a fail yet, even with the breast meat.
www.seriouseats.com
I've even roasted the chicken over stuffing instead of the rack so the juices drip down. I've also done turkey that way, but it's a little trickier since turkey takes longer to cook. You have to transfer the turkey from the rack to the dressing pan about 45 minutes before it's done. Otherwise, the stuffing will burn where it's uncovered.
Spatchcocked (Butterflied) Roast Chicken
Spatchcocking (a.k.a. butterflying) a chicken before roasting helps it to cook quickly and evenly, with the crispiest skin around. Here's how.
I've even roasted the chicken over stuffing instead of the rack so the juices drip down. I've also done turkey that way, but it's a little trickier since turkey takes longer to cook. You have to transfer the turkey from the rack to the dressing pan about 45 minutes before it's done. Otherwise, the stuffing will burn where it's uncovered.
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
There are culprits that lurk making chicken dry. People have been indoctrinated all their lives to make sure chicken is cooked to a safe temperature to ensure all harmful bacteria are dead. This concern about food safety has caused many cooks to cook chicken a little longer than necessary "just to be on the safe side"-a major cause of dry chicken (and my biggest food pet peeve).
Also, NEVER cook to the recipe time. Cook to the desired result. You'll see recipes state: ". . . cook for 25-30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165ºF." Your decision maker is the TEMPERATURE not the time. IF your chicken is a little smaller, or your oven is a little hotter than the recipe writer's, cooking to time will result in dry/overcooked chicken.
Keep carry-over cooking in mind when you make doneness decisions. Foods cook from the outside in towards the center. The outside of the chicken will be closer to oven temperature and that heat transfers inwards towards the center of the meat to reach an equilibrium. That heat transfer continues after you take the food out of the oven. This is why resting your meat is key. So if you remove a baked chicken from the oven when the internal temp is around 155ºF-160ºF, carry-over cooking will finish the job.
Also, NEVER cook to the recipe time. Cook to the desired result. You'll see recipes state: ". . . cook for 25-30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165ºF." Your decision maker is the TEMPERATURE not the time. IF your chicken is a little smaller, or your oven is a little hotter than the recipe writer's, cooking to time will result in dry/overcooked chicken.
Keep carry-over cooking in mind when you make doneness decisions. Foods cook from the outside in towards the center. The outside of the chicken will be closer to oven temperature and that heat transfers inwards towards the center of the meat to reach an equilibrium. That heat transfer continues after you take the food out of the oven. This is why resting your meat is key. So if you remove a baked chicken from the oven when the internal temp is around 155ºF-160ºF, carry-over cooking will finish the job.
Thanks
" It has happened too many times. "
well, listen to your inner cook.
do you need any clarification about how 'bad' internet recipes can be?
I bake whole chicken at 275'F / 135'C - that gently cooks the chicken carcass.
use a thermometer - yes, it takes longer than doing it at 450'F / 230'C - on the other hand, it takes less time to chew the chicken . . .
for pretty . . . bake the chicken until the internal deepest part reaches the 'desired' temp - for white meat that's in the 160'F / 71'C range - allowing for some carry over - then change the oven to broil (top broil - if that's an option...)
dark meat "internet temps" are 165'F / 74'C
frankly . . . dark meat lovers will not object to a 'white meat pull' at 160'F - white meat lovers will object to it being 'over cooked / too dry'
stand and watch - the broil elements will take 2-5 minutes to 'glowing red' - walking away to post online comments will result in a totally burnt black crispy - too crispy - chicken. watch - observe the 'make pretty browning' - remove when done.
life, and cooking, is a learning experience - so pay attention and absorb/learn/adapt what you _personally_ observe - don't take the internet as 'gospel' - almost without exception, none of them are actually "experts"
well, listen to your inner cook.
do you need any clarification about how 'bad' internet recipes can be?
I bake whole chicken at 275'F / 135'C - that gently cooks the chicken carcass.
use a thermometer - yes, it takes longer than doing it at 450'F / 230'C - on the other hand, it takes less time to chew the chicken . . .
for pretty . . . bake the chicken until the internal deepest part reaches the 'desired' temp - for white meat that's in the 160'F / 71'C range - allowing for some carry over - then change the oven to broil (top broil - if that's an option...)
dark meat "internet temps" are 165'F / 74'C
frankly . . . dark meat lovers will not object to a 'white meat pull' at 160'F - white meat lovers will object to it being 'over cooked / too dry'
stand and watch - the broil elements will take 2-5 minutes to 'glowing red' - walking away to post online comments will result in a totally burnt black crispy - too crispy - chicken. watch - observe the 'make pretty browning' - remove when done.
life, and cooking, is a learning experience - so pay attention and absorb/learn/adapt what you _personally_ observe - don't take the internet as 'gospel' - almost without exception, none of them are actually "experts"
I have never cooked a chicken at 450F. Does anyone do that?
My favorite way to cook a whole chicken is on a rotisserie. I have a kit for my Webber Kettle. The temp runs around 300F to 350F, and takes somewhere around hour-ish. I start checking the internal temp when the skin is looking a light golden brown.
Like your method, the longer, lower cook gets the whole thing done, without overcooking the breast.
Also, whether oven baking, roasting or rotisserie cooking, I stuff the cavity of the bird with "wet" items. I like quartered onions and lemon wedges. They kind of baste the bird from the inside, out.
CD
Oh! Another tip for getting a moist bird is brining it before you cook it. I do a wet brine sometimes, with k-salt and sugar in a big container of water. A few hours minimum, or overnight if you want. After brining, dry the bird well, and park it in the fridge naked to let the skin dry some more. Dry skin will brown and crisp better than soggy skin.
I'm surprised nobody mentioned that before now. I'm guessing a lot of you brine poultry.
CD
I'm surprised nobody mentioned that before now. I'm guessing a lot of you brine poultry.
CD
"mining chickens" bahahahaSpeaking of skin, auto-correct is really getting under mine today. I had to go back and change my last post from "mining" my chickens to "brining" them.
CD
My famous Grilled Spatchcocked Chicken - all slathered up and on the grill ready to go...
Beautiful charred spatchcocked chicken, burnt to a literal crisp and ready to be chucked. Even the foil melted under it.
Beautiful charred spatchcocked chicken, burnt to a literal crisp and ready to be chucked. Even the foil melted under it.
GotGarlic
Chef Extraordinaire
Apparently lots of TikTok content creators are teaching people to do that. It works about as well as you would expect. They're also teaching people to cook chicken from frozen. I don't think that's a very good idea, either. Too many people want a super easy way to make gourmet meals and modern social media makes them think it's possible.
I agree you GG. They want a quick and fast instant success. Although it may work for a few, chances are those few are probably experienced cooks and know what to look for along the way to avoid disaster. Or are incredibly lucky creatures who still just might just be sending everyone home with a tummy ache.
Same with my ovenIt depends on your oven too. My oven has a habit of burning everything at the bottom but I can never get a crispy top! Roasting a perfect chicken is definitely much harder than it seems. It's so much easier to roast chicken pieces.
jennyema
Chef Extraordinaire
I DO!!
It’s my favorite way to roast chicken. Super moist.
I DO!
It’s my favorite way to roast whole chicken. Super moist!
It was all the thing back when Barbara Kafka’s “Roasting” cookbook came out.
Here’s the tried and true recipe from that amazing cookbook. Make sure to line your roasting pan with sliced potatoes.
jennyema
Chef Extraordinaire
If they teach them how to do it right it will come out fabulously.
This was a popular technique in the 1990’s. It’s very legit.
Lean proteins need higher heat. Low and slow allows them to dry out.
Never cook a frozen chicken unless you are just tossing it into an Instant Pot and cooking the heck out of it
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GotGarlic
Chef Extraordinaire
On which rack are you roasting your chicken? If you can move it up to a higher rack, the top will cook for more quickly from the heat that radiates down from the top of the oven.
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