Roast chicken may be the most quintessential piece of home cooking that we know. That savory roasting smell, the ease of slipping a bird into the oven, the juicy meat and warm bread and vegetables that invariably go along with it - it's comfort food at its finest for those of us who are non-vegetarians. Have you ever roasted a chicken?
Here are some of our best tips, how-tos, and ideas on roasting chickens. Blow-dryers, brining, and bread salad below.
Roasting a Chicken
• Roasting a chicken for the first time? Check out this step-by-step with photos: How To: Roast a Chicken, Zuni-Style
• Here's a gorgeous example of a finished roast chicken with the classic bread salad from Zuni: Look! Roast Chicken and Zuni Bread Salad
• For those of you who like lemon with your chicken: Lemon Roasted Chicken: Lemon Inside or Out?
• Is a whole chicken too much? Try starting with just chicken breasts. This is a great recipe: Recipe: Roasted Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Fresh Garlic
• A whole book about roast chicken (and other stories)... Book Review: Roast Chicken and Other Stories
• Want crispier skin? Try blow-drying your chicken first. Really!
Prep, Cleanup, and Leftovers
• Use up your leftovers and chicken carcass by making chicken stock. Easy!
• How To Brine Meat - Good for chickens too.
• Another use for leftovers: Dill and Yogurt Chicken Salad
• Do you rinse your chicken? Get the scoop on the health factors here.
• And only for the hardcore urban agriculturist: Raising chickens in New York City
Have you roasted a chicken yet this month? It's still pretty hot out, but we are anticipating the arrival of roast chicken weather very, very soon...
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I roasted a chicken on Labour day. It turned out great, but I have a secret. We used our 'Beer Can Chicken' method for the BBQ in our oven instead. I filled a soup can with chicken stock, lemon juice and threw in some fresh thyme sprigs.
Seasoned the outside of the chicken and gave it a nice olive oil massage then threw it in the oven at 400 degrees and forgot about it for an hour.
It came out crispy all over (thanks to the fact that it was standing up) and moist and tender inside.
I highly recommend using a 'beer can' chicken roaster. I don't use beer very often, as you can substitute the liquid with whatever you like. It turns out fantastic every single time.
view revolution9's profile
While I agree that one chicken is enough for two people, I often will roast two birds at the same time. This gives me delicious leftovers for salads, sandwiches, etc, while being energy-efficient.
view jgphotomom's profile
I've run across the problem of it taking forever to cook when I've roasted to chickens at once. Is this my own weird problem or have others encountered this?
view s and the r's profile
I don't think it affects the cooking time as long as you have a large enough roasting pan. If you've squished them into a small pan, it would probably take longer, and not be as crispy.
view revolution9's profile
Christopher Walken has a great instructional video for roasting chicken.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43VjLCRqKNk
view Citizen Gain's profile
I second revolution9's recommendation for a beer can roaster! Its perfect and crispy every time.
http://www.beercanchickenroaster.com/
view LaurieLu's profile