tips for cooking a chicken
We are moving in a month so I'm starting to try to use up a lot of the food in our freezer. I forgot I had 2 whole chickens in there. I have one thawed out for supper tomorrow night. I've never cooked a chicken before so I'm looking for some tips.
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I tend to put a bunch of veggies (carrots, onion, celery) in the bottom of my roasting pan, on which my chicken can rest.
For flipping a whole roasting chicken, I use a meat fork with the assistance of a pair of large tongs.
And keep in mind that not getting it right (e.g. it's not pretty or the skin isn't crispy enough) can often yield food that is still edible by the household, if not by guests.
Last, wherever you start, there are - as QueenSashy says - all kinds of disputes & variations to play with (splayed and weighted down, on a beer can, brined or not, with dry rub or bbq sauce, etc).
Also, depending on how you bought them, check the insides of your chickens in case the store left in some innards (gizzard, etc) also useful for soup.
Dont make the mistake I made in my first student apt (my mother had done all the shopping and cooking when I was growing up) and roast the chicken with the bag of parts still inside it.
Start with this simple, delicious recipe from Michael Ruhlman, in Ruhlmans Twenty, 2011.
Seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/09/perfect-roasted-chicken-recipe.html