Can someone please help me make the perfect Roast Chicken

I cook a lot, but just started getting into making oven stuffer roasters. They make a lot, to use for leftovers, and are inexpensive to make when a good sale comes up. Can someone explain step by step how to make a juicy, excellent bird. Right now I just put on olive oil, onion salt, garlic powder and chicken seasonings, not sure how to make the whole chicken brown- do I add water to the bottom of the pan not to dry it out? HELP!

Re: Can someone please help me make the perfect Roast Chicken

I usually add some water to the pan as well as a quartered onion or too cause it helps make a great gravy, gives flavor and the water helps keep it moist. I like to put cloves of garlic and halved lemon, sprigs of Thyme, and black pepper in the cavity. I put EVOO on the outside and sprinkle with salt, pepper and granulated garlic!
now you got me in the mood for roast chicken!!!!

Re: Can someone please help me make the perfect Roast Chicken

There are a million ways to make a great chicken. My current favorite way (aside from brining) is to loosen the skin and rub a seasoned butter all over underneath the skin.

For the seasoned butter I just add finely chopped thyme and rosemary, little lemon zest, minced garlic, a little pinch of poultry seasoning, paprika and s & p to some softened butter. Mix until everything is incorporated and then rub under the chicken skin front and back. Sprinkle a little dry seasoning mix (s, p, garlic) over the chicken.

I truss my chicken usually - I find it cooks more evenly - but I know a lot of people do not do it. If you don't feel comfortable doing it - you can skip it. If you do want to try, Alton Brown has an excellent tutorial on youtube.

I take a large onion and slice it in half. One half gets quartered and pushed into the cavity. Do the same with an orange and a lemon. with the other half of the orange, lemon and onion make thick rounds and lay them in the bottom of a roasting pan. Put the chicken on top of the makeshift roasting rack and roast. About 20 minutes before it's done I sprinkle paprika over the chicken. I do not baste because I like crisp skin and I've found that basting can sometimes prevent the crisping.

The chicken will give off a ton of drippings because of the fat and the butter. I use 2-3 Tablespoons and pour it off into a cast iron pan. Add 2 tablespoons of flour and whisk to create a roux. Add chicken stock in half cup increments until you get the consistency you want. Correct seasonings as needed. If you use to much liquid.. just whisk in a little extra flour. :)

Message edited 6/23/2011 10:27:37 AM.

Re: Can someone please help me make the perfect Roast Chicken

Melt some butter, mix with some olive oil and spices. Soak a cheesecloth in it and put the cheesecloth over the whole bird. I also put a little seasoned chicken broth in the bottom of the pan and rub some of my butter/olive oil mixture under the skin before placing the cheesecloth. The only thing is the chesecloth sometimes sticks to the skin.

Message edited 6/23/2011 11:40:02 AM.

Re: Can someone please help me make the perfect Roast Chicken

I dry rub the whole chicken with a blend of seasonings and put some rosemary and thyme all over. Sprinkle with a little paprika and sage.

Water in the bottom of the pan and put on the middle rack at 400.

You an use a rack if you want to keep the bottom of the chicken from stewing. Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't.

Re: Can someone please help me make the perfect Roast Chicken

by far my favorite roast chicken is the barefoot contessa's lemon & garlic roast chicken:

Ingredients
1 (5 to 6-pound) roasting chicken
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large bunch fresh thyme
4 lemons
3 heads garlic, cut in 1/2 crosswise
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 pound sliced bacon
1 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers and pat the outside dry. Place the chicken in a large roasting pan. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the thyme, reserving enough thyme to garnish the chicken dish, 1 lemon, halved, and 2 halves of the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Cut 2 of the lemons in quarters and scatter the quarters and remaining garlic around the chicken. Lay the bacon slices over the chicken to cover.

Roast the chicken for 1 hour. Remove the bacon slices from the top of the chicken and set aside. Continue roasting the chicken for an additional 1/2 hour, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove to a platter and cover with aluminum foil while you prepare the gravy.

Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the bottom of the pan. Add the wine and chicken stock and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes, or until reduced by half.

Slice the chicken on a platter. Garnish the chicken platter with the bacon slices, roasted garlic, reserved thyme and 1 lemon, sliced. Serve with the gravy.

Re: Can someone please help me make the perfect Roast Chicken

The Pioneer Woman walks you through it STEP BY STEP with pictures for each step!

She helped me make my first roast chicken and it was SO easy - I make them all the time now!