cooking a chicken?

This is probably a silly question but how do you roast a chicken? I always buy them already cooked but I want to make my own. Thanks.

Re: cooking a chicken?

Crockpot

Re: cooking a chicken?

I put some EVOO on the bottom of a large roasting pan, I put thick cuts of carrots and celery on the bottom of the pan to create a rack. Then I stuff the inside of the chicken with big pieces of onions and lemon halves. I squeeze the juice of another lemon on top of the chicken and drizzle some EVOO on top. Then I season with parsley, salt, black pepper and slices of garlic. I put the chicken on top of the celery and carrots and then I cover the whole thing with foil. I put it in the oven on 350 for 3 hrs. It is very juicy and yummy!

cooking a chicken?

I use Ina Garten's recipe as my base and then vary based on what I have on hand.

Ingredients
1 (5 to 6 pound) roasting chicken
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large bunch fresh thyme, plus 20 sprigs
1 lemon, halved
1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted
1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced
4 carrots cut into 2-inch chunks
1 bulb of fennel, tops removed, and cut into wedges
Olive oil
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of lemon, and all 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. Place the onions, carrots, and fennel in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, 20 sprigs of thyme, and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top.

Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables.

Re: cooking a chicken?

If you want to take baby steps toward roasting a whole chicken, you can buy the perdue oven ready roasters. They come preseasoned in a roasting bag, and you just stick it in the oven (for 90 mins to 115 mins).

It's a good transitional step for those who are fearful of roasting a whole bird! LOL.

Re: cooking a chicken?

I just either do a mix of herb butter on the outside, which is butter, salt, pepper, thyme, garlic, and if I have rosemary or sage mixed together. Just rub that all over the outside of the bird. I liberally salt and pepper the inside stick a halved onion, a ton of garlic, and a cut lemon in it. I will also do olive oil instead of butter, my husband prefers the butter because it gets crispier, but I try to sneak one over every so often.

Message edited 12/18/2012 9:40:49 PM.

Re: cooking a chicken?

Thanks everyone. I'm going to try it this week.

cooking a chicken?

One more tip, invest in a meat thermometer if you don't have one. It's a big help to know for sure it's cooked through before you let it rest and all that!

Re: cooking a chicken?