How do I roast a chicken?

[Scarlet]

I know this might sound like a stupied question but how do I roast a chicken?

[Drutt]

http://www.deliaonline.com/cookeryschool/howto/how_0000000037.asp

[squidge]

Use a dish thats not massively too big for the chicken but big enough to keep the juices in it

Heat the oven to 190 degrees C and bung the chicken in, uncovered, cook for about an hour and a half and then check it by sticking a fork in the fat bit of the leg and seeing if the juices that run out are clear or pink . If pink put it back in for twenty minutes and then do it again until the juices are clear.

Once they are, take the chicken out and put it on a plate to keep warm then make your gravy with the juices that have run off the chicken

Bingo

All timings are accurate and based on a medium sized chicken :D

[laguna2]

.. or you could wrap the chicken in foil and cook at 190 degrees for 25 minutes per pound (0.45 kg) plus 25 minutes - so a 3lb chicken would take 100 minutes. As squidge said though, check that it is cooked with a fork ....

... or you could always buy a ready roasted one.

I love roast chicken. :D

[squidge]

you dont get crispy skin if you wrap it in foil though and thats a good bit

[doreenhedgehog]

I found some info here - http://www.mediauk.com/article/3502

You might want to warn the chicken about it though :eek:

[2little2late]

I know this might sound like a stupied question but how do I roast a chicken?

Are you female by any chance?

[hereboy]

Here is how I would do it...

Sit it down in a chair and make sure you have its undivided attention, explain to it what it did wrong, explain why it was wrong and get commitment from it that it won't do it again... you may have to use strong language to have the desired impact if the chicken seems a bit nonchalant, here is where the real "roasting" comes in...

It doesn't really matter whether you do it for 20 minutes a pound or longer, you'll know when the chicken is truly roasted as it will have a blushed complexion and appear sheepish.

I thank you....

[janette]

Make sure that it is plucked and gutted before you start or else there will be a strange smell coming from the oven.

Seriously: make sure you cut of the 'parsons nose'

[Don Quixote]

you dont get crispy skin if you wrap it in foil though and thats a good bit

You do if you open the foil for the last 20 - 30 minutes in the oven!

[lassieinfife]

I hope you all remembered to remove the giblet bag and rinse chicken under cold running water before placing in oven????????????????
then give sink and hands a good scrubbing :p

[The Kid]

Never wash the chicken as you are likely to contaminate the area around you from splashes etc from salmonella.

[fluffybuffy]

Never wash the chicken as you are likely to contaminate the area around you from splashes etc from salmonella.

Of course you have to wash the chicken!! Once you have washed and dried it off and put it in its cooking dish wash your hands, sink and surrounding areas properly with soapy water - its not rocket science!!

[Malcolmdog]

Have you tried roasting it in the Barbeque? It turns out really tasty.

The method of cooking seems bizarre, but it really does turn out well.

Ingredients: 1 can of beer ( drink 1/2 leave the remainder in the can) and the chicken.

Insert the 1/2 full can of beer into the bottom cavity of the chicken. Place the upright chicken ( the beer can stabilizies it on the grate) on the barbeque and let it cook - about 1-2 hours depending on the size of the chicken. The beer evaporates into the chicken as it cooks, seasoning the meat and making it moist and tasty.

this is called the "dancing chicken" or "beer butt chicken" and is quite popular in Toronto at the moment.

Enjoy Malcolmdog

[squidge]

Never wash the chicken as you are likely to contaminate the area around you from splashes etc from salmonella.

Of course you have to wash the chicken!! Once you have washed and dried it off and put it in its cooking dish wash your hands, sink and surrounding areas properly with soapy water - its not rocket science!!

You dont need to wash it!!! You wouldnt wash a pork chop! You can wipe it out with kitchen paper if you must and remove maybe little extra bits of fat that lurk inside the cavity but thats all you need to do. . And wash your hands thoroughly after as you would any raw meat

[lassieinfife]

Never wash the chicken as you are likely to contaminate the area around you from splashes etc from salmonella.

Of course you have to wash the chicken!! Once you have washed and dried it off and put it in its cooking dish wash your hands, sink and surrounding areas properly with soapy water - its not rocket science!!

You dont need to wash it!!! You wouldnt wash a pork chop! You can wipe it out with kitchen paper if you must and remove maybe little extra bits of fat that lurk inside the cavity but thats all you need to do. . And wash your hands thoroughly after as you would any raw meat


[disgust] :p thankfully i will never eat in your kitchen .......... chicken should always be rinsed out there is a lot of old blood inside cavity when you defrost frozen chicken......and some left inside fresh ........... i work as a cook and was taught at collage ALWAYS rinse chicken out. surprised you not had food poisoning :(

[buggyracer]

Not so its in the press today that by washing the chicken you risk spreading bugs etc, as they are washed and then packed in the factory there is no need aparantely.

[squidge]

[disgust] :p thankfully i will never eat in your kitchen .......... chicken should always be rinsed out there is a lot of old blood inside cavity when you defrost frozen chicken......and some left inside fresh ........... i work as a cook and was taught at collage ALWAYS rinse chicken out. surprised you not had food poisoning :(

How do you know - you dont know who i am and you might very well have eaten in my kitchen at some point!!!! Maybe things change lassieinfife but i have never ever ever given or had food poisoning, my kitchen is scrupulously clean and my food is always good. I maintain there is no need to wash a chicken. Not cooking properly is far more likely to amke you ill than not washing your chicken!!!

[The Kid]

I'm only saying what the Food Standards Agency are saying after all they are the experts in this field!!!! Anyway you can do what you want if you want to give yourself food poisoning it's entirely up to your self, but I would want it !!!! :roll:

[Drutt]

Squidge and The Kid are right - chicken should not be washed, according to the Food Standards Agency. See the second question answered here (http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/asksam/keepingfoodsafe/asksamstoringpreparing/).

[katarina]

I don't wah my chicken unless they've been frozen and then only to make sure they're properly thawed. surely proper cooking kills any germs anyway?

[fluffybuffy]

I always buy my chicken from the butchers and always wash it before preparing it for cooking. Not to wash is just plain weird in my opinion. And actually I do rinse off pork chops and dry with kitchen paper before I cook.

So are we believing every piece of research that is published these days? e.g. showering everyday may give you a brain haemorrhage; cooking potatoes in hot oil will give you cancer, etc, etc

If I honestly thought that I was eating in a restaurant that didn't rinse the food before cooking I'd make damn sure I didn't eat there again and I'd tell everyone else that I knew to do the same.

What is the world coming to??

[lassieinfife]

Squidge and The Kid are right - chicken should not be washed, according to the Food Standards Agency. See the second question answered here (http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/asksam/keepingfoodsafe/asksamstoringpreparing/).



I dont care what any govt department says . i did a spell in chicken packing factory and there are enough disgruntled workers who do lots of awful things when packing chickens ...... think about that the next time tou dont rinse a chicken before cooking it :lol:

[Naefearjustbeer]

Ahh its good to see that folk can argue about absolutely everything, In my case the chicken only gets washed if it has been frozen, We normally only buy chicken breasts and usually cook them the same day with no washing required. If we buy a lot and freeze some they get a quick rinse before use as they seem to be slimey? The chicken and the tin of beer sounds very tasty though might try that one sometime soon.

My goodness we always buy our meat fresh from our local butchers and are very happy with them. I do hope they are not doing things to the chickens before they sell them?? The imagination runs wild as to what the workers could be doing :evil :evil . I have heard of some interesting stories about supermarket staff and some of the things they have done, best not to mention names or events (this is a family site) but I would wash everything that comes out of a supermarket unless it is sealed in a tin.

As for eating out I think its better not to see what goes on in the kitchens or you would never eat out again.

A little dirt never hurt anyone and maybe the reason that people fall down with food poisoning is because everything is so clean, so the first germ they meet gets them running for the toilet with the trots.

[DrSzin]

What's a butchers' shop? :confused

Seriously, I can't remember the last time I was in a butchers' shop, and I don't think I've ever been in the one nearest to home...

Actually, I can't even remember the last time I was in a supermarket -- it must have been several weeks ago. Our weekly food shop these days usually consists of a visit to the ASDA website, followed some time later by a knock at the door from a man with a whole host of half-filled plastic bags, one of which usually contains a chicken. I must be jjc's worst nightmare when it comes to food shopping. :eek:

Oh, and I don't usually wash chickens either. I'm sure I do it sometimes, but certainly not on a regular basis. As Naefearjustbeer says, folk can argue about absolutely everything on here. And why not...

After reading some of the posts above, I'm not sure whether I'll wash the next chicken or not. Hereboy, do supermarkets stuff chickens with those artificially-coloured vMeme thingies or is it just the Wick rumour mill in action again?

[MadPict]

Wash yer chicken?
Seems like some folk are watching Big Brother where that numpty "Science" spends half his time washing his food!!!!
Ahem, so I am reliably informed....;)

[hereboy]

I'd be more concerned with whats on the inside of the chicken rather than the outside....

"you might not realise that 5 to 15 percent of the product weight is actually added water mixed with salt, phosphates, antioxidants and flavorings that have been injected into cuts of meat and poultry to make them moister and more tender and to help them stay fresh longer on the shelves."

This includes animal proteins from beef! yes Beef in a chicken - sounds like an old Knorr advert (away to Inverness to a hen night)...

DrSzin, I'd be more more worried about the vMemes that some Bakers have rather than Butchers... what some Bakers "inject" into their wares would put you off pies and such for life... ;)

[squidge]

somehow this lovely roast chicken doesnt look remotely appetising tonight :~(

[hereboy]

squidge don't worry -

have some baked goods and some water from a plastic bottle afterwards - it'll take your mind off whats in the chicken.... ;)

Bon Appetite!

[Margaret M.]

So one should not wash a chicken before cooking, not because it doesn't need to be washed but because the splashing contaminates the surrounding areas, yuck. Sure am glad I gave up eating dead carcases.