chefdave
Roasting Chicken
May 26, 2011
Yes, it's easy to pick up a rotisserie chicken at the store if you are short on time but you can roast a whole chicken at home if you have time and save yourself some money. It will also be more moist and fresher than store-bought.
The breast and wings, also known as the white meat, have less fat and need to be cooked to 165F degrees. The thigh and chicken legs, known as the dark meat, have more fat and need to be cooked to 185F degree to be done. When roasting they both come together like a perfect symphony, where the two temps take almost the exact time in the oven. The dark meat sits more on the outside and is exposed to more of heat, while the white meat sits more tucked in and gets less heat exposure.
When roasting a whole chicken, figure in approximately 20 minutes per pound when your oven is set at 350F degrees. To crisp the skin and sear in all the juices, preheat your oven to 450F degrees. Next roast your chicken for 10 minutes. Then turn your oven down to 350F degrees to finish roasting.
It’s also important when roasting to use a roasting rack and a roasting pan with no more than 2 ½ to 3 inch sides. The rack lifts the poultry out of the pan and allows the poultry to be roasted all the way around. If you don't use a rack, the chicken sits in the fat as it cooks and it will be greasy. As for the pan, the sides need to be lower so it does not shield the heat from the chicken and keep it from cooking correctly. Before roasting you want to add enough liquid (I like to use canned chicken stock) to fill the pan ¼ of an inch up the sides. This will start your stock for gravy and also keep the dripping from the chicken from burning when hitting the bottom of the pan.
Under no circumstances should you wrap or cover your chicken when roasting. This will either break the sear or keep the chicken from forming a tight sear and your chicken will be chewy and dry.
Cook Smart, Chef Dave
