How To Roast The Perfect Whole Chicken Recipes

Steps:

• Let chicken and 1 tablespoon butter stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove and discard the plastic pop-up timer from chicken if there is one. Remove the giblets and excess fat from the chicken cavity. Rinse chicken inside and out under cold running water. Dry chicken thoroughly with paper towels. Tuck the wing tips under the body. Sprinkle the cavity of the chicken liberally with salt and pepper, and set aside.
• In the center of a heavy-duty roasting pan, place onion slices in two rows, touching. Place the palm of your hand on top of lemon and, pressing down, roll lemon back and forth several times. This softens the lemon and allows the juice to flow more freely. Pierce entire surface of lemon with a fork. Using the side of a large knife, gently press on garlic cloves to open slightly. Insert garlic cloves, thyme sprigs, and lemon into cavity. Place chicken in pan, on onion slices. Cut about 18 inches of kitchen twine, bring chicken legs forward, cross them, and tie together.
• Spread the softened butter over entire surface of chicken, and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Place in the oven, and roast until skin is deep golden brown and crisp and the juices run clear when pierced, about 1 1/2 hours. When chicken seems done, insert an instant-read thermometer into the breast, then the thigh. The breast temperature should read 180 degrees and the thigh 190 degrees.
• Remove chicken from oven, and transfer to a cutting board with a well. Let chicken stand 10 to 15 minutes so the juices settle. Meanwhile, pour the pan drippings into a shallow bowl or fat separator, and leave onions in the pan. Leave any brown baked-on bits in the bottom of the roasting pan, and remove and discard any blackened bits. Using a large spoon or fat separator, skim off and discard as much fat as possible. Pour the remaining drippings and the juices that have collected under the resting chicken back into the roasting pan. Place on the stove over medium-high heat to cook, about 1 minute. Add chicken stock, raise heat to high, and, using a wooden spoon, stir up and combine the brown bits with the stock until the liquid is reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Strain the gravy into a small bowl, pressing on onions to extract any liquid. Discard onions, and stir in the remaining tablespoon of cold butter until melted and incorporated. Untie the legs, and remove and discard garlic, thyme, and lemon. Carve, and serve gravy on the side.

Steps:

• 1. Roasting Tools: All you need is a roasting pan (or a baking sheet in a pinch) and an instant-read thermometer. Using a roasting rack set over the pan will help the chicken cook more evenly, since air can circulate freely. With a roasting rack, the chicken won't be resting in its own drippings, which will give you crispier skin. For easier cleanup, you can line the pan with aluminum foil.
• 2. Dress it up: A chicken roasted with nothing but salt, pepper, and butter is very tasty indeed. But it's also easy to build on these basic flavors. Chop up fresh herbs and tuck them under the chicken's skin along with a few pats of butter, or stuff sprigs into the chicken cavity along with quartered onions and cloves of garlic. Wedges of aromatic fruit such as lemons or oranges will perfume the bird as it roasts, infusing the meat with extra flavor.
• 3. Rub It Down: Many cooks use a dry rub: a blend of dried and ground spices, rubbing them under the chicken's skin and inside the cavity. Since they're under the skin, the flavorings won't burn; plus they'll infuse the meat. This is a great way to add some spice if you'll be discarding the skin. •For a Southwestern flavor, try chile powder or pureed fresh chiles, cumin, and sage. •For an Indian-inspired bird, mix together equal parts ground coriander and cumin, plus turmeric and a pinch or two of cardamom or garam masala. •To give the chicken a Thai flair, try a paste of ginger, lemon grass, green chilies, cilantro and lime juice.
• 4. Skin is in: Crispy, fragrant roast chicken skin is delicious. It is a bit fatty, though. But whether you eat it or remove it, always roast with the skin on, as it holds in moisture and keeps the meat from drying out.
• 5. A Bird You Can Truss: If you like, truss the bird before roasting it--that is, tie it with butcher's twine to keep the legs close to the body. This is not an essential step, but it does make the chicken slightly easier to handle, and it helps hold the stuffing in if you've stuffed the chicken. •To truss a chicken, cut about a 3-foot length of heatproof butcher's twine. •Lay the chicken on a clean surface with the breast facing up. •Hold one end of the string in each hand, and loop the center of the string underneath the chicken's tail. •Catch the ends of the legs inside the string, then cross the string over the chicken's breast, making an X. •Loop the string under and around the wings, then tie the string snugly in a knot across the middle of the breast. Make sure that the ends of the wings are tucked in.
• 6. Roasting Methods: There are two methods for roasting a whole chicken: Regular method: •Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). •Roast whole (thawed) chickens for 20 minutes per pound, plus an additional 15 minutes. High heat method (this creates a crispy, darker skin): •Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) and cook whole (thawed) chicken for 10-15 minutes. •Then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and roast for 20 minutes per pound. (Do not add the extra 15 minutes to the cooking time as with the regular method.)
• 7. Is it Ready Yet? Regardless of the method used, a whole chicken is ready when a meat thermometer inserted into the inner thigh (close to but not touching the thigh bone) reads at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). •The temperature of the meat will continue to rise slightly when you pull it out of the oven (this is called "carryover cooking"), so if the thermometer shows a few degrees below the target, give it a few minutes--the internal temperature might still rise to at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). •When you remove the chicken from the oven, cover it loosely with a doubled sheet of aluminum foil, and let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing. This redistributes the juices and results in moister chicken.
• 8. Use this chart to determine how long to roast your chicken: (high heat method is the second time listed) --2.5-3lbs=1 hour/15 minutes=1 hour --3-3.5lbs=1 hour/25 minutes=1 hour/10 minutes --3.5-4lbs=1 hour/35 minutes=1 hour/20 minutes --4-4.5lbs=1 hour/45 minutes=1 hour/30 minutes --4.5-5lbs=1 hour/55 minutes=1 hour/40 minutes --5-5.5lbs=2 hours/5 minutes-1 hour/50 minutes --5.5-6lbs=2 hours/15 minutes=2 hours --6-6.5lbs=2 hours/25 minutes=2 hours/10 minutes --6.5-7lbs=2 hours/35 minutes=2 hours/20 minutes --7-7.5lbs=2 hours/45 minutes=2 hours/30 minutes NOTE: These times are for unstuffed birds. Add 15 minutes to the total cooking time if you're roasting a stuffed chicken. And as with the chicken itself, make sure the stuffing reaches a temperature of at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Place chicken in a roasting pan, and season generously inside and out with salt and pepper. Sprinkle inside and out with onion powder. Place 3 tablespoons margarine in the chicken cavity. Arrange dollops of the remaining margarine around the chicken's exterior. Cut the celery into 3 or 4 pieces, and place in the chicken cavity.
• Bake uncovered 1 hour and 15 minutes in the preheated oven, to a minimum internal temperature of 180 degrees F (82 degrees C). Remove from heat, and baste with melted margarine and drippings. Cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest about 30 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• 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.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Season the inside and outside of the chicken with the salt and pepper. Put the lemon and garlic halves and bay leaf in cavity of chicken. Place chicken on a lightly oiled rack set into a small roasting pan, or on a broaster. Place in oven and roast for one hour, or until done, depending on size of chicken, until instant read thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh reads 165 degrees, or until thigh joint juices run clear, not pink, when pierced with a knife. Remove chicken from oven and allow to rest in a warm place 10 minutes before carving or cutting into serving pieces.

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 450 degrees before starting to prepare the chicken.
• Place the whole chicken into a medium sized baking pan.
• Rub the entire bird with the olive oil.
• In a small bowl combine the salt, pepper, oregano, basil, and paprika, then sprinkle evenly over chicken.
• In the preheated oven bake the chicken for 20 minutes.
• Lower the oven to 400 degrees.
• Continue baking for 40-50 minutes, or until golden brown and juices run clear.
• If your chicken looks like it is browning too quickly, Lay a sheet of tin foil over the top loosely and it will slow down the browning for you.
• Let the chicken rest in it's juices for at least 10 minutes before carving and serving. (This let's the bird reabsorb some of the juices and helps to make it even more moist.).