Comments on: How to Roast a Chicken

on 11/24/2007 I tried this recipe for my husband's birthday dinner. I was a bit suspicious of the low temperature,but thought it worth the try. I should have trusted my judgment,particularly since I am cooking with propane. I took me an hour longer than it said to cook it, but it was well worth the wait. My husband said it was great flavor and very tender and moist. I have also heard that you can use Italian salad dressing to rub the chicken.

on 11/19/2007 I still have not Roasted my First Bird yet, but I came up with another interesting Idea to season, I heard some say put season on then Oil and vice versa........How about when you cut away the excess fat, there will be some skin that is flapping over the meat, how about placing spices dry sprinkled type under the skin right on the meat,and lay the skin down and rub the Olive Oil, Margarine or Butter over the surface of the skin and add more spices, that will be one spicy bird for sure........then go ahead with the stuffing the fresh herbs and lemons inside, but what about this part. suppose you don't want herbs but you want to STUFF the bird with STUFFING mix, how do you go by that??? any suggestings on how to do that in case you want to have just a Bird for Thanksgiving and not a TURKEY???

on 11/19/2007 to comment on one of the points by OCOLOPUS who posted they got a have cooked bird out after doing that knife test, I believe (now I have not roasted a bird yet, but I have done bake potatoes that come out perfect from this) you should try with a Large Fork Poke holes all over the bird to allow the heat to get in and it should cook throughout just like the baked potatoes i have cooked......if this is incorrect, someone please correct this.

on 11/19/2007 OKAY, here is the most IMPORTANT part of cooking a Big Bird or anything. My mom always put her big bird or Turkey in a Big Bucket with water and let it unthaw, but I heard on tv that you should not let things sit in water or on counters to unthaw, so what is the best way because the last time I was gonna do a bird I lit it set in the refridgerator to unthaw a few days not knowing it would start bleeding and oozing juice all over the place and i had to do a massive cleaning of my fridge......bummer

on 11/19/2007 I am going to be Roasting my First Ever Chicken because the last time I attempted to cook a whole Bird in my Slow Cooker it was HORRIBLE even with the fat cut away, I did not like it at all and it cooked for hours... as Far as the Roasting is concerned, What about the Turning of the Bird and if you are using an Electric Oven, shouldn't that temperature be much higher since the top burner will not come on unless you set the stove to much higher temps near 400 or 500. I usually cook most items in my oven at around 350 but when Roasting it must be much higher I am sure....so I have to disagree with the 325 he quoted. This is where i really need to experiment because I want my Bird to look like the ones that i pick up at my local store instead of just some light browned baked looking bird.

on 11/18/2007 1. Wash chicken and pat dry with paper towels.

2. Depending on the size of the chicken, cooking time and temperature can be increased or decreased. For a 2-2.5 lb chicken, cook at 400 degrees F for 1-1.5 hrs. For a 2.5-4 lb chicken, cook at 400 degrees F for 1.5-2.5 hrs. For 4-8 lbs of chicken cooked at 325 degrees F, expect to cook it from 3-5 hours.

3. After washing and drying the chicken, rub the body and cavity with oil or oil mixed with dry seasoning.

I love all of the suggestions for stuffing seasoning. Also, I cook my birds breast down on a rack. I started cooking chicken like this after cooking duck in this way and coming up with a moist, nongreasy breast, excellently suitable for chicken salad.

on 11/18/2007 I was very tasty, thanks.

on 11/18/2007 I like to rinse my chicken first. Inside and out.

on 11/18/2007 I always put a chicken face down for the first 30 mins as this allows the liquid to keep the breast moist

on 11/18/2007 this I will try, looks good enough to eat!

on 11/18/2007 Two things...chicken should always be washed and dried before cooking. After that, everything (hands, surfaces)should be washed. Also,it is smarter to rub the oil on the bird, before seasoning it...not after.

on 11/15/2006 I am surprised at the low temp used for this recipe. In my experience the best roasted chicken is done at a much higher temp - at least 475 F. -as if you are making a rotisserie chicken. At the temp listed you have a baked chicken - not roasted.
I learned to use olive oil, fresh rosemary, and a stuffing of non-pitted calamara olives and quartered onions for a wonderfully-flavored roast chicken. I learned this recipe in Sicily.

on 11/15/2006 Hi ocolopus,
Insert the knife in a thick part of the chicken - I've been taught the thigh is a good place - and make sure you are very close to a bone. Don't stick the knife in the breast because there is too much chance you will go right into the chest cavity.
Hope this helps!

on 10/30/2006 require better instruction than insert knife and check for clear juices... did this after cooking for 60mins, got clear juice and pulled chicken out... only outside of chicken was cooked... dont have luxury of thermometer... is there a better way to tell if it is cooked????

on 9/18/2006 I make fresh pesto (or you can use store bought), and rub the bird with it - then I use a paring knife to gently separate the skin from the flesh then slide a bunch of it just under the skin.