Roasting a free-range v. a standard supermarket chicken
Discussion
Whenever I roast a standard 1.5Kg supermarket chicken, it gets a 20 minute 'sizzle' at 220C to crisp the skin, then 50 minutes at 180C to cook through. Just seasoning, no oil or butter on the skin. Always perfect.
Try the same method on a denser, free-range bird of the same weight and it's a tad dry. What am I doing wrong?
Should I cover with foil? Lower the initial heat? Rub with butter? Shove an onion in the cavity? All of the above?
Try the same method on a denser, free-range bird of the same weight and it's a tad dry. What am I doing wrong?
Should I cover with foil? Lower the initial heat? Rub with butter? Shove an onion in the cavity? All of the above?
Probably due to water content. I find a lot of variation in roast chickens, some are lovely, some are tough, some are dry. Cooking instructions are always on the high side, and normally they require a lot less cooking than the packaging suggests.
Get a probe thermometer, and after 50 minutes or so, test it for temperature in the thigh meat every 10 minutes, take it out when it reaches 75c.
If you want the most succulent, and delicious chicken you've ever tasted, spatchcock it, and brine it over night.
Get a probe thermometer, and after 50 minutes or so, test it for temperature in the thigh meat every 10 minutes, take it out when it reaches 75c.
If you want the most succulent, and delicious chicken you've ever tasted, spatchcock it, and brine it over night.
Mobile Chicane said:
Thanks - I'll try the brining.
What concentration are you using, and does the skin still crisp?
I'm presuming you pat it dry with kitchen towels etc before cooking.
Your skin might not be as crispy, but it'll still crisp. This is more than made up for by the quality of the meat. Being realistic, chicken skin stays crispy for a very small window anyway when left on the bird. What concentration are you using, and does the skin still crisp?
I'm presuming you pat it dry with kitchen towels etc before cooking.
Brining liquor - roughly 4 tbsp of salt (not crappy table salt, decent stuff) 4 tbs of sugar to 1 litre of water.
You can add aromatics too, for chicken I add squashed garlic gloves, peppercorns, and lots of lemon zest sliced with a peeler.
Heat it up and simmer briefly, then make sure you let it cool completely. Don't put raw chicken in warm water! Stick it in the fridge over night in a big pot, weigh the bird down in the brine with a dinner plate if required, pat dry and roast/cook as normal.
Best bet is to get some chicken thighs, and have a practice until you get the results you're looking for.
cbmotorsport said:
Probably due to water content. I find a lot of variation in roast chickens, some are lovely, some are tough, some are dry. Cooking instructions are always on the high side, and normally they require a lot less cooking than the packaging suggests.
Get a probe thermometer, and after 50 minutes or so, test it for temperature in the thigh meat every 10 minutes, take it out when it reaches 75c.
If you want the most succulent, and delicious chicken you've ever tasted, spatchcock it, and brine it over night.
Yup this is almost certainly down to the extra water content in the chicken as they inject it to increase the weight and so it doesn't dry out that much when people inevitably overcook them.Get a probe thermometer, and after 50 minutes or so, test it for temperature in the thigh meat every 10 minutes, take it out when it reaches 75c.
If you want the most succulent, and delicious chicken you've ever tasted, spatchcock it, and brine it over night.
Definitely get an instant read thermometer. From my experience it was the one thing that made a massive improvement to my cooking.
This one is great value at the moment if you can cope with the colour:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/SuperFast-Thermapen-profe...
As for the temperature you want to take it ideally when the thighs/legs are 75C-80C and the breasts are 65C. Legs/thighs will take a fair amount over cooking but the breasts will start to dry out rapidly if you go more than a few degrees above 65C.
The best way to make sure this happens is to spackcock the chicken and lay it flat on a baking sheet and cook at a reasonably high temperature (I normally roast at ~220C in a fan oven and start checking the temperature after about 30min for a smallish chicken).
If you want to make sure the skin is extra crispy then rub a teaspoon salt mixed with 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder into the skin the night before.
Its not a chicken but this was a turkey breast brined last Xmas, 5% salt and sugar plus aromatics for 24 hours.
Wrapped in cling and cooked at about 125 until it hit a core of 75 then unwrapped and finished at about 200 until the colour was right.
You can see the skin is a very even golden colour (that's the sugar element) and how the juices is literally running out of the meat.
An alternative is to dry salt the chicken, just sprinkle inside and out with table salt and leave uncovered in a fridge for 24 hours before cooking. Again use a probe to cook to temperature as opposed to x mins at y temp.
Wrapped in cling and cooked at about 125 until it hit a core of 75 then unwrapped and finished at about 200 until the colour was right.
You can see the skin is a very even golden colour (that's the sugar element) and how the juices is literally running out of the meat.
An alternative is to dry salt the chicken, just sprinkle inside and out with table salt and leave uncovered in a fridge for 24 hours before cooking. Again use a probe to cook to temperature as opposed to x mins at y temp.
jmorgan said:
You need this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxRZ7arzHmA
Shoot the fecker, poisonous little turd.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxRZ7arzHmA
Not 1p of my money would go to him.
Just get a terracotta crock pot/roaster.
The Dangerous Elk said:
Shoot the fecker, poisonous little turd.
Not 1p of my money would go to him.
Just get a terracotta crock pot/roaster.
Colin Furze made it, happened to get aired on Colin Fire youtube and this one you want removed. Not 1p of my money would go to him.
Just get a terracotta crock pot/roaster.
Edit, for the OP.
I normally cook ours for the first half with it rising on the breast. The flip over but never prick it.
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