# roast chicken season



## chefwp (Mar 8, 2021)

I think my young daughters are getting tired of the roast chicken I throw down almost every weekend. With any luck it will warm up soon and I'll retire this schtick until the autumn, as this is just a cold weather thing for me. Tonight's accouterments were roasted carrots, sourdough dressing, and of course wavy gravy.


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## MarcelNL (Mar 8, 2021)

looks good, our girls dislike any type of meat of which the 'model' can be recognized, more work is needed there...


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## tcmx3 (Apr 20, 2021)

I love roast chicken. 

Recently I have converted from the "traditional" butter/herb heavy method to the way Keller suggests in Bouchon; do everything you can to dry the skin out, use LOADS of salt, pepper only the inside to prevent scorching. It's kind of revelatory; I would have assumed that it would be plain/boring/one note but this has resulted in BY FAR the best tasting chickens I have ever personally roasted. Well at least after I learned after the first one to roast in a vessel that's fairly tight around the sides of the chicken.


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## boomchakabowwow (Apr 21, 2021)

That bird is a beauty! Nicely done.


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## chefwp (Apr 21, 2021)

tcmx3 said:


> Recently I have converted from the "traditional" butter/herb heavy method to the way Keller suggests in Bouchon; do everything you can to dry the skin out, use LOADS of salt, pepper only the inside to prevent scorching. It's kind of revelatory; I would have assumed that it would be plain/boring/one note but this has resulted in BY FAR the best tasting chickens I have ever personally roasted. Well at least after I learned after the first one to roast in a vessel that's fairly tight around the sides of the chicken.


What kind of vessel do you use? I've been roasting mine in a saute pan, as it is easy to pour juices out during cooking into a gravy separator.

I concur on getting the bird as dry as possible before seasoning and cooking, although I do S&P inside and out. I also like to start my bird in a very hot oven for the first 25 min, so like 425 for the first 25, then I dial it back to 350 for the remaining cooking time, that is my trick for getting that nice golden brown skin.


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## tcmx3 (Apr 21, 2021)

chefwp said:


> What kind of vessel do you use? I've been roasting mine in a saute pan, as it is easy to pour juices out during cooking into a gravy separator.
> 
> I concur on getting the bird as dry as possible before seasoning and cooking, although I do S&P inside and out. I also like to start my bird in a very hot oven for the first 25 min, so like 425 for the first 25, then I dial it back to 350 for the remaining cooking time, that is my trick for getting that nice golden brown skin.



a cast iron pan, if the sides are high enough, can work well. I have an extra tall one, too, but just a regular pan is fine if you are going for smaller chickens (I dont really like the monster ones). I have a proper "roasting" dish but it's too big, frankly.


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## boomchakabowwow (Apr 21, 2021)

I use a cast iron pan, or a simple steamer tray (hotel tray) I took from my parents restaurant. 

I did my holiday bird in my carbon steel paella pan. I don't own a roasting pan.


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## GorillaGrunt (Apr 21, 2021)

I work off the Keller method too, I go high - 475 or 500 even. It’s a quick and easy method that produces a great result but I prefer it even more with a brined chicken; adds time and steps though. In a Pyrex baking dish, one only slightly larger than the chicken. The method works for chickens up to 5 pounds, past that I’ve got to tweak it some, and I like the results with the smallest chicken available at the market. I’m only cooking for one or two though!


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## Mrchainsaw (Apr 21, 2021)

tcmx3 said:


> I love roast chicken.
> 
> Recently I have converted from the "traditional" butter/herb heavy method to the way Keller suggests in Bouchon; do everything you can to dry the skin out, use LOADS of salt, pepper only the inside to prevent scorching. It's kind of revelatory; I would have assumed that it would be plain/boring/one note but this has resulted in BY FAR the best tasting chickens I have ever personally roasted. Well at least after I learned after the first one to roast in a vessel that's fairly tight around the sides of the chicken.



The Keller method is fantastic. High heat cooked fast. Comes out crispy moist and I agree with you best roast chicken I’ve ever had.


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## damiano (Apr 21, 2021)

Roast chicken is perfect summer food imho... Simple to cook, and light easy meal with leftovers. Exactly what I need when temperatures rise... 

I roast mine Marcella Hazan style, so only salt, pepper and lemons. Roasted in either a porcelain roasting dish or my Mauviel clad roasting pan.


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## Mrchainsaw (Apr 21, 2021)

Yeah easy go to weeknight meal. Summer or winter. Leftovers become chicken quesadillas and always goo way to make more stock.


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## xxxclx (Apr 21, 2021)

Are Cornish hen chicken? Anyways, roasted this hen in a cast iron pan preheated with the oven. Turned out pretty well


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## Rangen (Apr 21, 2021)

What is the advantage of roasting in a pan with sides? I've gone entirely to roasting on half-sheet pans with a stainless steel grid set into them. My traditional deeper-sided roasting pans were holding moisture and steaming the sides and preventing crispness everywhere below the sides. What am I missing?


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## xxxclx (Apr 21, 2021)

Rangen said:


> What is the advantage of roasting in a pan with sides? I've gone entirely to roasting on half-sheet pans with a stainless steel grid set into them. My traditional deeper-sided roasting pans were holding moisture and steaming the sides and preventing crispness everywhere below the sides. What am I missing?



I roasted the hen skin-down on a hot skillet to mimic the “chicken-under-a-brick” technique, and the roasting with animal fat sort of season the cast iron. Kind of a two bird with one stone situation


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## damiano (Apr 22, 2021)

Rangen said:


> What is the advantage of roasting in a pan with sides? I've gone entirely to roasting on half-sheet pans with a stainless steel grid set into them. My traditional deeper-sided roasting pans were holding moisture and steaming the sides and preventing crispness everywhere below the sides. What am I missing?


Well, less cleaning up afterwards... 
My porcelain Pillivuyt doesn’t really have the problem of the underside holding a lot of moisture. It won’t be supercrisp but good enough for me. I do have a rack insert for my ss clad roasting pan and use that one too from time to time, if I really want a good result.


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## Bear (Apr 22, 2021)

Legs up my favorite method, spatched second, °425-450F light smoke.


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## boomchakabowwow (Apr 22, 2021)

xxxclx said:


> View attachment 123778
> 
> 
> Are Cornish hen chicken? Anyways, roasted this hen in a cast iron pan preheated with the oven. Turned out pretty well


yes. just a small chicken with good public relation department.


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## mmiinngg (Apr 22, 2021)

Rangen said:


> What is the advantage of roasting in a pan with sides? I've gone entirely to roasting on half-sheet pans with a stainless steel grid set into them. My traditional deeper-sided roasting pans were holding moisture and steaming the sides and preventing crispness everywhere below the sides. What am I missing?



Pan with sides, or even better, cast Iron staub, le creuset...are a favorite because the heat gets closer to the bird. Enhancing the crust.
The way i go at home, is, first cook the bird on the legs 10' or so depending on its size, each sise, then oven preheated 220c and one you put the chicken in turn it down to 180c. Let it cook for 40' or so...untill juices run clear and skin is nice and crispy


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## Rangen (Apr 22, 2021)

mmiinngg said:


> Pan with sides, or even better, cast Iron staub, le creuset...are a favorite because the heat gets closer to the bird. Enhancing the crust.
> The way i go at home, is, first cook the bird on the legs 10' or so depending on its size, each sise, then oven preheated 220c and one you put the chicken in turn it down to 180c. Let it cook for 40' or so...untill juices run clear and skin is nice and crispy



Hmmm. OK, you sold me. I'll try it. I actually have one of those oval chicken-sized Le Creusets. Thanks!


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## Rangen (Apr 30, 2021)

mmiinngg said:


> Pan with sides, or even better, cast Iron staub, le creuset...are a favorite because the heat gets closer to the bird. Enhancing the crust.
> The way i go at home, is, first cook the bird on the legs 10' or so depending on its size, each sise, then oven preheated 220c and one you put the chicken in turn it down to 180c. Let it cook for 40' or so...untill juices run clear and skin is nice and crispy



This went very well. I liked your approach, because it solved two problems at once: making sure the dark meat got cooked before the breast got overcooked, and heating up the cast iron before it went into the oven.

The chicken skin was not picture-worthy, but it was nicely golden over the breast, and most other places. The Bouchon brine worked really well (I reduced the lemons and the thyme, and eliminated the bay leaves, to accommodate my tastes). I suppose the bed of root veggies helped compromise the skin a bit, but they were just awesome. I had never properly appreciated parsnips and especially rutabagas before. The leeks were absolutely essential for that final compelling flavor.

Thanks for the tips!


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## coxhaus (May 8, 2021)

It is almost too hot here for roast chicken for me anymore. Here is a picture I posted a few months ago. My wife pulled on the wing to make sure it was tender. I added a side picture so you can see the pan setup. It was cooked in a gas Viking oven at home with convection. I love a gas oven for meat.


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## demcav (May 9, 2021)

Perfectly beautiful, coxhaus, and some good-looking fond to deglaze and serve around the roasted potatoes and onions for the plating!


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## Chips (May 11, 2021)

I followed Keller's recipe to a tee a while ago. It was fun and the results were great, but I'd love to get in a groove where the prep and execution becomes second nature and faster. I remember a lot of fussing and fiddling and tons of time spent at different stages to get the skin crisp and the meat moist. I imagine with some practice, it could be shortened a bit.

The funny thing was the recipe gave me an abiding love for parsnips, something that I'd been unfamiliar with prior.


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## chefwp (May 11, 2021)

Chips said:


> I followed Keller's recipe to a tee a while ago. It was fun and the results were great, but I'd love to get in a groove where the prep and execution becomes second nature and faster. I remember a lot of fussing and fiddling and tons of time spent at different stages to get the skin crisp and the meat moist. I imagine with some practice, it could be shortened a bit.
> 
> The funny thing was the recipe gave me an abiding love for parsnips, something that I'd been unfamiliar with prior.


It looks perfect!


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