Whole chicken - how to cook it?

[Girl-23]

Good morning ladies,

I have never cooked a whole chicken in my life. It is in the freezer at the moment. I am thinking about putting it in the oven. How long does it take though? What herbs or spices should I use? What should I serve it with? Any suggestions would be lovely especially from those experienced.

[Patooties]

Hi there
I've never attempted a Roast chicken in the oven, but i have done a Beer can Chicken in the bbq. (american's call it Beer butt chicken) you open a can of beer - drink some - and then sit the chicken over it. If you google it you'll find lots of recipes. The chicken is so moist and yummy. I'm sure there will be plenty of people that can give you a more conventional way of cooking it though lol.

[Lulu]

Remove the giblets!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[onthefly]

stuff it with pieces of lemon and herbs and rub the outside with a little olive oil and salt. you can put some potatoes in the pan with it too.

[jackrose]

Cooking a whole chook is dead easy. Once you do it once you will be addicted!

Tarragon goes really really well with chicken!! The smell of a roasting chook in the oven with butter and tarragon... sublime! A good trick is to wedge some butter under the skin of the chook between the breast meat and the skin. You sort of work your hand in there to loosen the skin then push the butter in. It keeps the chook really moist. Then add a dash of oil and a sprinkle tarragon over the top of the bird, remove the giblets (v good to remember LuLu!), shove the lemon in the bird (a la marcellus) and a little oil in the pan and away you go. It is difficult to give a time in the oven as it depends on the oven and the size of the bird etc but the packet on the chook usually gives some times.

While it is cooking, pull it out every 20-30 min or so to baste it.. (dripple pan juices over it) this also helps keep it moist and helps the skin crisp up. The way to test if it is done is to break the skin where the leg joins the body. If the juices which escape run clear (not pink) you should be done!

yummy!

[jackrose]

Just thought of another way.

A few nights ago I wacked my chook in a big pot with onion (you could use leeks) sliced garlic, sliced ginger, salt and pepper and about 2L of water (enough to cover it). You bring the whole thing to the boil then reduce it to a simmer and pop the lid on. In 45 min or so your bird is cooked and once you strain the liquid to get rid of the onion etc you have a beautiful stock!

I removed the meat from the chook and used it with a white sauce in a chicken pie and for chicken sandwhiches. The stock is going to make a risotto very soon. It was a great way to cook as I could just leave it be and when done, I got a few different meals out of it.

[barney]

easy chicky i did one last night im still in the olden days but lol...
ok just get a big roasting dish put a bit of oil in it wack your chook in it put a bit of salt on the chook,peel some vegies chuck them in to and cook for about 2hrs easy hun good luk.
cut the straggily bit off round the chooks bum and see the inside of chook is clean..

ps about that beer chook im gonna try that one thanks

[Bengal]

I dont put oil in my pan, when I cook a whole chicken, I add about 2.5 centimetre's of water to the roasting pan, and then place the chicken, which has had the butter pushed under the skin, then I pour some soy sauce on the chook, (that makes the skin crunchy) and believe me its yum ..

Funny Smithy my DH likes the choocs bum (ewwwww) - don't even go there, I dont know how he eats that little flappy bit

Then I take it out half an hour later and add my vegies, we are having roast chicken tonight

[Cheeky_Monkey]

We're having whole roast chook tonight

I'm the same as some of the others above. Pop a few cms of water in the bottom of the pan but have the chook raised on a rack so it's not sitting in the water Sprinkle with whatever herbs you like (honestly I just chuck a whole mixture on) and bake on about 180 for 1.5hrs depending how big it is.

[Girl-23]

Thanks for your replies ladies.

I took the chicken out of the freezer, waiting for it to defrost a little. I couldn't wait any longer so I decided to boil it a little. I came back waiting to turn the chicken but saw something disgusting which is normal to some of you. The saggy bum - which some of you mentioned. I freaked out not knowing what the yukky looking stuff was. Am not touching it. No roast chicken here tonight or ever for that matter. The chicken is still in the pot. I am not going near it.

[Patooties]

Sorry, but you gave me a good giggle.

[Cheeky_Monkey]

Me too, how funny.

I do agree though that raw chickens look pretty yucky. Still love to eat them though

[Girl-23]

I seriously did leave it on the kitchen bench. DH heard me making 'eeeewwwww' noises. I didn't even ask him to put it back in the freezer but he did. I don't know what to do with three whole chickens that I will never cook.

[Lulu]

oh fark you are so funny!!!!!

Between all of us here, we will get you cooking an awesome chicken dinner...I promise!

[Girl-23]

OKAY, I am ready. I want to cook the chicken in the oven for tonight. Where do I begin? So far, I have oven bag, rosemary, roast chicken seasoning, salt, what else do I need? Do I take the skin off? How long do I cook for? How do I keep the bird from drying up?

PS: I would like to surprise DH tonight. Lol. Something different.

What do I serve it with?

[Bengal]

I seriously did leave it on the kitchen bench. DH heard me making 'eeeewwwww' noises. I didn't even ask him to put it back in the freezer but he did. I don't know what to do with three whole chickens that I will never cook.

Just to really get you disliking chickens ...

What stage of the cooking process was the chicken when you re froze it ? You have to be careful with chicken

And you should always defrost a chicken in the bottom of the fridge, not on the bench ..

If you cook a chicken that is frozen ish ... it makes the chicken dry (not moist)

So step 1 - is the whole chicken defrosted safetly ?

Step 2 - NO ?? = get out a frozen one and defrost overnight in the fridge for use tommorow

[Girl-23]

wouldloveabubba,

I placed it in the fridge last night. So its ready for today's meal. So what should I do now?

[Bengal]

For Dinner at 6pm tonight

This arvo;

Peel and cut potatoes & pumpkin and carrots, put in a big bowl of water.
Wash and cut up your vegies (caulie, broklie) put them in water on the stove

Pre heat your oven to a moderate heat (is it fan forced or gas ) ? 150 is moderate at 4.20 PM

At 4.30 put the chicken in a roasting pan with 2.5 cm's of water in the bottom of it . Look at the post above for herbs etc to add to the chicken

At 5.30, take the roast out of the oven, turn the chicken over, add the potatoes and pumpkin (that you have dried off with paper towel) around the chicken

Put back in the oven, at 5.45 turn on the pot/steamer with the coloured vegies in it on slow, add peas and beans to the water if you like

BY 6pm - it will all be happening, have everything ready to go, I always put my vegies on the plate last, as it will take you a minute ot two to cut up the chicken, or get DH to do that, while you out the vegies on the plate

To make a gravy, to keep it easy for your first roast, get a little mixing jug, put the gravox in, add a stock cube, then add water from the stove top vegies


Yummm enjoy

I ccould give your harder stuff, but keep your first roast easy