Tips for perfect roast chicken

1 servings

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Directions

Here are several techniques that help to add flavor to roast chicken.

Before roasting, lift the skin of the breast and leg sections by sliding your fingers under it, then seasoning the meat underneath.

This accomplishes several things. First. it puts the flavorings directly on the meat where they will do the most good. Second, for diners who remove the skin before eating, this ensures that the seasoning will not be stripped away with the skin. Finally, it gives easily scorched ingredients, such as fresh herbs or minced garlic, protection from the drying heat of the oven. In addition to seasonings, rub a bit of oil under and over the skin. This helps to flavor and moisten the meat, and insures that the skin will crisp well during roasting.

Start roasting chickens breast-side down in a hot oven (at least 400F). This crisps the back and gives the thickest part of the thighs a head start in cooking. Then after 30 minutes or so, reduce the oven temperature, turn the chicken over, and stuff, baste or sauce it, the continue roasting until done. The roasting times may seem a bit long by recent cookbook standards.

Of course. doneness is a personal choice, but I don't want to ever carve into a chicken with a rosy pink breast and jiggling thighs. I prefer chickens roasted to between 170F and 175F. At this temperature, the breast may be a bit dry (white meat begins to lose moisture after 165F), but the dark meat will be cooked through.

Andrew Schloss, San Francisco Chronicle, 7/15/92.

Posted by Stephen Ceideberg; October 31 1992.

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