I am finally setting up my very own blog. Who knew...just a few years ago the term "blog" meant nothing to me. While I knew it had to do with internet postings, I figured it was only for those computer savvy people out there. Fast forward to present time, and you find me addicted to no less than five blogs which I read religiously and cry when they're not updated regularly.
10.16.2007
cluck.
I picked up a chicken today. Tomorrow I'm roasting it for dinner. It'll be my first shot at a whole chicken, so I'm doing some research to make sure that it comes out alright.
I've found it's pretty hard to ruin a roast chicken. Wipe the skin down with paper towels to get it as dry as possible, and then rub it down with good coarse kosher salt and pepper, salt and pepper the cavity, remove the wishbone before roasting (refer to Joy of Cooking for illustrations) and pop it in the oven.
I usually preheat the oven to 450 and when I put the bird in, immediately turn it down to 375 or so. Then just cook it until the juices run clear and a thermometer inserted between the leg and body reads about 155 (it'll cook the rest of the way to 160 as you let it sit out.) The time depends on how many pounds it is. I dunno, for a 4lb bird I start checking around 30 minutes and then every 5 thereafter but I'm sure there's some more specific direction.
here's the nigella lawson method, which i've used dozens and dozens of times, with excellent success...
- clean the bird and wipe down
- rub a bit of olive oil all over it
- sprinkle with salt
- stick half a lemon up its butt
- roast in a pre-heated 400 degree oven. 15 minutes for each pound + tack on an extra 10 minutes at the end.
- take out and let rest.
i used to stick the bird with a thermometer to make sure it's at the right temperature. but i've done it so many times now that i skip the thermometer step. WARNING: this assumes that your oven temperature is accurate. buy an oven thermometer if you dont already have one. it's better to trust the thermometer reading rather than what's written on your oven knob. :)
Wow! So many comments! I get really excited when a lot of people comment on one of my blog entries. Pretty soon I'll be as cool as the hose! Turns out that the roommates won't be around tonight, so I'm putting the chicken on hold until Friday night. Thanks for all your recommendations- I'm planning to combine them all and make one kick a** chicken!
6 comments:
I've found it's pretty hard to ruin a roast chicken. Wipe the skin down with paper towels to get it as dry as possible, and then rub it down with good coarse kosher salt and pepper, salt and pepper the cavity, remove the wishbone before roasting (refer to Joy of Cooking for illustrations) and pop it in the oven.
I usually preheat the oven to 450 and when I put the bird in, immediately turn it down to 375 or so. Then just cook it until the juices run clear and a thermometer inserted between the leg and body reads about 155 (it'll cook the rest of the way to 160 as you let it sit out.) The time depends on how many pounds it is. I dunno, for a 4lb bird I start checking around 30 minutes and then every 5 thereafter but I'm sure there's some more specific direction.
here's the nigella lawson method, which i've used dozens and dozens of times, with excellent success...
- clean the bird and wipe down
- rub a bit of olive oil all over it
- sprinkle with salt
- stick half a lemon up its butt
- roast in a pre-heated 400 degree oven. 15 minutes for each pound + tack on an extra 10 minutes at the end.
- take out and let rest.
i used to stick the bird with a thermometer to make sure it's at the right temperature. but i've done it so many times now that i skip the thermometer step. WARNING: this assumes that your oven temperature is accurate. buy an oven thermometer if you dont already have one. it's better to trust the thermometer reading rather than what's written on your oven knob. :)
Use lots of butter! Smooth it under the skin along with fresh herbs. Cook it until it smells like a cooked chicken!
How to roast a chicken:
Get on bike and go to Whole Foods
Go to the back and pick up rotisserie chicken.
Take out wallet and purchase.
Voila!
Wow! So many comments! I get really excited when a lot of people comment on one of my blog entries. Pretty soon I'll be as cool as the hose!
Turns out that the roommates won't be around tonight, so I'm putting the chicken on hold until Friday night. Thanks for all your recommendations- I'm planning to combine them all and make one kick a** chicken!
Let us know how it turns out!
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