How To Perfectly Roast a Chicken at Home

A perfectly roasted chicken has the ability to bring back memories of childhood with its succulent meat and crisp skin. Do you remember those childhood days? You had no real responsibility. The energy of a baby Jackrabbit. Mom’s Sunday meals of roast chicken, buttery mashed potatoes, and gravy. A roasted chicken is comfort food for good reason. Although it may seem simple, roasting chicken the correct manner requires planning and knowledge. You want your bird to taste as good as professional chefs.

This guide will cover every stage of roasting chicken. We’ll show you everything from how to choose the right bird to what kind to buy, through the difference between dry and wet brining to the final step, which is baking. Although it may seem difficult, the results will surprise you.

Buy Your Bird

It is best to shop at a local butcher when buying chicken for roasting. The best quality chicken will taste better, so make sure you spend as much money as possible. The skin of top-quality chickens should have a yellowish hue, pink flesh and minimal bruising. High-quality chickens will feel firm and bounce back in a matter of seconds. If the meat feels soft or mushy when you touch it, that’s a sign the chicken was not properly handled. Another sign that a bird is top-notch is “air-chilled”. The chicken that has been “air-chilled,” rather than being placed in an ice bath, will retain less water than the mass-produced birds.

Recap:

• You should look for light pink flesh and a yellowish tint to your skin.
• There are no visible tears or bruises.
• No off-odors, firm to touch
• Best for drying are air-chilled birds

Dry Brine and Wet Brine

We hear about brining almost every Thanksgiving. But brining doesn’t only apply to turkey. The enemy of moisture when roasting meat is not moisture, and that’s why we at The Manual prefer dry-brine to wet brine. Dry-brining simply means that meat is seasoned and rested before being cooked. It achieves the same result as a traditional wet brine, but without any extra water retention due to not being submerged in salt-water brine.

Wet brine can cause excess water to be added into meats, which causes a loss of flavor. It may be appealing to add lemons, herbs and garlic to your brine but none of these flavors make it into the final product. Instead of using water to dilute flavor, dry-brine will reduce the amount of water in the food. This allows you concentrate flavor and also makes the skin crisper. Simply dry-brine the bird by coating it with kosher salt and herbs. Then, let it sit on a wire rack inside your refrigerator for at least one night.

Recap: Why Dry-Brine is Important

• It is easy!
• Food that has been well-seasoned and cooked to perfection
• Concentrated flavour
• Delicious meat
• Super-crispy skin

It’s time to roast

After you have dried-brined the bird for at least 24 hours, it is time to cook it. You don’t need to rinse the chicken with the brine, as it will ruin all of the hard work you have done. Let the chicken cool in the refrigerator for at least two hours. Then, place it on the counter to temper before you move it into the oven. To prepare the chicken for baking, you can fill its cavity with fresh rosemary, oregano and smashed garlic cloves. To ensure that the chicken cooks evenly, it will be necessary to truss it. To make your bird plumper and more dense, you will need to tie the legs closer to the breasts.

Depending on whom you ask, the cooking temperatures will differ. Some people recommend that you cook the bird at high temperatures all the time. Others suggest starting high and finishing low. We recommend that you start low and finish high because oven temperatures vary widely. For 30-35 minutes, roast the chicken in an oven preheated to 375 F for 30 minutes. Turn the pan upside down and heat the oven to 450 F. Continue cooking for 20-30 minutes, or until the thermometer in the thigh joints registers 165 F.

Recap:

• After the dry-brine, don’t rinse your chicken.
• Fill the cavity with fresh herbs, garlic, or lemon juice.
• Truss for even better cooking
• For 30-35 minutes, roast on a rack at 375 F.
• Cook at 450 F for 20-30 mins or until internal temperature reaches 160 F.

It’s Time to Eat

After your chicken has been roasted, take it out of the oven and allow it to rest for 20 minutes. This time can be used to make your side dishes or pan jus with the leftover drippings. Once the chicken is rested it’s ready to be carved. Turn the chicken upside-down onto a cutting board. These “oysters” are tiny, delicious pieces of fatty and dark meat that can be enjoyed by any cook. Take them out and sprinkle with sea salt. Enjoy a tasty snack!

Then turn the chicken over with the breasts facing up. You can remove the wings, and you will need to separate the leg from the thigh by slicing along the fat line. Cut the breastbone and remove the breastbone. Use a spoon to remove any meat left over and save the carcass for stock making.

Stock

No matter what you do, don’t throw out any carcasses or bones that were left over after carving. This is your chance to make trash valuable. Put the bones in a large pot with chopped celery, carrots and onions, along with some parsley stems and black peppercorns. Add 5-6 quarts cold water and bay leaves. Let it boil for about a half hour, then reduce it to simmer and allow it to cool down. The liquid gold will be frozen for later use in soups and sauces.

Faqs

Conclusion

The first sentence is the opening sentence of the article, which introduces the concept of roasting a chicken and how it can bring back childhood memories. The rest of the article goes on to give tips on how to make a perfect roast chicken, differentiating between dry and wet brining and dry-br