I'm not pretending to be an expert in roasting chicken but just sharing what i know about roasting chicken. For my style of roasting, the skin will not be crispy. Instead i focus on flavouful and moist meat especially the breast meat.
Firstly, cleaning the chicken, making sure its nice and sparkling clean :) then prepare stuffing and rub.
Why stuffing? How come some people don't use it?
Oh i can't answer why some people don't use it but let me share with you my rational of doing it.
For stuffing, i have 2 type. Under the skin and in the cavity. Huh? what is under the skin u might ask, i made a video to demo...
Alright, from what you see in the video, i stuff just plain unsalted french butter under the skin. However your could use your imagination make a herb compound butter in advance to stuff under the skin. Its all up to personal preference. And also ensure that the butter is evenly spread out. After all, fat taste good and it help insulating and reduce moisture lost from cooking thus achieving a moist chicken breast.
Next is in the cavity. Why stuff in the cavity? There are plenty of answer if u google it. My reason is simple. stuffing with onion and mushroom will impart flavour into the meat of the chicken while cooking. Not only that, asthe mushroom and onion cooks, it releases steam from within the chicken, steaming it from the inside. This you will achieve a moist and flavorful chicken.
With the above 2 stuffing, i can assure you will achieve a flavourful and moist chicken for sure. However i love intense flavour. Thus the application of rub.
A mixture of dry herbs and spices will give flavour to the chicken surface while cooking. However just the surface doesn't satisfy me!
Chicken is unlike pork or beef where its pores on the meat is very small. Marinade takes longer time to seep into the meat and even if it does, just on the outer layer of the meat. Thus longer marinating time is required. Like the tandoori chicken, i just marinade it inside out and leave it overnight to absorb the goodness of the marinade.
(I have boneless chicken leg meat marinated, individually packed, in my freezer, ready to make chicken tikka anytime :) By the time it defrost in the chiller which is also overnight, it absorbs the marinade well. I just have to pop it into the oven at 200 DegC for about 15-17 min cause i like it a little charred. )
As for what marinade to use is really up to personal preference. My personal favourite store bought rub will be this...
Bought this bottle from swiss butchery and i use it for most of my roasting including pork knuckle :)
Okay, a chicken with stuffing requires a proper way of handeling it to ensure the stuffing doesn't come out. Thus you need to learn how to truss a chicken.
Videos on youtube is very easy to understand, just make sure the stuffing doesn't come out and the strings are not loose will do.
Oh, i leave the feet of the chicken on and tuck it into the cavity. To me, it will make the breast more puff up and compact, achieving a nice and even roast :)
To be continued...
No comments:
Post a Comment