How to Roast a Chicken (Part 2)

Continued from last post...

Well to roast the chicken, the chicken must be in room temperature to ensure even cooking inside out. Take the bird out of the chiller about 30 min before cooking.

Slice some onion and lay it on the baking try like this

This will allow the chicken to sit on the onion without sticking onto the pan after roasting. And also a secondary purpose after roasting which i will talk about later.

Laying the bird on the pan like this then drizzle some olive oil over the bird then rub it evenly. The oil will ensure the bird brown evenly. and also add some white wine and water into the pan so that it will create an aromatic steam to cook the bird. Adding some fresh herbs like thyme is also great!

How long to cook? how to tell if its done? What temperature?

The answer is simple. Generally, i love using chicken weighing about 1.2kg. This size can feed 2 person comfortably or 4 person with other dishes. Time to cook varies from oven to oven, but generally, 30min +/- 5min in a 180DegC will do. If you are unsure, using a thermometer is the best option. Insert into the thickest part of the chicken and if you get a internal temperature reading of 75DegC, you are safe :) Too low its under cooked, too high the chicken will be dry.

After removing from the oven, let it rest on the rack a little b4 cutting the bird. And in my opinion the best tool is a good pair of kitchen shears rather then knife. Its Easier and less messy.

Next up is the sauce. By adding some some more white wine and leave it in the oven for another 30 sec then scrape everything into a saucepan. Heat up the sauce pan till it boils then...

Turn off the heat and add a knob of cold butter, stir till it dissolve. The butter will add shine and creamy texture to the sauce also enhancing the flavour while thicken the sauce a little.

Cover the bird with foil to keep the temperature warm before serving.

Yummy, juicy and delicious with meat falling off the bone :) I'm loving it!

How to Roast a Chicken (Part 1)

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...

Cookbook

Finally had some progress on my dream cookbook for my friends who were studying overseas and miss singapore food. The idea was to simplify common Singapore food so that my friends could cook while homesick.

Did some research and notes, now left with finalizing recipe which i think would take probably 1 more year.

Its 2 more days to Marathon! meaning no more running and more time to review my recipes :)