When cooking a chicken..?

[flobadob]

Do you have to cover it in tin foil or can you just put it into the oven without any tinfoil covering it? Does it make any difference?

[ummmm]

I don't use foil. I smear it with butter, season and pop in the oven.

[NazNomad]

Cover it, take it off halfway through to crisp up the skin.

[mrs_overall]

I cover it with foil to stop the chicken drying out and the skin burning. I take the foil off for the last 30 mins

[ummmm]

Mine doesn't dry out. I seen Jamie Oliver do it once and have never covered it since. I suppose a fan oven helps.

[Toxophilus]

My method is to put my chicken in a roasting tin, having first covered the base of the tin with oil, and lightly brushed the top of the chicken with oil after pricking it all over, legs as well, to pierce the skin. Into the tin I then put a centimetre or so of hot water. Put on the lid and away you go at 170 degrees. The juices come out of the skin and brown the top (if you eat the skin you can cover it with salt but we don't) and the water in the tin keeps the bird from drying out and of course it will not shrink so much. It comes out succulent and juicy. Try it. I don't think you will find a better method. Toxophilus.

[lorri24601]

i have always thought the only reason to use it was to keep the oven clean lol

[Toxophilus]

PS. My method leaves you with a tin to clean, and keeps the oven free of splashes. T.

[Diane1954]

Similar but I don't just put water in.I put leeks,onions,carrots,any vegetables really.
They produce their own water and make lovely tasting stock

[webbo3]

I always rub some butter over the bird, season with salt and pepper and pop a quater slice of orange and lemon ( this keeps it nice and moist) in the cavity then cover with foil, wack the oven on full blast and when its up to temerature put the chicken in and turn down to 170c, about 1/2 hr from the end of the cooking time remove the foil to crisp the skin up.



Dave.

[flobadob]

I only ever cooked one once years ago. The wife is trying it today and she just bunged it in and basted it every now and then so will see how it turns out. Looks like everyone has there own method so will try a few of the suggestions if we start to cook it regularly. I like the idea of putting water and veg in the tray with the chicken. Thanks for all the advice.

[tiggerblue10]

I always smear my chicken in butter, lemon juice, garlic and thyme and then baste it a few times during cooking time. I never cover it in foil as the skin won't crisp up.

[angiealf]

Put your chicken in roasting dish breast side down. Then half way through the cooking time - turn it right way up to crispen skin. This way the cooking juices run into the breast - then distributes back into the rest of the meat after turning - meaning you get an evenly moist bird.

[flobadob]

Funnily enough angie, that actually is what happened. She put in in upside down and we didn't even notice until I went to carve it. At least now I can let her know she can say she meant to do that. And as you say it did turn out very succulent.