cooking a chicken

[informashun]

my usual way is to cover with rapeseed oil and foil and cook as normal .
it always has little taste and i would like some ways to imrove this.
over to you
thans in advance

[BBWCHATT]

My favorite is to sprinkle it with rosemary & olive oil.

I also from time to time sprinkle it with granulated chicken bullion - you have to be careful though, because it can get too salty.

I always cook it low and slow.

[Buenchico]

Start with a free range chicken. There's a good scientific reason for this: The 'meat' on a chicken is muscle tissue and this can only really develop the best texture (and the best taste) if the bird is allowed to get some exercise.

Consider buying a corn fed free range chicken. The scientific evidence for corn fed chickens providing a better flavour is disputable but there is strong anecdotal evidence suggesting that might be the case.

Keep the rapeseed oil for cooking chips. Switch to olive oil to bring out the flavour.

Then take a look at the BBC website and simply put 'roast chicken' into the search box. You'll find hundreds of recipe suggestions:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/

Chris

[nickmo]

Stick a half lemon in the cavity for one thing - keeps the juices flowing. Make a decent gravy with the outpourings too - that will perk it up.

Start with the absolute best bird you can afford - any 2 for a fiver rubbish will taste useless and need a jar of chemicals like Chicken Tonight to get any taste out of it.

Rub with a garlic dressing. Also lift the skin over the breast and rub over with butter before roasting. Add some goood herbs like rosemary and thyme (or lemon thyme for variation0 in the cavity which will infuse a flavour.

Roast over a bed of diced root veg. and drape streaky bacon and paprika over the breast - cover the bacon until the last 30 mins of cooking to stop over doing it. Roast with decentchipolats too for extra taste.

Always give the bird 15 mins at least resting before carving to allow the meat to relax. this will also improve the flavour. make the veg and gravy while it is sitting.

Try the 40 cloves of garlic recipe - http://thefoody.com/int/chicken40.html is one version. You can joint the bird or leave whole. The result is a creamy infusion of garlic with a soft aroma, not a stinking heap of garlicy poultry. Try it!!

[Pea Pod]

I always boil mine. No crispy skin but the juiciest best chicken.

[Eve]

I mix some butter up with some salt, fine chopped garlic and herbs and place it under the skin on the top of the chicken saving a little bit to rub over the top of the chicken before cooking.

Rather than oil and especially if i'm making gravy i'd put some lard in the tray and use it to baste with the juices throughout cooking. For a nice richer flavour I'd mix a bit of chicken gravy granules in with the lard one melted and juices and use that to cook in and baste.

Lovely with saffron roasties :)

[aurelia]

I am allergic to garlic so I do what you do but befroe I had indigestion problems - I used to make up a rub for chicken.

Cover with rapeseed oil and then


for the rub

1 tablespoon Italian herb seasoning
1 tablesopon rosemary
1 tablespoon mixed herbs
1 tablespoon garlic granules
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
and a little nutmeg

I ground this in food processor and kept for months in an airtight tub

I then rubbed it with my hands all over chicken on both sides - tastes and smells lovely - unfortunatley my stomach won't let me enjoy this anymore

[aurelia]

forgot to say I have a vertical rotisserie - but I never cover in tinfoil and have roasted in oven in same way

[Billy Reid S]

Do yourself a favour, buy a rotisserie.
Forget the fancy recipes just rub the bird with seseme seed oil and get it turning.