The art of roasting a chicken - includes recipes

Sunset, March, 1995 by Elaine Johnson

Who doesn't love a good roast chicken, with juicy meat and richly browned skin? Infinitely versatile, roast chicken is the cook's friend: just pop the bird in the oven, and before you know it, dinner is ready. Sounds ideal--yet, truth be told, we've all scratched our heads on occasion over those that fell short of perfection. To take the guesswork out of roasting a chicken, we revisited techniques, trying ovens hot to cooler, different equipment, and basting versus not. Here's what we learned.

Oven temperature. Turn it up to 450 [degrees] for the best browning, crispiest skin, and most succulent meat. At this temperature it isn't necessary to start the bird with breast down to enhance moistness.

The high heat will create some spattering, and you may need to switch on the fan; we say forget the clean oven and go for it. (If you add a little water to the roasting pan it will reduce spattering considerably, though the skin won't be quite as crisp.)

For the optional glazes (recipes below) and Mahogany Chicken (recipe on page 96), you will need to reduce the heat to 400 [degrees] to prevent scorching; meat will still be moist.

Equipment. We tried roasting chickens directly in the pan and with different racks: the old-fashioned V-shaped rack, vertical roasters, even a spitlike suspension device. We found the V-shaped rack creates the most even browning.

Basting. Using pan juices for basting enhances browning nicely, and we find a brush more effective than a bulb baster with a chicken's modest amount of drippings.

When's it done? Don't overcook the bird if you want moist meat. For greatest accuracy, use a meat thermometer. With the chicken breast side up on a V-shaped rack, pull back a drumstick and insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh, angling it parallel to, but not touching, the thigh bone; cook until thermometer reaches 180 [degrees]. The drumstick should wiggle easily, and thigh meat should no longer be pink.

Finally, if the golden bird before you cries out for carving skills you don't have, take the easy route. With poultry shears or strong kitchen scissors, cut the legs off at the joints. Then snip chicken to one side of the breastbone and right through the backbone into serving pieces.

Sunset's Basic Roast Chicken

Enjoy the simple perfection of a plain roast chicken, or try one of the options that follow: roasted with rosemary and garlic, or brushed with chili-lemon or apricot-Dijon glaze. If your chicken is smaller or larger than this size, adjust cooking time accordingly.

1 chicken, 3 1/2 to 4 pounds
2 teaspoons olive oil
  Salt and pepper

Per serving: 163 cal. (34 percent from fat); 4.7 g protein; 6.1 g fat (0.9 g sat.), 23 g carbo.; 779 mg sodium; 0.3 mg chol.