This Roast Chicken Recipe Is So Good, It’s Won Blue Ribbons (2024)

FAQs

Should I put foil over my roast chicken? ›

Weigh your chicken and calculate the cooking time according to the guide below. Sit the bird in a roasting tin slightly larger than the chicken, and don't cover it with foil or you won't achieve a crisp skin. Basting your chicken during cooking will help keep the meat moist.

Roast chicken has a juiciness and satisfying savory flavor that even good breasts or legs can never hope to match. While separate cuts of chicken might need a sauce or breading to stand alone as a good meal, a really good roast chicken is only some salt and pepper away from being a plate-clearing meal centerpiece.

Chicken skin needs to be dry in order for it to crisp when cooked. Whether or not you rinse the chicken before prepping, you need to make sure the skin is as dry as possible. After removing the chicken from the package (and washing it, if that is your preferred method) pat each piece dry with paper towels.

Given the fact that drumsticks and thighs are dark meat and won't dry out as easily as breasts, the range from 350 to 450 degrees is okay for baking them. 350 to 375 is generally best for breasts. The best answer to these questions? Simply check the chicken for doneness using an instant read thermometer.

So “roast chicken” is the usual form and emphasizes what sort of chicken it is (edible, tasty, golden brown). “Roasted chicken” is still possible but has a very strong verbal sense (chicken that has been roasted). I wouldn't recommend it unless there's a reason for contrasting it with “unroasted chicken”.

The word bake is usually used when a dish is covered in sauce or cooked in a covered pot. Roasting is often more simple, usually involving a meat or vegetable being coated in oil or another fat, seasoned, and then cooked in an open pan or on a rack.

They're also very moist so it helps the bird stay juicier. Plus, it adds to the aroma which, believe it or not, affects the flavor. All in all, it's an easy way to make your chicken more delicious! Hopefully, you pierced the lemon before stuffing it into the bird...

Some have contracts with local producers that will turn the meat into chicken salad and chicken salad sandwiches. Others make these products in house if they are equipped to do so. Some stores sell it to be turned into canned chicken meat and cat food. Still others donate it to local food kitchens—a tax write-off.

Thanks to the fat, the chickens develop a fantastically intense flavor. Basting also prevents the meat from drying out and is a key factor in developing the rotisserie chicken's trademark brown hue.

The reason Costco's chicken is so juicy is because of a salt solution pumped inside, which is basically like super-brining. That makes the meat moist and evenly seasoned every time, delivering a consistent—though there has been some Reddit uproar about weird-tasting chicken lately in some states—tasting chicken.

What is the secret to crispy chicken? ›

FLOUR + CORNSTARCH + BAKING POWDER

My not-so-secret tip to the best fried chicken is a combination of FLOUR, CORNSTARCH, and BAKING POWDER. When mixed with the flour, the cornstarch makes the flour coating crispier and gives it that golden brown color!

You don't need any fancy tricks or an expansive spice cabinet here, it's just important to hit the most basic seasonings and hit them well. You see, without a generous sprinkling of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, your chicken is basically destined for blandness.

KFC deep fries its chicken for 15 minutes and then drains the oil off for another five minutes – 20 minutes in total. If you don't have a deep fryer, heat up plenty of oil in a large saucepan and do it that way.

When cooking a roast in the oven, keep it uncovered until roasted to the desired doneness. After removing from the oven, tent with foil and let stand 15 minutes before carving. This allows the juices to redistribute, preventing them from draining out during carving—and preventing dry, disappointing meat.

Wrapping the bird with foil is better than roasting it unwrapped. The foil will trap some moisture, but I'm going to say it'll still eat dry. The skin does a much better job of holding moisture in the meat because of its fat. If I had a skinless chicken, I wouldn't bother roasting it at all.

If you wrap foil tightly around fried chicken (like you would if a roast needs to be kept warm), the poultry may stay warm but the crispy skin is going to get soggy.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a rimmed baking pan. In a medium bowl, combine chicken breasts, olive oil, Italian seasoning, seasoned salt, paprika, and black pepper. Mix well to coat. Bake uncovered for 22 to 26 minutes or until the chicken breasts reach and internal temperature of 165°F.