Perfect roast chicken-Lemon up the arse?

[Melliejellie]

DH and I are having a heated "discussion" over this

I think a perfect roast chicken is made as follows.
Chicken skin rubbed with oil, little slits made in it.
Mixed herbs and salt rubbed in. Sliced garlic cloves pushed into the little slits.

Half a lemon is then inserted into the arse of said chicken, before roasting.

DH maintains this is madness. In his heathen eyes, the chicken should be rubbed with butter, placed in roasting tray in a few cm of water, and roasted with stuffing placed up its bum.

The stuffing he would use is the dried stuff. Either way he thinks the lemon is unnecessary insanity

So as not to drip feed, he also thinks pork pies should be heated

I'm right, aren't I?

Lemon, garlic and herbs up the bum and butter under the skin. Stuffing should be cooked separately with a great big bit of butter mixed in 😀

Definitely a lemon up the bum, but also cooked on a bed of really thinly sliced potatoes and onion which soak up the juices. And cook the chicken upside down for the first half as it makes for an even more tender bird.

Isn't there something about stuffing a chicken cavity that can cause food poisoning if not done right?

You're both right. ^Even about the pork pies*. They're good both ways.

I raise an eyebrow at slitting the skin though...

Troys If you don't cook eg a sausagemeat stuffing all through, sure.
Mick I'm a big subscriber to doing the first half upside-down, moist breast FTW! (apologies to all anti-moist fanatics)

@TroysMammy usually, if you have stuffing, you should add the weight of that to the cooking time of the bird.

But usually you throw away the onion or lemon in the cavity, and it has a bit more space and less weight usually.

Oh, I don’t agree with skin slitting, sorry! Skin should remain intact, with butter (and garlic and herbs if you like) put under the skin.

Lemon up the bum, or a whole garlic, or an onion cut in half. Not stuffing though.

Between you, you have the perfect roast.

DP claims the best chicken he's ever eaten he stuffed a can of beer up its arse,with the chicken upright on a stand, I'm a vegetarian so it made me feel a bit funny!

@Pinkywoo I have a Polish friend who always insists on cooking with chicken this way. It is good though, fair play to him.

I'm with you OP. We do 2 halves of lemon up its arse with salt, pepper and thyme. Skin slit (very small and only a couple) to create pockets. Shove butter into the pockets and across the whole bird, more salt and pepper and roast on a bed of onions. Stuffing cooked separately.

Yum! Plus the onions soak up all the buttery goodness. I want roast chicken now.

Lemon up the arse all the way
he’s wrong

I am happy to say that today's chicken will have a lemony arse.

I want to try beer can chicken though!

Don't agree with slitting the skin. But a whole lemon, quartered, plus a generous bunch of fresh tarragon up the arse is the best!

This sounds delicious!

Your way but with garlic inside, no skin slitting. Oh and cook upsidedown until near the end, then put the right way up. That's how XH did it anyway and everyone loved it. I'm vegetarian so wouldn't have a clue!

Jamie trick is to boil the lemon for a bit whil3 you are par boiling the potatoes for roasties then put hot lemon up the chickens bum. It reduces cookin* time by 15 mins and nice bit of lemon to the roasties.

Buy a sage plant.
Dirt cheap and give a big punch of sage when shoved in with an onion or lemon if you are being continental. Makes it all artisan.

Not sure about DH though. How often is he heating pork pies up?

I love to put stale bread and lots of garlic up the bum. Lovely chicken juicy garlic bread. Yum.

Roast chicke, Mookins style.
Out the fridge an hour before, unwrapped etc.
Garlic infused olive oil - 1-2 tablespoons with a chicken oxo cube made into a paste smeared over said chickem which is then generously seasoned with ground black pepper/sea salt. Some garlic cloves inside and a half an onion.
We’re having this today with sweet potato mash, carrots, broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower cheese.

Now I want a chicken but I’m too lazy and unshowered to go out. :(

Liking that you specified that the lemon had to be up the arse OF THE CHICKEN

Actually very sensible. A&E full enough of MNers as it is.

I originally wrote hot lemon up the bum...and then though5 ‘there’s bound to be one....!’

Half lemon up the arse, other half squeezed over the bird. Salt, herbs then butter spread liberally with a knife. Quarter a big onion and put the bird on top of it.

Which do I get first?

I'm not keen on lemony chicken and am at slitting the skin. I roast mine upside down for the first half of cooking with onion, garlic, butter and herbs up its arse. It makes chicken well succulent.

Never slit the skin. You're confusing it with a leg of lamb. He's right about smothering it with butter. You are right about the lemon.