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How do I save a very dry roast chicken?

7 replies

howdoibegintodeal · 25/12/2021 16:58

I’ve never roasted a chicken in my life . Supposed to be making Christmas dinner - entirely alone - for my mum and sister tomorrow .

Mum can’t help - long term severe mental health difficulties that they thought was dementia but decided last week is probably ‘just’ a personality disorder - and sister won’t help, she has autism/milder LDs but won’t help, she’ll just stand and shout that I’m doing it wrong .

I bought a chicken crown from Tesco, stuck in oven with water, white wine, veg (celery, carrots, leeks) onions, lemon juice, chicken stock and butter and it’s come out so bloody dry it’s almost inedible . I puréed the veg down, and seived it with the meat juices and wine to make gravy . The gravy’s salty/very fatty tasting and the chickens so bloody dry .

Mum has told me its been cooked wrong (she’s a fully trained chef so would know) , but I followed online instructions down to a T except we don’t have a roasting tin .

I’ve already cooked her breakfast, and lunch, neither of which Mum enjoyed I think (because of the mental health) and now I’ve screwed up dinner .

Have spent eight hours in the kitchen, I haven’t received a single present except for a and just want to cry and walk out . I haven’t had a proper Christmas for years now with everything going on and feel like I’m being ungrateful and miserable but I am absolutely exhausted . I should be glad I’m at home with mum as they were threatening a nursing home last week but she can’t do anything at all, even needs help to brush her teeth and hides her washing etc .

I’m not good enough, I’ve screwed up everything, and I don’t know what to do. GP just says take bloody valium to block it out and then can’t function .

Anyway how the hell do I save this bloody chicken? Haven’t got anything else I can serve sister tomorrow and she’s already had a Chinese last night so won’t eat another, and have to feed mum something !

OP posts:
GorgonzolaSouffle · 25/12/2021 17:01

Petrol stations are open tomorrow.
Buy some sliced chicken and serve that.

No one will know.

Sorry you are having a bad day xx

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 25/12/2021 17:04

Tesco and Aldi are open tomorrow, go and get a gammon and bung it in the oven for 2 hours. Perfect . You can't save a dry chicken so don't even try.

AdaColeman · 25/12/2021 17:17

Buy some ready made gravy, slice the chicken thinly then warm the chicken up in the gravy, let it bubble gently for 5 or 10 minutes before serving. Treat it gently, you don't want the meat to break up.

The method that you used wouldn't give you roast chicken if that's what you were aiming for. It sounds more like braised chicken.

Don't throw away all the gravy you've made, use it with the carcass of your chicken to make chicken soup, you can also add those left over vegetables if you haven't thrown them away.

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howdoibegintodeal · 25/12/2021 17:30

Thank you, I’ve pulled the chicken off the bone bit underneath and the underneath bits aren’t so so bad, salvageable , that makes sense that I haven’t roasted it - I expected it to go crispy and that definitely hasn’t happened . Mum doesn’t have a roasting tin so I just sort of binged it all on an oven tray and wrapped it in tinfoil hoping for the best .

Internet said something about chucking more water into salty gravy which I’ve done, it tastes a bit dull but it’s not burning your mouth off salty anymore .

Now that I’ve calmed down a bit we have some stuffing bits in the freezer so hopefully that will be enough with the bits of chicken that aren’t too bad .

Christmas is so bloody stressful, I miss when I was younger and mum was able to cook ! I feel like Monica in friends trying to do thanksgiving … ‘potatoes are ruined, potatoes are ruined, potatoes are ruined…’

OP posts:
AdaColeman · 25/12/2021 17:44

If you've got some redcurrant jelly or cranberry jelly stir a couple of teaspoons into you gravy to cheer it up a bit. Add one spoon then taste and add the second spoon if required. You could also add a splash of port or red wine. Leave the gravy in the fridge overnight and you might be able to lift off any excess fat tomorrow, as you thought it was too fatty.

Beamur · 25/12/2021 17:54

Or put a couple of thick slices of uncooked potato in the gravy as you warm it up. That will take away some of the salt.
Make a pie with the dry chicken? Add a bit of stock/roasting juices to the left over chicken before you put it in the fridge.

CendrillonSings · 25/12/2021 17:54

A good side helping of chilli jam or some chunky horseradish relish is your friend…

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