I’ve been vetoed- family insist on chicken not turkey

[CoolShoeshine]

I like turkey for Christmas lunch, basically because it’s traditional and I don’t have it any other day of the year. However my cooking can be a bit hit or miss and sometimes it can be a bit dry.
My son is a fussy eater but this year has started to like chicken. Also my daughter prefers chicken. I was originally loathe to consider chicken as we have it most weeks but with both kids asking for it, it makes sense to have chicken, plus I’m not a great cook but you can’t go far wrong with a chicken. Any tips for how to make chicken more special? Should I get one from a farm shop rather than supermarket? Is it possible to get a big one with lots of leftovers for the following days (the supermarket ones tend to be pretty tichy). Thanks 😊

[WitchesSpelleas]

See if you can talk them into goose - much nicer than chicken or turkey, and actually an older Christmas tradition (in England).

[WitchesSpelleas]

And goose is really easy to roast - needs no basting, just drain the fat from the tin about half way through. Use some of the fat for your roasties and freeze the rest for future use.

[Fishfingersandwichplease]

I was going to bin off turkey this year and have beef...roll on Easter when the lamb is lush!!

[Nikori]

I find these threads really weird. My kids want chicken for Christmas. Oh, well, how about ham, goose, quail, rabbit, lamb, etc?

Why not just make a chicken? There is nothing wrong with chicken at Christmas. It will make the kids happy. Surely, happy kids at Christmas is a good thing especially given what a shitty year it has been.

I'm vegetarian, so I don't really care what meat we have, so maybe I'm missing the point massively.

[Ninkanink]

People are just enjoying chatting about lovely things to eat and making suggestions in case OP hasn’t considered other options.

I don’t see the problem with that, tbh.

[Updownin]

We have two roasts - usually turkey/ chicken and beef or venision (small) would that work?

[Ninkanink]

OP might decide do make a chicken for the children plus something else, for example.

[sashh]

If you don't already have one get a slow cooker OP, just stick the chicken in and leave it for 6 hours, lovely moist chicken.

[Nikori]

OK, fair enough. Have fun!

[MostIneptThatEverStepped]

Another vote for lamb here 😂

But I also believe in giving the people what they want. So if you want turkey, a small turkey crown plus a small chicken for your little ones. Leftovers ahoy!

[Ninkanink]

@Nikori

OK, fair enough. Have fun!

I appreciate it’s probably not that interesting when you don’t eat meat!

Peace and goodwill to all!🎄🎄🎄

[Nikori]

No, it's interesting because I will make Christmas dinner for everyone including the kid's dad. So, I do prepare meat dishes for everyone. I will do a chicken for the main and some ham as well this year.

I just read the OP as asking how to make chicken special for Christmas, not looking for alternative ideas.

[Lalanbaba]

Is mine the only house that no one cares what I'm making for main as far as we have roasties, Yorkshire puddings, gravy and pigs in blankets on tap?

[june2007]

Chicken to me isn,t special it,s just like a sunday roast. But there are lots of options if not Turkey, duck, Goose, Other game birds.

[muckandnettles]

We usually have beef, or occasionally (if dh gets his way) an Indian Takeaway. If it's not traditional turkey then all bets are off and do what you like!

[RippleEffects]

Do you want the whole bird on the table part of the ceremony?

If thats not critical, I find a boned and rolled joint cooks far more evenly and its easier to acurately estimate the cooking time.

Most of the supermarkets do boned joints you could even get a ready to cook turkey breast joint and a ready to cook chicken joint of the same size and do both meats.

For me its all the trimmings that make the Christmas lunch different to a standard roast - the stuffings, the sauces, the fancy veg, the feeling light headed from alcohol when its only lunch time.

Given the choice mine would have chipolata sausages and lots of yorkshire puds for their Christmas lunch (actually that probably does make up the majority of what they pick off the table).

[OHappyDay]

We get two chickens so that theirs plenty for leftovers. We either cook them both at the same time or cook one on Christmas Day and then bung the other one in on Boxing Day.
We serve all the regular trimmings with the chicken and we also have a small gammon/ham aswell (mainly for leftovers )

[Updownin]

I could serve a whole meal and as long as there was lots of stuffing, pigs in blankets, roasties, lots of different veg and gravy I honestly don't think my family would notice of there was no main meat!

[Ninkanink]

@Nikori

No, it's interesting because I will make Christmas dinner for everyone including the kid's dad. So, I do prepare meat dishes for everyone. I will do a chicken for the main and some ham as well this year.

I just read the OP as asking how to make chicken special for Christmas, not looking for alternative ideas.

Yes that was the question, but I didn’t get the sense that OP was necessarily excited about the idea...

Anyway I’m sure OP can ignore all suggestions if so inclined.

I’m hungry now!

[PoprocksAndCoke]

@sashh

If you don't already have one get a slow cooker OP, just stick the chicken in and leave it for 6 hours, lovely moist chicken.

Do you add water or anything or just the chicken? And is it low or high?

[orangenasturtium]

How about a chicken for the DC and turkey paupiettes for anyone who prefers turkey? They are individual turkey breasts wrapped around stuffing with bacon wrapped around the entire parcel. M&S and Booths sell them.

[orangenasturtium]

A happy corn fed, free range chicken will be a lot tastier than a supermarket chicken but if your DC are young fussy they might not like the stronger flavour if they are used to bland supermarket chicken. They are a little tougher too as they use their muscles and don't usually have any water added. They might not like the texture.

[ShrikeAttack]

Another one saying get a cockerel! Whenever the children lobby for turkey at Christmas I buy a cockerel and tell them it's turkey.

Nice and big so it looks festive, but much better flavour and infinitely more juicy!

[StickTheKettleOnAlice]

We eat alot of chicken throughout the year so chicken on Christmas day would be abit 'meh.' We like turkey for a change. I always stuff it with oranges, garlic and onions and coat it in bacon, herbs and seasoning and it is always beautiful and so flavoursome.

[KitKatastrophe]

@Ninkanink

And I would roast two chickens - that way you will have plenty of leftovers.

Also everyone can have delicious brown meat rather than dry old breast