I always ruin meat. Help me not f*** up a very naice chicken please

[UniformSchmooniform]

I have a lovely free range chicken for four which I really don't want to mess up. It's 'herb fed' and I was just going to season with salt pepper and some butter smeared over under tin foil but now I'm seeing people dunk them in brine and shove all sorts inside...

Any tips for succulence and tastiness? Or just basic advice! Thanks x

How big is it?
I always use Nigella's lemon chicken recipe and have found that chicken needs a lot less cooking time than is usually printed on the packet and a good amount of resting time gives it moisture.

I use the basis that a 1.5kg chicken takes 75m at 225C, and use a bit of maths to scale that up. The chicken wants to be room temperature and the oven heated up before they come together.

Pout half a cup of water into the cavity. Baste every 40 mins or so. Let it rest for at least half an hour after it’s cooked.

Thanks! The water tip sounds nice and easy!! It's 2.5kg.

I'd just put it in a slow cooker.

Be warned if you do it can come apart taking it out so put a sheet of foil under to help get it out in one.

My slow cooker is too small for it sadly!! Surely you don't get the crispy skin on it that way? I bet it's juicy though...

I simply put a couple of chunks of onion and half a lemon in the cavity, together with some fresh thyme (if I have it). Smother the whole bird with butter and salt and pepper. Place it on roughly cut chunks of onion in a roasting pan and cook according to the instructions on the label. The onion, lemon and thyme makes a really tasty gravy. I only put foil on towards the end if its looking a bit too brown.

(Think this came from a Nigel Slater book)

Make sure to put the butter under the skin, the space between the skin and the meat. Level up by adding top quality sea salt and fresh tarragon.

In the cavity of the bird, quarter a lemon and smash some fresh garlic and pop in.

Nothing but some salt and pepper on the skin.

So simple, but absolutely delicious. And the juices make an amazing gravy.

Cook it upside down for the first half then turn it breastfeeding up for the second half.

A meat thermometer is well worth the investment. I also put an onion in.

Breast not breastfeeding obviously!

For crispy skin, keep covered with tin foil until the last 30 mins. (And do baste every now and then before that - I prefer to put around a cm of water in the baking tin and again when taking off the foil.) Use the liquid to make the gravy.

Agree with the thermometer. Most succulent chicken I ever had was the result of it coming out if the oven when the centre has reached temperature. Realised that why we eat chicken. Lush.

Don't think I can get a meat thermometer in time! These are sounding very doable. I might pop out and get an extra lemon and some garlic...

Salt and pepper and roast breast side down for the first half an hour then flip and finish off right way up. Oven 180. Nothing else, it'll be delicious. Rest it afterwards. Follow the cooking time instructions on the packaging.

You need a terracotta pot with lid for your oven.

Put some water, garlic, parsley, celery, onion and carrots on the bottom and sit the chicken on top.

Falls apart but the skin is so crispy.

I would also mix up some oil with parsley and tarragon and spread over the top of it.

Stick it in the oven at 190 for 1 and a bit hours, probably 1 hour 15min. Put a bit of oil over it and a sprinkle of salt to make the skin yummy.
When you take it out of the oven and it looks done, use a narrow pointed knife and stab it horizontally in the thick part of the flesh, behind the drumstick. Put a clean spoon to collect the juices that run out of the stab hole. If they are red (ie bloody in the middle) then it isn't done and stick it back in. When they are clear and v pale brown it's done.

@UniformSchmooniform

My slow cooker is too small for it sadly!! Surely you don't get the crispy skin on it that way? I bet it's juicy though...

For crispy skin you do need to put it in the oven for 10 mins.

I agree with some lemon in the cavity.

@UniformSchmooniform

My slow cooker is too small for it sadly!! Surely you don't get the crispy skin on it that way? I bet it's juicy though...

Nooo to the slow cooker!

Unwrap the chicken from its plastic bag tonight and leave in the fridge. First thing in the morning take out of the fridge to bring up to temperature. I then make sure it’s dry and wipe with kitchen paper, put butter under the skin, and half a lemon, some garlic cloves and a few sprigs of thyme in the cavity. Then plenty of salt and pepper on the skin. Make sure the lemon is unwaxed, or well washed if you’re not sure. Cook on high for about 90 mins, make sure the juices at the thigh run clear, remove from oven, drain the juices for the gravy, cover with foil and a clean tea towel to keep warm.

I'm lazy but have had compliments on my chicken. Rub with veg oil, sprinkle skin with mixed herbs and fresh ground black pepper. Put in oven for stated time, baste bout half hour before done. Remove from oven, carefully remove skin if want crisp, wrap tightly in foil for at least half an hour (most important) before carving.

If it is a relatively small bird I usually use half a lemon instead of a whole one, otherwise you can end up with gravy that's rather too lemony.

OP, I think it is worth asking how you always ruin meat? Is it an amount of time thing (DM always just assumes how long it should cook instead of, you know, look it up), taste, texture?

So we can focus on wherever you're going wrong.

I try to cook for the amount of time on the packet but it's invariably dry - regardless of whether chicken beef and always with pork. I wonder if my oven runs a bit on the hot side...It wasn't a very expensive oven! To be honest I AM probably guilty of giving it "just ten minutes more to be on the safe side" etc.

Ironically I am amazing at making gravy from the juices (probably as we need a lot of gravy)...

I've gone to the corner shop and got a lemon and some garlic so am going to add those, and butter under the skin (always done it on top so that's a revelation)... I have some sea salt and can grind fresh peppercorns... Will add some water to the cavity too... I'll have to do a pic of how it turns out!

So many great tips - god bless mumsnet!

The time on the packet is always over estimated and adding a bit more will make things worse.
The Good Food roast timer is a good guide and much easier to use www.bbcgoodfood.com/roast-timer

How did you go OP? I hope my tips helped!

It was amazing!! A combination of all tips resulted in a delicious chicken. Thanks everybody. Now to pick it clean for sandwiches...