How to avoid ruining my 13 bloody euro pricey chicken.

[Loquace]

Supermarket had run out of normal sized chickens.

All they had were 4 kilo odd whoppers. 13 fecking euros.

Excpet.....it won't fit in the bag (I roast chickens in Buitoni bags, the only way I can do it without ending up with dried and horrible chicken) and it is so bloody BIG.

Do I cover it with foil ? Will that work instead of the bag ?

And how much longer do I have to cook it than a normal sized chicken ? Do I do longer at a lower temp ? (and what degrees centigrade would that be ?)

I went to look at Jamies perfect roast chicken, but of course that isn't a powerlifter chicken,(less than half the size of this monster)

I should have just left the damn thing there and gone back another day. I am going to throw 13 euros in the oven and turn it into something the cats will turn their noses up at.

If by some miricle somebody gives me advice that I manage to pull off, after chicken for dinner I want to make a creamy chicken pie, but recipies say use a tin of soup. I don't like tinned soup. Is there something I can make myself for the creamy/liquidy element ?

I'm vegan but DH still cooks chicken, when cooking large birds in the oven he uses a tin with double tin foil wrapped over the bird (but not touching) and add water to the tin so a steam is created keeping the bird moist. I would be inclined to treat it as a turkey (either by my method, butter between skin/flesh or soaking it Nigella style in water over night) just to be on the safe side and not waste your money.

Chicken pie he usually make a seasoned white sauce, with chicken and veg and puff pastry :)

We have a good recipe which basically involves slathering an entire pack of butter over the chicken then roasting it. You don't cover with foil but instead turn every twenty minutes to make sure nothing burns. Bit of a faff but it comes out beautifully. Re time I think you just need to keep it in longer, maybe Google time per kilo?

rub it in butter then cover the breasts in streaky bacon, sling a glass of wine into the roasting tin and shove half a lemon up its cavity. Cover with tin foil, roast at 180 for an hour, remove foil and turn bird over onto its back. Roast for another 30 mins (am guessing this bird is a whopper). Turn over again and give it ten minutes to brown up a bit. Skewer the thigh, if the juice runs clear its done, if not give it another ten and test again - rinse and repeat. When it comes out of the oven rest it under tinfoil and a clean teatowel.

Chicken generally takes 20 mins per Kg at 180 c. I cover mine with foil and take off for last 20 mins, water in bottom of tray and lemon or orange up it's bottom!

Right, it's in. With butter, but no bacon, cos Italy doesn't do bacon bacon, only pancetta, and my pancetta is in cubes.

I read 45 min per kilo and then 20 on top at 200C !

Now I don't know what time to take it out

I think I hate nthis massive chicken. I must prefer my nice little one kilo ish chikkies.

i MUCH prefer even...

I've never even heard of a 4kg chicken before. That's as big as a fair sized turkey! I suggest you roast breast-side down, baste frequently, and finish the legs and breast separately. Breasts should be done after about two hours, legs will take another thirty or so. It will need to rest before carving for at least twenty mins.

I did wonder if I had bught a turkey by mistake, but it definatly says "pollo(chicken)" on the lable, and I got two massive lumps of turkey for the slow cooker and you can see they are not a chicken.

I only bought it becuase I assumed this was the size everybody was talking about when they said "rubber chicken". My normal sized 1 kilo ish chicken only yeilds one meal, a bit of chicken for a sandwitch (but not for all three of us) and bone for the stock pile in the freezer.

This huge thing has to be able to do a dinner, two pies and meat for applecarrotchicken "yes it's the same as McDonald's just eat it for goodness sake" nuggets ...right ?

God, next Time I will buy four little chickens. Much less stressful. And they fit in the sodding bag!

I feel more confident when my chicken is coralled in a bag.

How did it turn out??

Well!

We had tomthrow all the cats outside so we could eat and Lilly the kitten was so impressed by the smell that she took a flying leap and landed smack in the middleof DH's plate (she is too little to go out and doesn't like being left alone so she had to benthere).

It was jiucy without being watery. Nice texture, excellent taste, easy to carve, loads left for other things...

I did have a pissed off moment during the "rest the chicken" stage though. There was much muttering of "oh she needs a rest. Right. Obviously. Becuase all my stress and nerpusly peering through theoven door every five minutes, that was much less tiring than sitting in a pan enjoying a nice warm glow."

Thanks for the help people. I would have flagellated myself if I had screwed it up and chucked all that money in the bin.

If you ask at the deli counter or in your local shop you can get pancetta sliced either affumicata or normale and bung that on the top ...

If you ask at the deli counter or in your local shop you can get pancetta sliced either affumicata or normale and bung that on the top ...

For the next time that's what I'll do, I think it would add a lovely note to the finished roast.

I'm glad it went well!