Right, have bought a chicken for the first time ever.... could someone please tell me how to cook it? (among other things!)

[TambaTheDragonSlayer]

Its a meduim size on and it says it has no giblets inside. Never bought one bofore 0 cant stand the thought of touching raw meat but anyhow...

Have bought a lemon and some garlic to go in it. Do I put them in before cooking? Do I have to peel the lemon?

Do I put oil on it or anything?

Also how do I do roast potaotes? Boil first and then put in oven or just stick them straight in? Do I have to put oil on them?

(Have never bought oil either!)

Have also for the first time bought Sweet Potato which im going to put in the oven? Do I cook it first? Same as normal potatoes?

Going to roast an onion!!!

How long will they take to roast? How long should the chicken be in before I put every thing else in the oven? How can I tell when the chicken is cooked?

Bought veggies to cook too!! (Im assuming you just stick them in a pan for 15 mins?)

How bad does it sound that ive never cooked veggies???

Am working on it though....

Mix up a little olive oil w/some seasoning, garlic and the juice from the lemon.

Annoint the chicken w/it and put the lemon halves in the chicken's body.

Wrap in foil, put in a roasting tin and roast for about 2 hours at 180C.

ok

keeping it very simple.

rub some oil round the chicken.

stick lemon and garlic cloves in it

bit of salt and pepper on top.

in oven for an hour at 200....first half hour upside down and then turn over for last half.

then take it out and rest it (put it on plate and cover it with foil for 15 mins or so.

voila.

roast potatoes, you can do the whole parboiling shenanigins but actually if you peel them, half them and then put a little oil on them (shake about in a bag with oil in it or just rub some on them) and stick them in at the same time as chicken they'll be perfectly ok.

same with onions, peel them and rub oil on and stick them in whole.

good for you!!!!!!

Packaging on chicken should give you a rough idea of time it will take to cook and an approxmiate temp to cook it on.

Other wise I would say about hour and half, on gas mark 6 (180 degrees). Then check to see if juices run clear by piercing through chicken. If not will have to go on longer (I have fan so my timings sometimes are different).

RIght heres plan

Turn oven on to gas mark 6 (180 degrees).
Prepare chicken by getting oven tray, Put chicken on. Stick half lemon up bum (you can wear gloves) with garlic cloves (don't need to peel or chop them- just seperate into seperate cloves). If have black pepper put some on top of chicken. Peel onion and cut into wedges and arrange round chicken. Stick in oven. Put oil in another oven dish for roast veg and stick in too.

Peel potatoes (sweet and ordinary), plus any root veg, chop into large chunks and boil for 15-20 minutes. Drain. Rough up edges with fork and stick in oven tray (that you have already warmed).

Prepare other veg and stick in pans of water. Turn on needed.

Do you need to know how to make gravy?

That any help?

whoaa, different cooking times....if it is about a kilo, you can do it my way...if bigger slow roast it like expat says.

actually if it is kilo up the oven temp to 220....an hour will do it.

you can tell if cooked by putting skewer (or other sharp thing) into thickest bit of thigh...if there is any pink blood in the juice then you need to bung it back in.

but remember that it continues to cook whilst it's resting.

I assume you want to roast it, if so, cut the lemon into halves or quarters and stuff them inside the chicken together with a couple of cloves of peeled garlic.

Heat a little bit of oil in the oven first, then add the chicken and pour a little of the oil over the chicken occasionally during cooking time (called basting)

Potaotes; some people par-boil potatoes, ie boil them for a bit and then add to the roasting tin with the chicken.

Sweet potato doesn't take as long as white pots, about 15 mins less.

Steam your veg, takes about 20 mins or so. Depends what you've got.

So chicken in first, then pots, then sweet pots, veg last 20 mins!

Whole thing should take about an hour - I'm sure someone can help you with timings. I'm so used to it I dont even think!

And please tell me this is not a wind up!!!

Wow, really you've never roasted stuff before?? But it is by far the easiest way of cooking.
OK - Chicken, rinse, inside and out, under a cold tap and then pat dry with kitchen paper. Half the lemon and stick it inside the chicken. Roughly smash up a few cloves of garlic and throw them inside too. Peel a couple of cloves of garlic and cut them into slices, make small cuts in the skin of the chicken and shove the bits of garlic under it. Smear the chicken with some butter and season with lots of salt and pepper.
Cook for 20 minutes per pound and 20 over at around 170C. Check that it is cooked by piercing the largest part of the leg and make sure the juices are clear with no sign of blood.

Potatoes - if you want REALLY crispy yummy ones, peel, cut into pieces, scrape down one side with a fork (so it's corrugated iyswim), parboil for about 4 mins, drain, leave in saucepan, put lid back on pan, then SHAKE and SHAKE until they are really fluffy (you have to hold the lid on). Then put round the chicken and cook for about 45 mins, turning half way through.

101 ways to roast a chicken!

I really like whole roasted garlic with it - yummeeeeeee!

Tamba, seriously, have you never done roast potatoes, bought oil or cooked veg? (chicken I can understand if you don't like it)

Sounds like your cooking is progressing in leaps and bounds Tamba.

Do you know how to make gravy?

Let us know how the roast works out. I prefer it with stuffing myself. I love eating the stuffing and yorkshire puddings more than the chicken itself.

The chicken says 1.550kg

I have got some bisto stuff that I think you just add water too for gravy.

Seriously, do I have to wash the chicken????

I have brocoli (not tried that before though) Carrots (recently tried them cooked for the first time, not overly keen but not to bad when covered with potato) and Peas.

Seriously never done it before! Have cooked lunch before but using instant mash, aunt bessies roasts, tinned potaotes and steaks. Never bothered including veggies as H didnt eat them. He prefered Chips and stuff. But now its just me I am trying to learn to cook properly. I have already mastered tuna pasta bake and shepards pie!!

YOu can roast carrots in with the potatoes - you might prefer them that way.

Well, good for you!

carrots take longer to cook than broccoli and peas (frozen peas take no time at all). Cut the carrots into sticks, start them off first, then add broccoli and lastly peas. Assuming you are boiling them, the water can be used for making the gravy.

Homemade gravy can be the next lesson imo. I really hope you enjoy your dinner! - let us know how you get on!

ever?

freak

you ahev never eatenc carrots or broccoli
god youa re wird

Have lost a stone and a half since H left through not eating ready meal type crap that he liked!

So if I want dinner to be ready at 4pm....

2.30pm - wash chicken, quater lemon and garlic thing. Put some lemon juice with some oil and black pepper over the top and stick the rest of the lemon and garlic instide chicken. Put some more oil into the roasting tray and let it heat up and then put chicken in, cover with foil.

3pm - peel potaotes (and peel sweet potaotes?) chop up and put in pan for 15 mins. Get them out and put them into the tray with the chicken, put in onion. put more oil and lemon on and re cover

3.30pm - put some more poatoes in a pan with the other veggies and boil for ????. Turn chicken over and put more oil and lemon on.

3.50pm - Get chicken out and leave to sit for a few mins. Mash boiled potaotes. Get roasted veg out. make gravy. Serve lovely meal.... (hopefully)

Sound about right?

just to add to what's gone before, you can buy roasting bags for chickens in supermarkets(beside tin foil)
you put chicken in it with herbs or whatever you want, seal bag + put on roasting tray in oven. follow cooking directions you already have for time/temp etc
this keeps all the juices in bag that you can use for gravy
hope it turns out yummy for you however you cook it!!

I am wierd Cod! We grew up on spaggetti bolengaise or savoury rice and fish fingers! Then moved into Mil and she threw everything into the deep fryer (I got fat!!) then lived with H and had a diet of microwave curry and take away - even for breakfast (I got fatter!!) Then had kids and had lots of nuggets, chips and beans or pizza....

But the last few months, I haven cooked a single nugget! And I never ever fry anything - yuk.

Have lost lots of weight and feel so much better for it health wise. And sleep better. Kids behave better cause I dont buy any crap.

Yes Tamba you do have to rinse the chicken under the tap (inside and out). It's important that it's dried afterwards otherwise the skin will not go crisp. So you need kitchen towels or something to pat it dry.

For gravy you need to pour the fat out of the tray first (just tip it or scoop it out) then follow the instructions on your packet. If it isn't as thick as you want, add a little cornflour but it can get lumpy, in which case pour it through a strainer into a little serving jug.

A vegetable I really like roasted is parsnip.

Keep your chicken bones and you can try chicken soup next.

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How do you steam something? I have a microwave and various pots and pans but no steamer.

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don't bother washing the chicken Tamba - I never do.

I always shove a peeled medium sized onion up its whatsit as well as the lemon and garlic, plus I lay strips of bacon over the body which helps keep it moist while cooking, plus it's yummy to nibble afterwatds.

god no
re ewashing

Tamba, you don't need 3 lots of potatoes. Roast white pots and sweet pots is plenty (don't par-boil sweet pots, just put them in 20 mins after the others).

Make sure the oven is pre-heated well enough before adding the chicken - 7/10 mins depending on your oven.