# How to get crispy skin on roasted chicken?



## justfryit

OK guys. There has to be a good trick to getting crispy delicious chicken skin and not have the meat be shoe leather. I've eaten it before so I know it's possible.

What's the secret. Is it done by s l o w l y roasting the chicken at a low temp? Should the chicken be allowed to dry out a little in the air first (refrigerated)?

How do you make crispy roasted chicken?

As long as we're at it, what do you do to make today's bland chicken "eyes roll back in your head", lip-smacking good? If you were autitioning for your dream job and it was riding on your preparation of a roasted chicken, how would you do it?


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## markv

Roast the chicken at high heat, at least 400. Depending on the size of the chicken, the skin should be crisp by the time the meat is done. For a large bird however, you run the risk of burning the outside before the meat is cooked. Here you can start it on low heat and then put the spurs to it toward the end of the roasting process.

Brine the chicken for extra moistness and/or rub a compound butter under the skin before roasting.

Mark


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## phatch

It also helps if you leave the chicken exposed in the fridge for 12 hours or so before roasting. Dries out the skin so it crisps faster.

Phil


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## clove

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/re...s/views/231348

I found the above recipe on Epicurious and it is now my favorite method for roast chicken. I was a little suspicious of the simple preparation, but it was fantastic and the skin was nice and crispy. Read the reviews from others that have made it.


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## mudbug

Never underestimate a "simple" recipe.


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## josephreese

I was about to suggest that justfryit check out the Bouchon cookbook from the library to see Thomas Keller's roast chicken recipe. It seems that keller gave Epicurious permission to post his recipe... the very one you linked.


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## jonk

Our favorite technique is the Bistro-style roast from the late Pierre Franey's "Cuisine Rapide". It's a high heat recipe that produces a moist bird similar to a spit roasted chicken. We're planning to make it tonight!

In brief, load the cavity with a bay leaf, a few sprigs thyme (or a 1/2 tsp dry), and a garlic clove (or substitute your favorite chicken herbs--we like rosemary or fresh sage), sprinkle inside and out with salt and pepper, and truss the bird. Oil the skin. 

Place the bird on one side in a shallow roasting pan and scatter the neck, gizzard, etc. along with a quartered, peeled onion, around the bird. Roast 20 minutes in a pre-heated 425 degree oven, basting occasionally with any accumulated fat. Do the same for another 20 minutes on the other side. Remove accumulated fat.

Place the chicken on its back and put 2 tbsp butter, 1/2 cup chicken broth, and 1/4 cup water in the pan and roast another 20 minutes or until juices run clear, basting occasionally. Remove the chicken and let its juices flow into the pan. 

Undo the chicken. Meanwhile, place the pan on the stove and bring to a boil, scraping the pan. Serve the chicken with the pan sauce.


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## blueschef

Jon K,
I love chicken like that! I have done it with poulets and cornish hens as well, just serve em whole with the sauce and some spuds and veggies!


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## dowley

See how y'all go with this.  Bit of a variation on Crispy Skin Pork, and Duck.  Got an 'asian' origin about it.

Pretty simple - take your chicken and leave it out of the fridge for 10 - 20 mins just to take the chill away from it (not too long - you know the safety rules)..    take paper towel and mop up any juice or moisture in and around the chicken, but specifically the skin.  Boil the jug. 

Pour the boiling water over the skin of the chicken, nice and slowly in sequence.. dont miss any parts of the skin.  Watch as the skin tightens..   this pulls the proteins in the skin together to form a tight surface which crisps up better. 

Once youve finished with the water re-towel it off again...  Oil the chicken skin, rub in some salt..  add some herbs to taste and then cook as normal.  The skin will crisp up very nicely...    Let me know if it works for you.


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## chefbillyb

I would oil the outside of the chicken, season with S&P, Paprika, Cajun sea, and Roast on a high oven. I also Roast potatoes, carrots, onions, in the same pan tossing in the same oil and seasonings. Cut a garlic clove in half, Roast in the pan along with the other veggies, make sure it does burn............Chef Bill


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## gonefishin

I think you can achieve crispy skin chicken a variety of ways (oil on the skin, butter under the skin, nothing on the skin).  My results were always better when I started with nice dry skin.

    I've seen some people recommend cooking a bird with baking powder to achieve a crispy skin.  I've made it a couple of times and it certainly gives you a product with crispy skin.  I don't do this all the time...but it gives you a little different product from time to time.

      1 tablespoon salt 

      1 teaspoon baking powder

     Loosen skin from the entire bird.  Breast, thighs, legs.   Poke tiny holes through the skin, everywhere.  Front and back.  Dry the bird off and rub the salt and baking powder all over the bird.  Let it rest (uncovered) in the fridge for as long as possible, overnight is better but less time will work.  Start the bird roasting breast side down (on a V-rack) in a 450f oven until the temperature is around 130f.  Turn the temperature up to 500 and finish the bird to your desired internal temperature.

   enjoy the food!

     dan


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## phatch

Cook the chicken the way you like. Use a torch on the skin to get the crispy-ness.

Usually, I just roast it butterflied and in a high oven, 450.


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## gerdosh

Clove said:


> http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/re...s/views/231348
> 
> I found the above recipe on Epicurious and it is now my favorite method for roast chicken. I was a little suspicious of the simple preparation, but it was fantastic and the skin was nice and crispy. Read the reviews from others that have made it.


The idea is good, however, to roast the chicken in 450 oven for an hour in a home kitchen can be disastrous unless you have a very powerful exhaust system and not many kitchens do. Smoke alarms go off and fabrics throughout the house smell like burnt fat for a week!


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## phatch

You need a layer of vegies in the bottom of the pan to control the smoking when you do a high temp roast chicken. I shingle potatoes and season them. They cook in the rendered fat and may be even better tasting than the chicken itself. They stick like mad though so I've taken to lining the pan with Reynolds Release foil. Works like a charm.


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## chefedb

Phatch is right. Let poultry stay exposed to fridge temp for a day before roasting . Fridge will help pull out more moisture from bird. Then start roasting on high pour out any liquid that accumulates and turn down temp to finish.


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## kyheirloomer

In case it's not clear, Ed means in the fridge unwrapped so the skin dries and tightens.

The same thing, incidentally, works with skin-on fish.


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## philosophos

Dry skin is huge; exposure to air, blotting it dry, using a fan/blowdryer, etc. is all great. Butter will make for a more even browning from (at least I'm guessing) the milk solids, so I use it heavily and baste plenty to keep it on the skin. If you go with the dry/butter combo, it's hard not to come up with a crispy browned skin.

Another technique I've tried (thanks to this forum and its links) is brining duck. The skin definitely separated better, though I didn't dry the skin after for long enough which botched the browning. I am eager to try this method again.

If you really want to get hardcore about crispy, brown skin, look to traditional peeking duck recipes. The results of others speak for themselves, though the FDA may sneer.


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## beecher

OK...my two cents......I have fed a family of seven (plus many guests) for many years. I buy whole chickens when they are on sale, primarily because I can roast them, debone them, make stock as well as several meals' worth of chicken pieces for later use. I roast two equal sized birds at one time in one roasting pan. I wash them, place them directly in the pan on a roasting rack. I paper towel them dry, inside and out, then rub them all over with olive oil. I make a rub of spices including salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, maybe a little parsley, basil or oregano or cumin, depending on original intent. I rub the birds with the mix, and sprinkle some in the cavities, and always position them breast side down. I roast at 400, rotating the pan at least every hour for even cooking. I roast them until they are done....size determines how long that takes. The skin...only on the back....is ALWAYS crisp.....but in my house, at least, a treat for any passers by when the time is right....or it ends up in the stock pot. The saddles are usually cook's privilege, but sometimes end up with the meat for later use. It is easiest for me to debone the entire chickens and determine use, (ie shred or keep large sections), and then put stock pot portions (bones et al) either to boil immediately or freeze for later use with other so apportioned rations. I can make several quarts of stock and at least three or four meals from two birds, a little patience, a hot oven, and a little effort. The kids have been known to show up with mouths tilted back like baby bird waiting for the crispie skin. The meals are always Act II. The stock and subsequent uses, Act III. It's a standard in my house. Somebody correct me if what I'm doing is wrong. Please.


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## longkids

It sounds good.


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## cookpiper

MarkV said:


> Roast the chicken at high heat, at least 400. Depending on the size of the chicken, the skin should be crisp by the time the meat is done. For a large bird however, you run the risk of burning the outside before the meat is cooked. Here you can start it on low heat and then put the spurs to it toward the end of the roasting process.
> 
> Brine the chicken for extra moistness and/or rub a compound butter under the skin before roasting.
> 
> Mark


this is a good tip. We'll see if I can get a crispy skin on roasted chicken while following this procedure. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/thumb.gif


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## kyheirloomer

>Somebody correct me if what I'm doing is wrong. Please.<

How could it be wrong, Beecher? It works for you. That makes it right.

Only difference is that when roasting we like to do them breast up to create more of the crispy skin.

When roast chicken is in the offing, though, we buy birds specifically for that. Otherwise we work the reverse of you. Watching the sales, we buy three chickens at one time. These are then partially or completely broken down, depending on our anticipated needs. That is, we might just reserve the breasts, or just the legs, etc. Wings are always collected in a freezer bag. The rest is used for stock.

When making stock, the chicken, itself, only remains in the liquid the first 40-45 minutes. We then remove it and strip the meat from the bones, which get returned to the pot.

When we're done what we have is any raw pieces we reserved, a big pile of poached chicken, and 7-9 quarts stock. Plus the accumulating wings. Typically this results in about 18-24 meals (i.e., portions) from the three chicks plus the eventual wings meal.


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## jblade

I usually, scratch that, always brine my chicken before it goes into the oven. For my family that was the difference in my family saying, "YEPPY" when I said we are having roast chicken in comparison to, "oh roast chicken, again!"


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## siduri

High heat, high heat, high heat.  It makes them crispy outside and still juicy inside - just be sure you keep checking the chicken so you remove it when it's done and not overdone (dry)

pierce the thickest part, press, watch the juice - should be yellow, not pink.  or lift it and let the juice drain out a little - shouldn;t be pink


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## pcieluck

Indeed, roast the chicken over high heat. I always start at least 425 and once the browning starts to form, i will turn the heat down until the meat is cooked through. if cooking a whole chicken, work some herbed butter under the skin. this not only encourages crispy skin, but keeps your breast meat moist! leg meat should stay moist from the bone. If you're like me, and sadly cooking for one more often than not, you are usually just cooking one piece at a time, and my recipe for a crispy skin chicken breast will work perfect, and is quite simple. It is also cooked in jus to keep it moist.

1. Fill the bottom of a roasting dish with chicken stock, a small bouquet of herb, crushed garlic, and a dash of sherry wine.

2. Season your chicken breasts both sides, and roast skin side down for 20 min at 425.

3. Turn your chicken over (the liquid should be low enough that the flesh is submerged, but the skin is exposed to the hot air.) and add vegetables of your choice (carrots, potatoes, peal onions are examples of good choices)

4. Reduce heat to 375 and roast until skin is golden brown.

5. Strain liquid for a nice jus.


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## marrabel

The very high temperature and you should cover the skin of the chicken with mustard. Mustard will give you the result you are waiting for.


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## linny29

I love crispy chicken but prefer dark meat so I very rarely cook a whole chicken. I find that chicken in parts cooks evenly and crisps nicely without worrying about the white meat getting too dry.


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## siduri

I use high heat throughout the cooking.  It comes out juicy and crispy.


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## phatch

That's an odd technique. Where did you get it?


pcieluck said:


> 3. Turn your chicken over (the liquid should be low enough that the flesh is submerged, but the skin is exposed to the hot air.) and add vegetables of your choice (carrots, potatoes, peal onions are examples of good choices)


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## pcieluck

I used to use a recipe for roasted chicken where you would roast the chicken with it's marinade. One day I was lazy and rather than marinade, I just threw all the ingredients into a dish and roasted right away. It's still plenty flavorful. It's very moist this way, and as you can see, very nice skin.


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## linny29

I have used the upside down breast technique (like pcieluck suggested) on a turkey in the past and worked great!


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## persistent

My grandmother had a way of roasting chicken and turkey which I use and love - sometimes I get crispy skin, but I always get crispy bacon.

Slice a lemon thinly and put between the chicken skin and meat.  Salt, Cayenne pepper, thyme, oregano. sage, cumin get sprinkled all over the chicken after you rub it down with butter - lots of butter.  Stuff the chicken with creole stuffing, complete with oysters, shrimp, ground beef, etc.

Once the chicken is well rubbed and seasoned generously with all of the above, put breast up and cover it with strips of organic bacon.  Put the chicken in the oven and let it cook until the bacon is crisp.  Eat the bacon and then enjoy a great roasted chicken.  The skin will crisp if you don't overcook the bacon.  The bacon has to be removed before it attaches to the skin and is perfectly cooked.


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## bradavis

Quote:


gerdosh said:


> The idea is good, however, to roast the chicken in 450 oven for an hour in a home kitchen can be disastrous unless you have a very powerful exhaust system and not many kitchens do. Smoke alarms go off and fabrics throughout the house smell like burnt fat for a week!


If you make sure your oven is clean, you won't have any issues with roasting a chicken in a 450 degree oven. One exception is if you butter the skin. The butter will burn at this high temperature and create some smoke. However, on a chicken, I do not recommend buttering the skin. This creates steam, and steam is the enemy of crispy skin. I follow Thomas Keller's recipe, almost to the letter. In addition to his recipe, I do the following:

1. If you have the time, take the chicken out of all packaging, put it on a plate in the refrigerator (make sure it's not touching anything else to avoid cross-contamination), and leave it there for twelve hours. This a lot of the moisture in the skin to evaporate, and it dries out. Don't be alarmed if it doesn't look terribly fresh after this step. I assure you, the meat will be perfectly succulent, and the skin will crisp amazingly.

2. About 30-45 minutes before I'm ready to roast the chicken (while the oven is pre-heating and I am preparing the aromatics and herbs), I take the chicken out of the fridge and let it stand at room temperature until I'm ready to put it in the oven. During this 30-45 minutes, I periodically blot the skin of the entire bird with paper towel to remove any remaining moisture.

3. Just before roasting, give the skin of the entire bird a nice rubdown with some extra virgin olive oil. Keller's recipe recommends canola oil for its neutral flavor, but I personally like the flavor that extra virgin olive oil adds to the chicken. Chicken by itself is pretty bland, so it's all about scenting and flavoring with simple aromatics (onions, garlic, lemon) in the cavity, herbs (thyme, rosemary, sage) on the skin and in the cavity, oil on the skin (extra virgin olive oil), and *most important, *kosher salt and pepper (both inside the cavity and a generous sprinkling on the skin).

My advice is this: keep it very simple, roast it in a hot oven, remove as much moisture from the skin as possible before roasting, and season it well.

Once you get the hang of it, the recipe for a simple roast chicken is a fool-proof, stand-by recipe that you can prepare on a moment's notice. Delicious and special enough for a weekend dinner, but simple enough to make on a weeknight.


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## benway

Dry the skin with a towel or paper towel.  Smear softened butter all over.  If the skins not already reasonably dry, the butters not going to spread and will just form blobs.  Salt and Pepper and store the bird in the fridge for 4 - 12 hours.  If its a whole chicken, rub the cavity with salt.  Roast at whatever you want.  Its foolproof.  Salting first will give you a bit of cure to really pull the water out of that skin and give you exactly what you want.


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## amy83

Dowley said:


> Pour the boiling water over the skin of the chicken, nice and slowly in sequence.. dont miss any parts of the skin. Watch as the skin tightens.. this pulls the proteins in the skin together to form a tight surface which crisps up better.


I remember my Uncle use to do a whole roasted suckling pig in his wood fire oven that he built himself in his back yard. His secret for the crispy skin (which was always the best part) was to pour boiling water over the pig right before roasting. I never knew why this worked and forgot all about his "trick" until Dowley mentioned it. I never would have thought to try this with a whole roasted chicken.

Also, I've heard a lot about brining, both here and on other sites, but never anything specific. Do you have any links to articles that discuss the whys and hows of brining, specifically how much water & salt to use and how long to brine?

Thanks!


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## kyheirloomer

Benway: Try rubbing the butter (preferably a compound butter) _under_ the skin. The result is a moist, flaverfull chicken with beautiful crisp skin.


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## phatch

Quote:


Amy83 said:


> Also, I've heard a lot about brining, both here and on other sites, but never anything specific. Do you have any links to articles that discuss the whys and hows of brining, specifically how much water & salt to use and how long to brine?
> Thanks!


www.cooksillustrated.com has some worthwhile simple articles on brines and brining. You can get two weeks free access to the site but it still requires a credit card that they'll charge if you don't cancel the subscription before the two weeks are up. If you go this route, search on Corned Beef, Roast Turkey, Roast Chicken, Fried Chicken, Pork Loin, Pork Tenderloin and injection. That will cover the articles and recipes and techniques that I remember them discussing. There's probably some others as well.

There are different kinds of brines for different purposes.

Cured meats like hams or corned beef are brined longer and in stronger brines than you would for a roasted fowl. For larger cuts like a turkey or a pork shoulder, most people brine for 8-12 hours (overnight) in a lighter strength brine.

Cook's Illustrated also uses a high strength short time brine for chickens, only an hour.

Brine ingredients are primarily salt and sugar. Salt adds seasoned flavor to the meat and denatures protein creating a dam of sorts that helps hold the extra moisture in the meat. Sugar is used to balance the added salt flavors. Plenty of other ingredients are added for flavor purposes, but the brine action is mostly about the salt and its effects.

Kosher poultry, treated with salt as part of the slaughtering process has many of the same benefits as brined poultry. You should give that a try and see what you think as well. The salt treatment for koshering is simpler than brining and changes the meat less letting it be more of what it is itself rather than what you added via the brine.

You should also look into injection, a sort of cross between a shortcut brine and internal marinade.


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## benway

I'll give that a shot the next time I do a whole bird.  When I'm roasting chicken parts however I like to glue the skin on with transglutaminase and sandwiching butter in there would disturb that bond.  Its a technique we'd use at the restaurant to solve that "first bite" problem where the whole skin comes off with the first bite.  It was important to the chef that nobody ever looked unsexy while trying to eat our food.


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## kyheirloomer

I rarely deal with parts, other than when pan-frying breasts, so that's not a problem for me. When roasting or grilling whole birds I usually butterfly them, dry them well, then do the butter-under-the-skin thing.

Of late I've been using anchovy butter, which brings a nice touch of---are you ready---umami to the chicken. Last week I used the same technique for quail, with garlic butter, and they were the best I've ever made.


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## chefbillyb

I Rub the Chicken down with oil, Salt and pepper inside and out, I then use a Cajun sea, paprika, granulated garlic on the outside. I cook the Chicken on high heat with vegetables tossed in the same seasoning and oil.............ChefBillyB


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## scubadoo97

I've been a fan of dry curing a chicken for a few days before roasting. Been doing it Zuni style before I every heard of the Zuni Cafe. The results are excellent. Very moist meat and crispy skin


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## amy83

Thanks for the all the resources Phatch. Beautiful pictures ChefBilly and Scubadoo. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/licklips.gif


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## chefedb

If possible leave in fridge uncovered a day or two . Refrigeration tends to dehydrate foods and will result in a dry bird which roast up with a crispy skin. As far as kashering or doing kosher, it sometimes draws out all the blood  in the bird or animal and therefore when cooked is a bit dry and in meat tough ( also because most kosher meat is not aged long enough)


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## dcarch

I often wonder what people are talking about when they say crispy chicken skin.

Mostly they seem to be actually talking about browning the skin.

Peking duck has crispy skin, and you can get crispy (as in crackling) chicken in a Chinese restaurant.

dcarch


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## boar_d_laze

Posted by *dcarch* 


> I often wonder what people are talking about when they say crispy chicken skin. Mostly they seem to be actually talking about browning the skin.


People are talking about crispy, as in crisp. In other words it breaks, rather than "chews" when you bite it. It doesn't shatter with the same enthusiasm as Peking Duck, but nevertheless... crisp.

We're not talking about browning. We're talking about crisp.

I suspect you're doing something wrong with your chicken and suspect that mostly comes from not drying your chickens' skins thoroughly before cooking because that's the most common sin.

BDL


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## scubadoo97

Exactly.  My chicken skin comes out brown but flabby off my smoker but very crisp with high proper prep and high heat roasting.


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## chefedb

BDL mentions Peking Duck which is hung up for days while it air dries and the fat drips .Therefore again dry. Like I said leave in fridge for 2 to 3 days and oh yea cook on a rack and as liquid comes out while cooking, pour it out so as not to create a moist enviorment in the oven.


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## dcarch

I just saw an episode on American Test Kitchen, "How To Make The Perfect Crispy Roasted Chicken"

Well, it was very obvious that what I saw the chicken was far from being crispy. It was very much nicely browned, but when they cut into the skin, it was very soft.

What I made crispy chicken skin salad and crispy duck skin.

dcarch


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## scubadoo97

Wow, that looks fantastic.

Once while boning chicken thighs I took the skin and scraped off as much fat as I could with my knife then panned them to render the little left on.  They were like the ones in your first two photos.  Damn tasty and my wife wouldn't touch them.  Your presentation is nice


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## french fries

chefedb said:


> BDL mentions Peking Duck which is hung up for days while it air dries and the fat drips .Therefore again dry. Like I said leave in fridge for 2 to 3 days and oh yea cook on a rack and as liquid comes out while cooking, pour it out so as not to create a moist enviorment in the oven.


When I'm in France I place the chicken briefly over the flame on the stovetop. It removes any stuck feather bits (not sure of the English name?) and dries the skin very nicely. Then rub the skin with a bit of oil, and into a super hot oven. The result is the crispiest skin I've ever seen on a chicken. We don't use a rack but then again chicken in France are dry when you buy them. In fact the butcher just wraps it losely in paper, because there are no juices escaping.

Here in the U.S. the chicken is usually wrapped and sealed in plastic and full of juice/blood, and I've rarely seen more than 3 or 4 feather bits leftover, so I don't bother. I just pat dry it with paper towels and into a hot oven (no rubbing with oil).

I never understood why they do that here, when I break down a chicken I have to wash my hand 3 or 4 times in the process because it's so wet and dripping with juices.


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## chefedb

You are so right, the chickens here in many cases are what they call Frosted a shy degeree or 2 above freezing to extend their shelf time. In many cases water is added (they claim to clean, I claim to add weight) like a Turkey or ham which up to 15% water weight is added. The only advantage to our birds is that they are federaly  inspected where as the birds hanging in other countries may not be

    When I was a kid my job was to singe the feathers off the chickens that had necks and feet attached , my mom bought from a store called a Butcher Shop or Meat Market.

    Progress shall we call it has all but eliminated these as well as fresh fish markets. The fish markets were helped to go out also because the modern housewife only purchased shrimp,scallops , sole and flounder. Very few other species were purchased. It is called proress, I however call it a shame.  Many of you younger people here will never get a chance to see the chickens like this or fresh fowl of any kind and its in a way sad .EJB


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## sarahg

Well, there are several things one can do to get that perfect bird.  I'm not someone who really likes to brine so I won't recommned that.  But, rubbing a compund butter under and on top of the skin goes a long way to keep your bird moist while infusing nice flavors and browning/crisping the skin.  I also like using cured meats under the skin, too, such as prosciutto, bacon, etc...along with various fresh herbs...incredible results.  And of course, one has to mention proper cooking.  I think the best way to cook a baked chicken is simply at 350 degrees and at 15-20 minutes per pound with regular basting.  My birds come out incredible with the above mentioned every time.  And don't forget to add lots and lots of love and passion to your cooking--nothing in the world can replace that!! 

One other thing worth mentioning is injecting various marinades and flavorings, etc.  I love injecting because it really infuses great flavors and also makes the bird very tender.  I use several different fats, liquid, herb combinations and it comes out really very nice.  The only caveat is to make sure your injector has a big enough hole at the end of the needle to accommidate herbs and various other goodies...  And also, if you insist on brining, then don't inject because you will end up with a soggy bird and your injection will likely run out everywhere, causing a mess and precluding your ability to make a proper pan-sauce, among other things...


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## chefedb

The flavors of your chickens must be great, there is no way however that when adding all those marinades and injecting liquid flavorings and basting that it will be crisp. There are just to many liquids involved to produce a steam or wet oven enviorment. Baco under skin or pancetta or prossuito under skin will also stop from drying the top skin.


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## french fries

chefedb said:


> You are so right, the chickens here in many cases are what they call Frosted a shy degeree or 2 above freezing to extend their shelf time. In many cases water is added (they claim to clean, I claim to add weight) like a Turkey or ham which up to 15% water weight is added. The only advantage to our birds is that they are federaly inspected where as the birds hanging in other countries may not be
> 
> When I was a kid my job was to singe the feathers off the chickens that had necks and feet attached , my mom bought from a store called a Butcher Shop or Meat Market.
> 
> Progress shall we call it has all but eliminated these as well as fresh fish markets. The fish markets were helped to go out also because the modern housewife only purchased shrimp,scallops , sole and flounder. Very few other species were purchased. It is called proress, I however call it a shame. Many of you younger people here will never get a chance to see the chickens like this or fresh fowl of any kind and its in a way sad .EJB


I agree it's sad. The chickens I buy in France are 6 month old, they're pretty firm and taste like chicken. It takes me a while to break them down as I have to fight to find the joints, to break them, to cut through them etc. The dark meat is dark and the white meat is white.

The chickens I buy here are... what... 4-5 weeks old at the most? They have the texture of filet mignon and taste bland. I can break them down in no time at all as the joints are so soft and easy to twist and break. The dark meat is just as white as the white meat.

What kills me is that it seems the taste has evolved too, as people love a tender, soft chicken, even if it's bland, versus a chicken that has a good taste, but is firmer and the meat is darker - and there's also less white meat.

In one of my main French cooking books, the author describes how to chose a chicken, for example by feeling for freshness with your fingers between the wing and the body to see if it's wet or dry. Try that on a plastic wrapped chicken. But who cares, right, the FDA inspected it so it's safe to eat, that's all that matters. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/frown.gif


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## sarahg

Well, that's exactly why you cannot do all of those techniques on the same bird...   For instance, if you baste, then you don't inject.  I usually use the compund butter, stuffed herbs and varous other flavoring techniques with basting and the bird comes out incredibly good and very crispy...  I've never had a problem getting nice, crispy skin.  But of course, a person has to use their ingredients in a judicious manner and not totally devastate the bird.  And frankly, I have no idea who likes bland food...never heard of that trend...hahaha...


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## french fries

sarahg said:


> I have no idea who likes bland food...never heard of that trend...hahaha...


My point was that pretty much all the chicken you get in the U.S. today is bland. I source my chicken from a farmer's market and it's the best chicken around, to me it tastes much better than any free range organic chicken you can get from whole food or whatnot, and still it's bland in comparison to the chicken I get from the farmer in France.

You may not realize it, but as a society we're all progressively getting used to bland tasting food. We compensate with crazy recipes and spices and brining and injecting and basting etc... but if you put your hands onto a real chicken, one that was given a chance to grow at its natural pace and live past a few months, all of that stuff really isn't necessary.

Of course I don't expect anyone who's never tasted what I, personally, call a "real chicken", to understand what I'm talking about. That's the sad part though. For example, I've read on these forums a while ago someone say "rabbit tastes just like chicken". I thought that was the most ridiculous statement, as my uncles used to hunt, and I've had "real rabbit" and it tastes nothing like chicken. Then one day I bought a farm raised rabbit from a supermarket, and guess what: it tasted like chicken! Or, to be more accurate, it tasted like nothing, so it tasted like the bland chicken one can buy today in a supermarket.

Same is true of milk, cream, butter, tomatoes, fruits, etc etc...

What kills me is at my kid's school, they want to teach kids to eat "good things" and "eat healthy", so they buy them those "vegetable trays". You know the black plastic tray with high-fructose-corn-syrup-based-ranch-sauce in the middle and orange, green and red stuff around that have a vague resemblance to carrots, broccoli and cherry tomatoes, but taste like purified drinking water? To me that's closer to plastic than to food.

Sorry I completely derailed the thread once again.


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## sarahg

Well, yes, that was indeed a derailment of the highest order lol...but here in the US all food production is aimed at squeezing every possible penny out of an investment so therefore the use of all kinds of chemicals and hormones that accelerate growth cycles so that animals can be brought to market younger and younger and in greeater numbers.  It certainly does cause a loss in flavor becuase everyone knows that the older an animal is the more flavorful--but the more tough, too.  So younger animals are more tender with more delicate flavors while older animals are more flavorful but are tougher and require additional methods to make them tender and more palatable to the American tastes.  Food in Europe is an entirely different matter altogether.  The diffrerences between here and there are huge and certainly nobody would argue that...but very interesting, nonetheless.


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## chefedb

Doesn't matter young or old the birds are pumped so marinating and basting is just a waste of time. Look at Outback they use USGood grade but its treated with Papain so every steak is tender. It also contains flavoring and Hydrolized Protein for even more flavor. YUM YUM but don't eat therwe often or your stomach will suffer.


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## bobbyjk

This is a 3.5 pound young fryer. I brine it in the fridge about 3 hours, pat dry. Rub with garlic and adobo seasoning. The cavity is stuffed with fresh herbs, lemons cut in 1/4's and onions or shallots. I place butter under the skin, and roast on a rack in a baking dish, uncovered 325 f dead air oven about 90 minutes. If it isnt fully done, pull the leg/thigh sections open, cover and bake an additional 30 minutes tented. Let rest 20 minsbefore carving. You can baste if you like. It helps to use only fresh, not previously frozen, chicken also. enjoy! [email protected]


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## renau04

Treating the bird in a simple manner is usually the best way to go. If you want crispy skin on your bird the first thing you should do is blot it dry. Now, you don't want to cut the skin of the bird because it exposes the flesh and can dry the meat out. The best way to go about seasoning the bird is to not rub the bird with olive oil or butter first because when you do that you create a barrier of oil that the salt will not penetrate into the meat as much, it will penetrate a little, but not as much as seasoning the bird with S&P first then brushing the bird with olive oil. The best method to creating that crispy skin that everyone loves is by oven searing the bird. Bringing the temperature of the oven to about 500 degrees and quickly browning the skin then lowering the temperature to about 350-375, depending on the size of the bird. The bigger the piece of meat, the longer cooking time, and the lower the temp.

/img/vbsmilies/smilies/peace.gif Hope this helped a little

Have a good holiday!!


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## sarahg

Well, in the case of poultry, I happen to think marinating or injecting is extremely useful for more than just the obvious reasons and I have had some really amazing results in so doing...but anyway, everyone has their pet ways of doing things...which is what makes the diiference between one chef and another...


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## yosif

Your post made me hungry!  You can write, too.


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## shin louis

Add some thinly slice butter between the skin and the flesh. Cook it in hot oven, 200 Degree CELCIUS or 180. Baste it once every 10 minutes for 30 mins. You should get the crispy skin.

Otherwise...bake it like usual and once done, remove from the oven and pour some very hot oil over the chicken skin. You should get the crispy skin.


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## spidey844

Two questions:

1) When roasting a larger chicken (5lbs or more), how do I adjust temperature/time to make up for it and still end up with a most chicken (especially chicken breasts- they always seem to turn out a bit dry)?

2)  When roasting in a pan, should I elevate the chicken on a roasting rack inside of the pan or let it cook in its juices in the pan?


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## x86bsd

I'm not sure if this was already mentioned but another way to get that great crispy and browned look is to pan sear it on all sides first before setting it in the oven. I've read of people doing that. Its a little more work but some people swear by it.

Chris


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## rick swancott

Cook it up right sitting on a beer can - Inside the Bird (2/3 full and with a bit of Garlic and herb thrown it). Normal heat will do. A bit of a herb and seasoning rub and spray with Olive oil.  Bobs you uncle. The meat is beautify moist and you can adjust your temp to get crisp skin without the fear of the Bird drying out.!

Rick


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## ghislaine

Stick your hand between the raw breast meat and the skin to separate it but not remove it - and if you're feeling crazy slather some herbed butter on the breasts before you put the bird into a high-temp oven - works every time. I also like to pour about half a cup of gran marnier into the cavity and stop it with a whole lemon.


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## dcarch

This is a very good and scientific way of doing it. (not my video)






dcarch


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## ordo

Unbeliavable


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## steve tphc

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Unbelievably simple.

Preheat oven to 500 F.

Use whole chicken surrounded by a bed of potatoes wedges (peeled) as thick as your thump. Remove neck and gizzards from bird cavity. Wash chicken and dry with paper towels. Open the cavity by trimming around it removing excess clumps of fat and some of the loose skin.

The opening needs to be somewhat open for best results. Melt a cube of butter. Brush butter over chicken then pour rest over potatoes. Salt the bird but NO OTHER SEASONINGS as they would burn at the high temperature. Roast in a Pyrex dish for 1 hour. The skin should be a deep brown. I have cooked more that 300 chickens this way.

After roasting, let rest a bit - do not cover with tin foil as steaming will soften the crisp skin.

Apply pepper to taste.


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## chris whitaker

Remove the chicken from any packaging. Remove the neck and giblets. Rinse the inside of the bird. Place the chicken in a clean container that is deep so that any leakage will be contained. Let the chicken sit uncovered under refrigeration for at least one and preferably two days, changing the container a needed to remove any moisture. 

Moisture, wetness, is an enemy of the chef when roasting.

If you brine the chicken first then just follow the above steps after brining the chicken.

This process works for beef and lamb as well.

Interesting enough, pork benefits from having some moisture present when roasting it.


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## tracy martin

yes there is......the secret is brining the chicken for at least two hours in a sugar salt brine.....kept in fridge of course. you then should have an herb butter and olive oil to rub in-between the breast and the skin of the chicken...its best to try to separate much skin from the meat everywhere on the chicken....adding herb butter in-between i prefer cooking chicken high temp 450 for 25 to 30 mins on each side, on top of a roasting pan......bottom i usually add veggies and potatoes....the proper pan is key.....the one that has pan and a flat cover with holes for the excess juice and fat to drain off chicken...gives nice flavor to veggies!!!


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## mike9

I remove the wishbone then season inside and out then truss the chicken, make sure the skin is dry (I don't bother washing) then into a 500 F oven on a baker's rack for 20 minutes then reduce to 350 till done.  Let rest NOT under foil then carve and enjoy.  It really is that simple.  I do love that video, but lets face it that's a luxury and really who has an oven that hot at home?


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## skyler

Someone mentioned Judy Rodgers' method for roast chicken from Zuni Cafe...I agree it's good stuff.


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## chicagoterry

Molly Stevens's recipe for roast chicken works well for me. Crispy skin, juicy, flavorful meat. Very simple. The problem I have is finding a chicken under 5 lbs. It works best with a smaller bird, so the breast isn't overcooked before the thighs are done.

http://mollystevenscooks.com/recipes-page/basic-roast-chicken/

While Molly Stevens's is my favorite method, Jacques Pepin's method works, too.

http://old.post-gazette.com/food/19991128kitchen2d.asp

That method, too, suggests using a smaller bird so the thighs get done before the breast is dried out.

Recently when I could only get my hands on a bigger bird and didn't have time to dry brine it a la Molly Stevens, I did the Barbara Kafka high heat method and that worked well, too.

http://food52.com/recipes/17568-barbara-kafka-s-simplest-roast-chicken


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