# Why does chicken smoke?



## mudbug (Dec 30, 1999)

This is a question regarding baking chicken in the oven, brought on by a smoking oven last night! What makes chicken smoke? I recall a popular recipe for chicken that people were commenting on at www.epicurious.com and out of several pages of feedback for the same recipe, some people were having this problem and some weren't.

Does anyone know? Variables I can think of would include skin on/skin off, breaded/not breaded, oil/no oil, butter/no butter.... (assuming the oven is clean and not burning anything off the bottom.)

Does a pan of water underneath to catch the drippings help?


----------



## chefjohnpaul (Mar 9, 2000)

The only reason I can think of is if you are having fat hitting a hot element and reaching the smoke point. A crumb coating will smoke if its burning as will other burning things.

I would check and see if you are dripping fat and juices anywhere in the oven.


----------



## cwk (Nov 24, 2000)

I'm wondering what you mean by smoke?
We bake chicken halfs on a sheetpan often and sometimes there is steam/smoke comming out of the oven but it is of no real concern.As the water in the chicken rises as steam it carries with it some of the fat/oil to the top of the oven and cooks off producing a small amount of smoke (350-400)
We also cook whole turkey or chicken in a covered brasing pan and there is a noticeable
amount of smoke sometimes depending upon whatelse may have been in the oven.Is the chicken not cooking properly?Or mabey it's just some dirt from a spill. Just wondering and trying to see what you see.Bill

[ 02-08-2001: Message edited by: CWK ]
Oh, I just thought of something.Sometimes cooks oil or butter a pan before putting chicken on it and as the pan in the oven gets hot the oil or butter will smoke before the chicken begins to cook as the oven is allready hot and the heat transfer is fast.In this case alittle water to the bottom of the pan after it's set on the rack
will not only keep the temp even but if you want to it makes for great pan drippings for a sauce.just a thought.Bill

[ 02-08-2001: Message edited by: CWK ]


----------



## mudbug (Dec 30, 1999)

I mean that once in a blue moon, we'll bake a chicken and the whole house will fill with smoke from the oven. Enough to burn your eyes for 3 hours without airing the whole house out!


----------



## cwk (Nov 24, 2000)

Oh,ok I'm thinking that this is a problem everytime you do this.Hummm,I don't want to repeat what others have suggested but I don't think it's the chicken.How are your hoods?Are you getting an adiqate airflow through the kitchen?BTW I was wondering,At what temp are you "Baking" This chicken?


----------



## live_to_cook (Aug 23, 2000)

I don't have any problem with smoking chicken. The hard part is getting it lit


----------



## nicko (Oct 5, 2001)

cchiu I think that in most cases it is a sign that the oven simply needs to be cleaned. If you are only get the smoke filled room once in awhile that would be my guess.


----------



## mudbug (Dec 30, 1999)

Nicko,

I mentioned in my original post, . But thanks for the input. I think it is the grease hitting the pan placed underneath. I will make sure there's water in the pan underneath next time and see if that makes a difference.


----------



## chrose (Nov 20, 2000)

Poor upbringing. No strong father figure to look up to.
Might I remind you of "I'm a ChickenHawk" episode featuring the farms worst deadbeat dad Foghorn Leghorn.
As Jonathon said drinking, carousing that's what's wroung with the youth of today. Too much laying and not enough hatching!


----------

