Recipe: Roast Chicken.

[Dr. kitteny berk]

Weirdly, I'd never roasted a chicken before, so I did some reading. Then I did this.

Warning: This contains images of chicken shibari

Things you need:
A Chicken
Salt (not table)
Pepper (coarsely ground)

Method:

Set your oven to really, really hot, 220-230 will do. Cooking time depends on the beast in question. 1.8KG took about 48 minutes for me.

Find the neck end (Left, in this picture) of your dinner, and scrape around a bit with a small sharp knife (obviously, a boning knife would be ideal) you should find the wishbone. It's not visible in the 2nd pic, but you'll feel it when you get this far.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitteny_berk/4632185585/" title="IMG_6413 by Kitteny Berk, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4041/463 ... be59_m.jpg" width="240" height="160" alt="IMG_6413"></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitteny_berk/4632187157/" title="IMG_6416 by Kitteny Berk, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4015/463 ... 7983_m.jpg" width="240" height="160" alt="IMG_6416"></a>

Cut around the outside of the wishbone on both sides, and down and pull it out, then tuck the skin down around the neck again.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitteny_berk/4632784440/" title="IMG_6417 by Kitteny Berk, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3385/463 ... 186b_m.jpg" width="240" height="160" alt="IMG_6417"></a>

Season inside the bird with a bit of salt and pepper, hell cram some herbs in there if you want. (but never, ever, stuffing*)

Kinda poke the wings under the chicken, just to keep them out of the way, Also tie its legs together by getting about yay (36") long of butchers twine, run it under the tail, over the legs, then under the opposite leg, then under the bird to the neck, looping it round and tying the bird together, this keeps it nice and compact, so it cooks evenly. You can either tuck the lower legs into the hole and hold them there with skin, or cut them off, there's nothing good on them.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitteny_berk/4632190887/" title="IMG_6418 by Kitteny Berk, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4008/463 ... 9a86_m.jpg" width="240" height="160" alt="IMG_6418"></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitteny_berk/4632789250/" title="IMG_6420 by Kitteny Berk, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4052/463 ... b591_m.jpg" width="160" height="240" alt="IMG_6420"></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitteny_berk/4632192651/" title="IMG_6419 by Kitteny Berk, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4056/463 ... 0421_m.jpg" width="240" height="160" alt="IMG_6419"></a>

Now season the outside of the chicken a lot, it'll make the skin lovely and crispy, then stick it in a suitably sized baking tray

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitteny_berk/4632792432/" title="IMG_6422 by Kitteny Berk, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3334/463 ... 9b11_m.jpg" width="240" height="160" alt="IMG_6422"></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitteny_berk/4632794480/" title="IMG_6423 by Kitteny Berk, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4017/463 ... b390_m.jpg" width="160" height="240" alt="IMG_6423"></a>

Stick the bird in the middle of oven for 45 minutes-ish, turn it around after 22 or so, just to make it cook more evenly.

After the 45 minutes is up, take its temperature, 80c in the breast and leg is good.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitteny_berk/4632201901/" title="IMG_6424 by Kitteny Berk, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4059/463 ... 8ae6_m.jpg" width="240" height="160" alt="IMG_6424"></a>

Now take it for a ride to a nice warm plate to rest for 10 minutes, I like to do it using tongs, as it's easy.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitteny_berk/4632205509/" title="IMG_6427 by Kitteny Berk, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4049/463 ... 6ac7_m.jpg" width="240" height="160" alt="IMG_6427"></a>

Attack with chefs knife to get 2 chicken halves off the ribcage**

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitteny_berk/4632802580/" title="IMG_6428 by Kitteny Berk, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3337/463 ... 8539_m.jpg" width="240" height="160" alt="IMG_6428"></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitteny_berk/4632209921/" title="IMG_6429 by Kitteny Berk, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4071/463 ... 30bd_m.jpg" width="240" height="160" alt="IMG_6429"></a>

Nom

*Stuffing will need cooking to the same temperature as the animal you're sticking it in, meaning you'll have to cook it for longer, and will send the beast dry. this is bad.
**The skin fell off, into my mouth, it was good.

[FatherJack]

My oven has a rotisserie thinger in it, where you shove the stick up its arse, put the grippy wotsits on and grill it as it spins.

Only ever did it once when the oven was new and before I really knew anything about seasoning - it turned out okay though.

Maybe I could stuff it entirely with garlic butter and see how that works out.


Never noticed that you have my plates before, as well as possibly my knife. You're not actually me posting when I'm drunk are you?

[Dr. kitteny berk]

those are the plates we've had as long as I remember, mostly used for resting meat and prepping stuff these days.

I don't think I'm you, but I can't rule it out.

[FatherJack]

I don't think I'm you, but I can't rule it out.

Bah, I knew I wouldn't give myself a straight answer.

[shot2bits]

those are the plates we've had as long as I remember

i notice you say we, is that a we as in you and fj? subconsciously admitting the truth?

[Dr. kitteny berk]

[Mr. Johnson]

Actually they're making a sitcom, where Berk is the angry blundering chef that struggles to cope with FJ's hilarious high jinks, like the time when Berk had important guests over and FJ put marmite in his beans.

[Dog Pants]

Actually they're making a sitcom, where Berk is the angry blundering chef that struggles to cope with FJ's hilarious high jinks, like the time when Berk had important guests over and FJ put marmite in his beans.

Can that replace Eastenders please?

[Lateralus]

Now this is possibly not the healthiest roast chicken in the world, but damn it's tasty.

Ingredients

150g soft goat's cheese
1 red chilli, chopped
25g prosciutto, chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
Handful of chopped rosemary, plus a few sprigs
Handful chopped flat-leaf parsley
50g room-temperature butter
Large glass of white wine
Salt
A chicken (~1.5kg)

Method

This is a very easy recipe to do. First, preheat your oven to 190C. Then, mix the cheese, chilli, prosciutto, garlic, rosemary, parsley and a pinch of salt together in a bowl.

This next bit does require a bit of a delicate touch - slide your fingers between the skin and the breast meat, and loose the skin for as far under as you can, including down to the tops of the leg joints. However, you need to try and not tear the skin if you can help it.

Next, slide (maybe using a teaspoon) the cheese mix under the skin, spreading it evenly. You can pat down the top of the skin to help move it around too. Then, truss up your bird as Berk did.

Put the chicken on top of the rosemary sprigs in a roasting tin, spread the butter over the top of the chicken, and put in the oven for about 1.5 hours. When the juices run clear (a skewer in the thigh is a good place to check), remove and leave to rest for 15 mins.

The wine is then added to the roasting tin to pick up the tasty bits and make a gravy.

Om nyom nyom. Not made this in ages, but it's lovely. I sometimes add a quartered lemon into the chicken cavity too. It's not bulky enough to slow down the cooking, but the lemony flavour really penetrates the meat. It goes very well with the goat's cheese stuffing, but is a good way to add more flavour to a plain roast chicken too.

[kaetie]

First of all, thanks for the cooking recipies. I shall be trying them out myself very soon, plus I try to cook from scratch as much as i can.

I may even put my own dishes up. It all be indian though, im no good with british food. Plus, I'm part indian (dads anglo indian), so I grew up with indian cooking.

Keep those recipies coming plox <3

[Dr. kitteny berk]

I may even put my own dishes up. It all be indian though, im no good with british food. Plus, I'm part indian (dads anglo indian), so I grew up with indian cooking.

oh god yes, please do.

[Roman Totale]

I lurvs injun food

[kaetie]

I lurvs injun food

INJUN FUD IS GOOD YO

I'll see what I can do