How to cook a whole chicken?

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dakotababy
dakotababy Posts: 2,406 Member
in Recipes
I just bought a whole chicken a few days ago. I have no idea how to cook this thing. It is about 3.15lbs, and i plan to cook it in the oven.

Any ideas/tips/instructions?
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Replies

  • socksnollie
    socksnollie Posts: 13
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    Oh shoot, I was so ready to tell you to shove a can of beer (light of course:) ) in it's rear and throw it
    on the grill.. Yumm Yum.
  • smaugish
    smaugish Posts: 244 Member
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    I'm a vegetarian, so I don't eat chicken :p

    BUT, living with my parents and brother and dogs (all meat eaters), when I've cooked a chicken in the past, I have done thus:

    Make sure the chicken doesn't have any giblets in.

    Rubbed the chicken with some olive oil, salt, and or other seasonings (rosemary, thyme, garlic and parsley are ALL great with chicken, but you could spice things up with some cayenne or chilli flakes too, and lemon always goes nicely!)

    Baked in a covered roasting pan (either one of the groovy ones that has a lid, or covered with some kitchen foil) for about 1 1/2 hours, on around 175 degrees Centigrade, OR until the juices run clear. That's the most important thing- the juices run clear.
  • Rmfowler1990
    Rmfowler1990 Posts: 83 Member
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    I put mine in the crockpot! It's the simplest and yummiest!

    Rinse it off, take the gizzards out, pat dry. Then use any meat rub, seasoning salt, or your own mix of herbs and rub them ALL over the chicken.

    Put the chicken in the crockpot (I don't add water or anything, the chicken's moistness will stay and create broth in the crockpot). Let the chicken cook on low for about 8 hours or high for about 4. After it's cooked the skin is crispy and the meat is SO moist. I make at least one a month and freeze the left overs.
  • rissadiane
    rissadiane Posts: 355 Member
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    I just did the same thing.
    bump for ideas!
  • paintlisapurple
    paintlisapurple Posts: 982 Member
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    This is a never fail recipe for a whole chicken.
    Sprinkle liberally with pepper and paprika (I prefer Hungarian paprika b/c its spicy)
    Place in baking dish thats slightly larger than the chicken
    Place in 350 degree oven until the juices run clear and the leg can pull fairly easily away from the body (sounds gruesome lol)
    The skin will be nicely brown and crispy and the meat should be nice and moist as long as you don't cook it too long.

    Good luck and Bon Apetit! :flowerforyou:
  • dakotababy
    dakotababy Posts: 2,406 Member
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    It was an epic fail.

    We decided to just cook steak after 2 hours and it still not being cooked.
  • newmooon56
    newmooon56 Posts: 347 Member
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    rub the body down with salt, pepper, garlic powder and tarragon- thats it- no butter or oil. stuff the cavity with onion and carrot. place on a rack in a roasting pan- 350* until the bird is 160* at the thigh (dont hit the bone when you stick the thermometer in) google how long per lb- I never time- I smell when its done.
  • Katahna
    Katahna Posts: 326 Member
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    Apply heat!
  • peggylosing25
    peggylosing25 Posts: 3 Member
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    I put a whole chicken in a pressure cooker with spices,....rosemary, thyme, sage, and parsley for 35 minutes. YUMMY
  • Liasings
    Liasings Posts: 150 Member
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    Not done after 2 hours? That's weird. Is your oven heating properly? You can buy an oven thermometer fairly cheaply to make sure that the oven is hitting the temp you set.

    Sorry it didn't work out this time, but good for you for trying. A whole chicken can be intimidating if you've never cooked one before.
  • 512cheangela
    512cheangela Posts: 133
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    Here's how I play with CHIGGIN: Preheat oven at 450. Rinse bird thoroughly inside and out making sure you remove any loose neck/giblet bits. Stuff it full of apples, garlic cloves, and limes. Pat skin dry with paper towel Cut a little slit in the skin above breast meat and use fingers to shove garlic, apples, and fresh herbs under the skin. Lay down with breasts up in roasting pan. Rub olive oil on bird, dust with paprika, pepper, and whatever other fun spices you want to go to town with. Throw in oven for 15 minutes then drop the temp down to 350 for a couple hours. Use meat thermometer to make sure meat is 160. Let rest 10 minutes out of the oven.
  • SweetxCatastrophe
    SweetxCatastrophe Posts: 593 Member
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    I put mine in the crockpot! It's the simplest and yummiest!

    Rinse it off, take the gizzards out, pat dry. Then use any meat rub, seasoning salt, or your own mix of herbs and rub them ALL over the chicken.

    Put the chicken in the crockpot (I don't add water or anything, the chicken's moistness will stay and create broth in the crockpot). Let the chicken cook on low for about 8 hours or high for about 4. After it's cooked the skin is crispy and the meat is SO moist. I make at least one a month and freeze the left overs.


    THIS for sure! I screw up whole chickens every single time if I don't do it in the crockpot!

    But yeah..the chicken definitely should have been done after 2hrs! I'd check the oven temp for sure
  • mrmmm
    mrmmm Posts: 1
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    I hope it's ok to post a link here; but, consider giving this recipe a try (it's not mine, obviously): http://almostbourdain.blogspot.com/2010/02/thomas-kellers-favorite-simple-roast.html

    It's ridiculously tasty and easy, requiring only a chicken, salt, pepper, thyme, kitchen twine and perhaps some paper towels. And, do't be squeamish about using some heat; I roast mine at 450 F. I use this recipe once every week or two with great success and if you get bored, it's easy to modify to match your tastes or side dishes. However, coarse ground dijon mustard is always an excellent addition.

    Good luck on the next attempt.
  • mmmyotwnz
    mmmyotwnz Posts: 119 Member
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    Take all the organs out of the cavity of the chest. Wash the chicken thoroughly with water. It is not necessary to have a 'roasting pan' but it makes it easier. If you have a large rectangular casserole pan, that will work.

    I put the chicken breast side up on a small rack to keep it off the bottom of the pan. I add garlic powder and paprika to coat, then I add a sprinkling of allspice and nutmeg. Season with pepper and kosher salt and add a small amount of water to the bottom of the pan. (I add dried thyme and rosemary to the cavity) It is up to you if you cook the organs with the bird. It enhances the flavor of the broth, but I don't eat them.

    Bake at 350 until the middle of the breast meat reaches poultry safe zone via a meat thermometer. Let the chicken rest in the pan out of the oven for approx. 15 minutes.

    I strain the fat off of the broth in the pan and make rice or a gravy. If you don't want to mess with this on this particular day, do strain the broth anyway, place into a container and pop into the freezer. Next time you want to make a quick veggie soup, you will have broth already handy. I have even put broth in ice cube trays, frozen it and then add to a ziplock freezer baggie. When you are braising or searing meat in a pan it is good to add a cube to help deglaze the pan or add moisture.

    If you really want to Martha Stewart it all up....I add chunks of onion, a stalk of celery and a large carrot or two, it makes the broth very tasty. Oh and if you have any fresh herbs...through those in the cavity of the bird when you put it in the oven.

    This is really easy and I find that it is mindless cooking as you put it in and walk away from the kitchen. Also great to throw it in a crockpot, set on low for several hours and viola, you have a finished meat with very little prep time.
  • sthrnchick
    sthrnchick Posts: 771
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    My favorite whole chicken recipe by far is ...Beer in the Butt Chicken....

    Wash the chicken, rub with olive oil, salt and pepper...add some fresh rosemary under the skin. Add 2-3 springs of rosemary to a can of beer and set the chicken on the beer can.

    Bake at 350 for about an hour...Moist and SUPER YUMMY!
  • paintlisapurple
    paintlisapurple Posts: 982 Member
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    It was an epic fail.

    We decided to just cook steak after 2 hours and it still not being cooked.

    :noway: What temp did you set the oven? Perhaps the oven is having some issues?
  • ichorica
    ichorica Posts: 475 Member
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    I put a whole chicken in a pressure cooker with spices,....rosemary, thyme, sage, and parsley for 35 minutes. YUMMY

    This is exactly what I do. Its super juicy and fast!
  • slim104
    slim104 Posts: 160
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    My favorite whole chicken recipe by far is ...Beer in the Butt Chicken....

    Wash the chicken, rub with olive oil, salt and pepper...add some fresh rosemary under the skin. Add 2-3 springs of rosemary to a can of beer and set the chicken on the beer can.

    Bake at 350 for about an hour...Moist and SUPER YUMMY!

    I take it you open the beer can? Or else you'd be picking bits of chicken out the trees and bushes :drinker:
  • erinlea75
    erinlea75 Posts: 47 Member
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    There definitely sounds like something is wrong with the oven, or you had the temp too low, if it wasn't cooked after 2 hours. A 3lb chicken is not that big.

    Start at a high temp - 500 - to get a good, crispy skin. Then drop the temp down after 30 minutes. When I did mine this week, I dropped it to 450 and it was done in an hour. Usually I drop to 375. The chickens we cook are usually larger and they are done in under 2 hours.
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
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    Preheat oven to 375

    Remove the neck and what not from the cavity.
    I rinse my chicken and pat it dry with paper towels
    Rub it with olive oil
    salt and pepper inside and out
    Rub it with a dry rub
    tuck the tips of the wings in
    fill the cavity with whole cloves of garlic and herbs
    put in a roasting pan on a rack
    put a foil tent over the chicken and pan
    put in oven covered for an hour and 15 minutes, drizzling with olive oil around 45 minutes in
    take off tent, drizzle with olive oil, and finished uncovered for another 15 to 30 minutes.

    (total cook time 1:30 - 1:45 minutes for a 3.5 to 4 lb chicken unstuffed)

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