Oven Roasted Chicken

Tips

• Do not select a very large chicken. Select a chicken that is around 1 to 1.5 kg in weight (after dressing), unless you have a very large oven.
• If you use a rotisserie (like I did), then it is difficult to balance heavier birds without proper accessories.
• The basic marinade can be of your choice (indian, continental, chinese etc.)

Ingredients

• 1 whole dressed chicken with the SKIN NOT REMOVED

First Marinade

• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
• Salt as per taste. Remember that the chicken will absorb some of the salt during the marination.

Second Marinade

• 2-3 tablespoons of Ginger Garlic paste
• 1 tablespoon of Kashmiri chilli powder (use a spicier one if you so prefer)
• ½ teaspoon of black pepper powder
• ½ teaspoon of turmeric powder
• 2 tablespoons of cooking oil
• Salt as per taste
• 1 teaspoon of honey (optional) - this gives a caramalizing effect on the skin. You can add this at the time of basting the chicken instead of adding it during the marination

Preparation & Roasting

• First of all loosen the skin of the chicken and remove any excess fat and the giblets and kidneys etc. You can remove the chicken tail as well. Then wash it thoroughly and pat dry until all the water is gone from the skin and the inside.
• Rub salt and lemon juice over the chicken, under the skin and also inside the chicken. Let the chicken stand for about 15 minutes in the refrigerator covered
• Mix the other ingredients and apply that mixture over the skin, under the skin and inside. Marinate the chicken in the refrigerator in an airtight container/plastic bag for 4 hours at least. Marinating overnight is the best option. Do not use metal vessels for marination.
• Tie the legs together using a thick cotton thread (do not use anything other than cotton). This step is optional and not required if you are not going to use a rotisserie. Tying the chicken makes it retain its shape. But it will take longer to cook
• Grease an oven proof pan with a little oil and place the chicken on it with the breast side up. The pan should have sides with at least ½ -1 inch of height so that the juices do not run out
• You can optionally add some quartered onions, and cubes of carrot, etc. to the pan and place the chicken over those
• Preheat the oven to 200 degree Celsius and then place the pan with the chicken into the oven following the instructions given by the oven manufacturer for this cooking method
• Roast the chicken till it is done (approximately 25 minutes for ½ kg. So for a 1.5 kg chicken it would take around 75 minutes). But this could vary from oven to oven and bird to bird, depending on the size and other factors of the oven and the age and weight of the bird. So one needs to check it occasionally.
• Bast the chicken every 20 minutes using the remaining marinade. If you have used up all the second marinade prepared earlier, make some more for this purpose.
• Once the chicken is done, remove it from the oven and let it stand for 15-20 minutes covered with an aluminium foil.

How to tell when the chicken is done?

• If you have a meat thermometer use that on the thickest part (between the thigh joint and the body) making sure that the thermometer sensor does not touch the bone. The temperature should be around 85 degree Celsius. I use the meat thermometer
• Pierce the chicken on the thickest part with a knife/fork and the liquid coming should be clear and not pinkish
• The chicken should be moist and tender if properly roasted and not dry.

Making the sauce

• Remove the chicken from the pan and also the vegetables. In a pan sauté some chopped onions, garlic and ginger in butter. Add the liquid from the roasting pan and keep cooking till it is reduced to a rather thick consistency. You can add a little hot water to the roasting pan and scrape out all the dried juices to make more of the sauce. Pour this over the carved pieces of the chicken.

Tips

• If you see that the skin of the chicken is turning brown before the chicken gets cooked, cover the chicken loosely with an aluminium foil. Remove the foil during the last 20 minutes of the cooking to get the skin browned
• You can stuff the chicken with vegetables like carrot, onions, full unpeeled garlic pods, mint leaves, coriander leaves etc. The stuffed chicken takes longer to cook

Marinade Option II

• 2 table spoons of lemon juice
• Salt as per taste
• 2-3 tablespoons of Ginger Garlic paste
• 1 tablespoon of black pepper
• ½ teaspoons each of rosemary, thyme, oregano or 1 tablespoon of mixed Italian herbs
• Chopped fresh basil leaves
• Chopped parsley or coriander leaves
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of honey (optional)