Routinely, I've put a bird in the oven breast down, the theory being that the fat from the back will baste the breast (and keep it moist)?, until the last half-hour or so when I've put it 'right' way up to crisp the breast skin - and get rid of those grill marks!...
Did this this morning when a friend was round.......she'd never heard of this way of cooking & pointed out that on all the tele programmes the bird is always roasted breast up?
So......have I got to unlearn 25+ years of useless info????
:o
Nope, always breast down, just saw Keith Floyd do it on tv the other day. All jokes about him not knowing which way is up will be ignored ;)
Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I have always done it breast up - well stuffed with eg apple, onion, tarragon, celery - buttered, garlic, & streaky bacon to cover, taking it off when crisp.
I've seen the other way suggested, but just checked in all my major books & they all say breast up.
Right - just checked this out. It's obviously a new-fangled thing - the net says down!!
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLG,GGLG:2006-41,GGLG:en&q=roast+chicken+breast+down
But then we go crazy - who has time to stuff a mushroom? I rely on my stuffing to keep the breast moist - & the fact that it's free range. And I dare you to find fault!!
" add a little oil. Put the chicken on one side, breast side down, on the tray and put back in the oven. Allow to cook for 5 minutes, then turn it over on to the other side, breast side down. Cook for another 5 minutes and then place the chicken on its back. Cook for 1 hour"
I have tried both and can never really tell the difference. Mum does it breast down then flips it. I think it depends on the bird. If it is a juicy, flavoursome free ranger, then I wouldn't worry. If a mass produced, pumped full of water, likely to be bland and dry, breast down and plenty of flavours in the cavity to attempt to keep the birdie succulent.
I always cook the christmas Turkey breast down, untill 20mins before it is finished then turn the oven up a little, YUM YUM, no complaints so far after many years of doing it this way. So carry on Lish.
Yes, carry on, Lishka - but ours goes in upwards today!!
No veg around because of the vegetarians.
I'm with the breast up brigade ;D
When doing the christmas turkey I always use Delia's methood
of creating a double tent of foil which doesn't touch the bird,
therefore allowing the steam to circulate without escaping.
The result is a beautifully succulent bird.
Agree with Tim and EJ - you can't go wrong with a good bit of stuffing-
none of your Paxo rubbish (PAH :-X )
I would recommend Delia's Sausage meat, sage and onion
stuffing, it is sooo moreish :P
Debs x
Quoteyou can't go wrong with a good bit of stuffing
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v89/AnthillMob/muttley.gif)
Why not cook one on it's side and compare both sides.
I sometimes boil mine whole in a casserole pot.
This makes for maximum juiciness, as I hate dry breast meat.
Take all the skin and fat off first if you like.
Ohhhh, a good boiling fowl....common enough to buy when I lived in Italy, but here?
btw.....it's gonna be breast down, business as usual for me....can't be doin with tents of foil & all the rest. Dunno if my chickens are free-range (prolly NOT) but they're tasty corn fed birds...
EJ, I don't think the ones I buy are pumped full with water or prone to dry out & need a strong stuffing to flavour them? The flesh is tasty by itself and the breast self-bastes by the fat cooking out of the back - the trickle-down theory of cooking ;D
Boiled? Yes - I much prefer a casserole bird to roast.
breast up here and thats the Chefs way too
One reason for a dry breast is the old habit of frazzling it till it's crisp.
Since so many people these days cut the skin off their bit, I do not purposely brown it.
I'm with Hugh F-W on this one.
If you put the bird (or almost any other joint of meat) into a very hot oven (around 230C), the heat will quickly seal the outside skin and help prevent the the juices in the meat escaping. Usually give a light oiling first. After about 20 minutes (depending on size of the bird) you turn the oven down to a slightly lower than normal roasting temperature (e.g. 190C instead of 200C) until the bird is cooked. You can pop the bacon on top after the initial 'sizzle' as HFW calls it.
It's not an original idea (I think I first read about sealing chicken in a hot oven about 20 years ago), but he does provide a detailed description of how to apply this to all sorts of meat in his book 'Meat'.
Just to be different, I put it in the bottom oven (230F?) for an hour or so, & finish off to temperature in the top.
But Breasts, Thighs, Legs & Wings aside - how many of you grab the best bits for yourselves - the 'Oysters'?
We like it breast up, well stufffed.
Covered with lid on roaster half way then lid off to brown.
Jeannine
Just to be different, I've taken to spatchcocking our chickens as they cook faster and don't have time to dry out. OH and I get the legs and oysters, Possum likes the wings and skin off the breast. We save the breast to make sandwiches the next day with plain or curry flavoured mayonnaise. haven't made a stuffing for chicken in years but when I did I cooked it separately so it could get a crust.
Nigel Slater says breast down with a thingy of butter massaged under the skin. I reckon it helps keep all the juices in the breast.
When I said stuff, it doesn't have to be 'stuffing'. Just anything handy that is moist & flavoursome - inc Citrus & other Fruit, Onion, Celery, Herbs. Makes great juices for the gravy.
No need to fuss about a moist breast - cooked as said, to just 82C, it's always succulent.
Oysters Tim?
Do you mean the two yummy parts on the bottom, if roasted breast
up??
If so, yes I eat those!! ;D
Gold nuggets!