How to… Roast a Perfect Chicken

Appears in

Published 2009

First make sure that there is nothing inside the cavity (the giblets are sometimes stored in there in a plastic bag, which could lead to disaster). Rinse inside and out and dry with paper towels.
You can truss the chicken to help it keep its shape and cook evenly — tie its legs together with kitchen string and tuck its wings back under the body.
For even roasting, turn the bird over halfway through cooking time. Baste as often as you can.
When the chicken is cooked the juices from the cavity and from a skewer pushed into the thigh will run clear.
Leave the chicken to ‘rest’ loosely covered with foil for 10 minutes before carving to let the juices settle. Some people leave the chicken upside down for the juices to run into the breast.