When roasting a chicken I usually use a convection oven. Does this have any advantages or disadvantages?

Also, I seem to get a lot of spatter from the chicken all over the inside of the oven. Any suggestions on preventing that and still having a crisp skin?

Paul

Convection oven will just cook the bird a bit quicker, as the air is constantly being circulated (via the fan) around the oven.

As for how to prevent the chicken splatter...I think this is just a casualty of cooking. I am not sure that there is anything you can do to prevent this. If you were to cover the chicken, it would prevent the skin from crisping and browning properly.

Glad you enjoyed the lesson! Cheers.

My local farmer's market has them from time to time. They are large like roasting chickens.

Capons are male birds that have been surgically castrated and weigh approximately 6 to 10 pounds. They contain more white meat than dark meat and roast very well.

Here is a Drill-down with more info on Types of Poultry.

I didn't see the drill down. One thing I've enjoyed in a restaraunt was Quail (deboned except for the drum). I've thought about making it at home but the whole thought of de-boning something that small is intimidating. Any tips?

Tough one without visuals. I'd start with the backbone, and cut along it from both sides with a scissor to remove it. Open up the quail and start ripping off the rib cage with your fingers, and use your scissor rather than a knife (quails are small enough for this) to clip off shoulder bones and hip bones. Then simply take it as far as you'd like with the thigh bone and wishbone. Our pro students have to do it for the first time, but they get pretty good at it after 3-4 others. You do eventually feel your way around it.

Hi Tony,
Thanks for the direction. I'll defiantly try this over the holidays. I never though to use scissors (great idea!) and the thought of my boning knife and fingers in there together doesn’t excite me in the least.
I just love pan roasted quail with Asian spices. If I get this down pat, I'll post something in the test kitchen.
Cheers!

When seasoning a kosher chicken do you recommend using salt or is there enough salt left over from the koshering process?

Thanks

You'll have to test and see as brands will differ. But I would still salt the chicken inside-out, though less liberally.

I have a clay roaster with a top, should I just use the bottom or will using the cover also reduce the crisping?

I am not sure exactly of the roaster that you mean, but I imagine you would only want to use the bottom half as a lid would only cause the chicken to steam...which means the skin would not crisp up (just as you suspected).

Hope this helps!

Thanks Rouxbe for having a wonderful site. Last night I followed the Basic Roasted Chicken recipe. I used my 8" cast iron skillet to roast a 5 lb roaster chicken, which fit perfectly. I slathered the bird with grapeseed oil, salt and pepper, then roasted in 400F oven until juices ran clear and bird reached 165 internal temp. I turned it every 30mins and basted. It was the most moist chicken! Only thing is I didn't get the color I wanted. My bird looked alittle pale and anemic. Any suggestions on what I can do to get a pretty golden color? Thanks!!

So glad you liked the chicken. As for not getting the color you wanted it could be for a few reasons - oven temp., was the bird dry going into the oven, did you baste etc.?

I am just curious did you watch the 2 cooking school lessons on Roasting Chicken? If not perhaps watch those and see if they might shed some light on things for you.

If you still have question feel free to ask away. Hope this helps!

Hi....

I found this video for deboning quail it seems easy but I'll have to try it by my self.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xa03ht_how-to-bone-a-quail_tech?from=rss

I have cooked this twice with wonderful results except I don't seem to be able to insert the thermometer into the right spot. I've tried 2 diff. spots in the chicken and still comes out pink. can you advice

I'm trying to find the perfect spot in the thickest part of the thigh in which to stick the thermometer. I even left it in until it reached 170 degrees this last time and still when I cut between the breast and the leg it was still red. I bought a oven temp gauge to verify the correct oven temperature. And made a slight correction, yet I still had to keep it in the oven way to long. Can you help me figure out what I'm doing wrong?
PS. two things that never been discussed to the best of my knowledge an electronic temperature probe "that beeps at the set temperature" and how and when do we incorporate the use of a convection oven; in which I own?
Thank you very much for your time.

A thermometer works great into a roast as you can easily find the middle of it and get the reading; however, in a chicken it can be a bit tricky. Sometimes it touches a bone or you don't get into the thickest part of the thigh to get the 170 reading but it is still pink.

To be sure, try at a few different spots where you think the thickest part is. The juices should always run clear. Finally, I always triple check by gently spreading the leg from the carcass. This way, you can see for yourself if it is still pink. Hope this helps.

Thank you Chrstophe K, but unfortunately that's what I tried to do. I think I must have a problem with chicken anatomy. the only part of the video I found difficult to follow was the temperature probe incursion, nevertheless I will continue trying.
Thanks
PS. By the way why are there no discussion on electronic temperature probes or convection cooking?

We do not have any lessons on these topics but there are a few forum discussions on them. I did a quick search and found a few:

http://rouxbe.com/community/forums/6/topics/245?page=1#7939
http://rouxbe.com/community/forums/21/topics/1066?page=1#6890
http://rouxbe.com/community/forums/6/topics/245?page=1#1487

Cheers!

Please tell me how too keep my chicken on the bottom side from getting greasey,i put the chicken on a rack,too rest.i have to pat dry after resting,too get rid of the wet,greasey look,i look forward for your professional guidance.Thanks for being here for us all.

This particular forum thread is reserved for questions relating to the How to Roast Chicken lesson.

While your question is a good one, lessons on breading, deep frying and shallow frying are on our production list. There are just too many factors that can impact the result; therefore, it is difficult to properly address your question in the context of the forum (prior to the lessons). It could be the type of batter you are using or the temperature you are frying at and which method you are using. Stay tuned for the upcoming lessons. Cheers!

Lovely!! 2 perfectly roasted chickens, one at Thanksgiving and another tonight. It is so helpful to be able to go back to the lessons. If I think I have the internal temperature correct (still learning placement technique of the thermometer without the chicken looking like a woodpecker just visited the kitchen), I check the drippings after the chicken has been on the rack and tented. If they are pink, then back in the oven it goes!!! Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and may you all have a very good and prosperous New Year! Thank you so much for all of your help!

I really find it amazing that such simple techniques and seasoning produce such great results. Did my first roasted bird this morning and had for lunch. Juicy and full of flavor this will become a staple I am sure.

Thanks Rouxbe!

I made the roasted chicken last night to serve with a Chinese chicken salad. This was the easiest approach I ever took with roasting chicken AND the most successful. We usually buy rotisserie chickens at the grocery store and I don't think we'll be doing that anymore. Roasting the chicken at home resulted in a significantly more moist, flavorful chicken and absolutely delicious. Thank you for all the great information!

If you cut the chicken into pieces before roasting what would be the problems. Would it dry out? Just wondering how to expedite the handling of hot chicken. If I get to wear a dunce cap for silly question, so be it. ;-)