150 things to make with roast chicken

by Bob Sassone, Posted Apr 18th 2007 @ 4:51PM

No, I'm not going to list them all here, but it's the subject of a new book by Tony Rosenfeld, co-owner of the b.good all-natural burger chain and contributing editor to Fine Cooking magazine. The full title of the book is 150 Things To Make With Roast Chicken And 50 Ways To Roast It.

Rosenfeld says that not many people roast whole birds anymore (besides Thanksgiving I guess). Most people are buying them pre-cooked. He worries that traditional cooking like that is becoming a little passe, and that maybe one day we'll no longer be able to get whole birds from the market.

Yeah, I have to admit that not only am I not roasting whole birds these days, most of my chicken meals come from pre-cut and pre-cooked chicken from Perdue. Oh well.

But if you do get a whole bird, before you cook it, you have to know how to choose it:

Now you have a host of options. But before you roast, you have to know how to choose a bird. "The differences are spectacular," says the author. "And you really notice the subtle nuances with the whole birds more than with parts." At the meat counter, the chicken expert looks for smooth skin and plump legs. He says that the more expensive birds usually do taste better, fresher and cleaner mostly. Size is important, too. "Four pounds is just right," he says. As for the packaging, he says, "Birds smothered in that thick, tight, Cryovaced plastic can get a little funky. Also, the sell-by dates on those chickens can be two to three weeks out." As far as this chef is concerned, "Basically, everything matters."

Filed Under: Ingredients, Books, Methods
Tags: b. good, boston globe, boston.com, chicken, fine cooking magazine, perduce, poultry, pre-cooked chicken, roasting, supermarkets, tony rosenfeld, TonyRosenfeld, whole birds, whole chicken

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

4-18-2007 @5:45PM Seth W. said... For shame, roast chicken is the easiest dish to make and it goes with everything, not to mention FAR cheaper than buying chicken by the piece. And even if you dont eat the whole thing, dont forget the best use is for chicken tacos on nite 2, or sandwiches, or on a salad, or for the best chicken soup ever!
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4-18-2007 @8:21PM Scott said... I agree. The only downside I have with roast chicken is the messiness. Whenever I make it there's always a ton of dishes to clean up, not to mention the time consuming process of taking the leftover meat off the bones for leftovers. I still love it, though. Nothing says home like roast chicken with gravy, stuffing, and mashed potatoes.
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4-18-2007 @10:23PM MJ said... Fresh roasted chicken hot from the over=n is one of the bs=est things! Would never want one of those shriveld things under a heating lamp from the deli or prepackaged. Dont know how long that stuff has been around.
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4-18-2007 @11:56PM Heidi said... I have the Baby George rotisserie--yep, by George Foreman. It's one of the best kitchen purchases that I have made EVER. I rub a bird down with my fave Cajun seasoning mix, tie it up and spin it for 90 minutes in there. It's very simple to do, the Baby George cleans up easily and the food comes out perfect every time. I've used it for large turkey breasts, beef roasts and whole chickens and both come out wonderfully and the house smells amazing while they are cooking. It's an easy way to get the roast chicken without all the mess and with the freshness of one you roast yourself. Much less expensive than buying the pre-cooked birds of questionable quality, for sure, and you get to season them however you like too. This appliance has definitely paid for itself in my kitchen.

http://www.esalton.com/control/product/~category_id=C20009/~product_id=GR59P
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4-19-2007 @10:51AM Marilyn said... I can't imagine not having roast chicken! I use the microwave to cook mine. Now, I know that microwave cooking might not appeal to most on this site, but... I use a Tupperware product, the Oval Microsteamer. It's a stack cooker that can be used to cook a whole chicken in 30 mins, steam vegetables, and stack different foods to microcook at the same time, complete in 25-30 minutes. For a whole "roast" chicken, I use a 4.25-4.5 lb chicken, place an onion in the cavity, and use one of the Tupperware seasoning mixes or Pappy's Seasoning blend. Check it after 25 mins to determine doneness. The chicken comes out cooked, moist, tender, juicy -- heavenly. Oh my! If you're interested in more info, check it out at http://my2.tupperware.com/marilynperry.
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4-19-2007 @12:01PM Natalie said... I, too, use the microwave to cook chicken. I'm a Director with The Pampered Chef and we recently came up with a new stoneware piece that you can roast a whole chicken in 30 minutes, or with the vegetables and potatoes in 40-45 minutes when you use the microwave. I NEVER used a whole chicken before this, but it's the easiest meal in the world to prepare. See www.pamperedchef.biz/cookingwithnatalie for more information. It's a great meal to cook once and serve twice!
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4-19-2007 @12:52PM joleym said... You can roast a chicken in a large crockpot. The secret is to put balls of tinfoil on the bottom so it doesn't sit in the juices. Sprinkle the chicken with seasonings, lay it on its back on the tinfoil and cook on HIGH setting for 4-6 hours. You can even keep it in there longer, the meat just falls off the bones.
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4-21-2007 @2:48AM don said... You can roast a chicken in an oven an hour in an oven. No real huge trick to it. 45mins if you have a convection oven. Nice golden crispy skin.

Sometimes it comes down to, it's $12 for a fresh, uncooked, chicken. Or you can buy a one from the grocery store rotisserie for $10 and you don't have to spend an hour or so cooking it.

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5-02-2007 @3:21AM Debra said... Roast a chicken. "Seth W." said it well: "Posted at 5:45PM on Apr 18th 2007" EASY. Many options.

Another post stated it was messy and had many dishes to clean. Yet others promote the business they have. I will admit I have NEVER paid near the price some have paid for a whole, raw, fresh (even, range) chicken, as they did! A small turkey, yes...

I look forward to seeing "150 Things to Make with Roast Chicken and 50 Ways To Roast It". I know most of it won't be tested in my kitchen, not saying I would not like to try any method or the recipes.

This bird has replaced many other meat, and added when not called for.

Seach the internet for roast chicken recipes and find more than 150 recipes. More than 50 ways to "roast" a bird, aka: poultry.
Simple, better, perfect, ultimate and of course, the "only" way...

My goodness, you could even find this link looking for "Roast" as a Google search (see note *) http://www.roastchicken.com/
Chainsaw Redemption thing, I won't EVEN go there!

Enjoy your bird! Slashed, jerked, boiled, slow, baked, marinated, fast, sauced, drunk, easy, broiled, supreme, broasted, roast, braised, frugal, roasted, deep fried, extreme, grilled, nuked and at this time, the thought of which method and the recipe, yes, I am feeling fried!

It is all good. No matter how you cut, slice, dice, mince, shred, meld, place and yes, blend.

*Using a chainsaw seems a bit much, in my opinion...

It is all, Quote:

"Good Eats"
-Alton Brown

"To post comments about a recipe, following EXACT recipe, is fair. To change recipe and post comments, is only commenting on your own recipe"
-adoozie58

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