What is the best way to prepare a chicken?

Answer 1

This is an incredible recipe by the Barefoot Contessa.

Lemon and Garlic Chicken

1 (5 to 6-pound) roasting chicken
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large bunch fresh thyme
4 lemons
3 heads garlic, cut in 1/2 crosswise
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 pound sliced bacon
1 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers and pat the outside dry. Place the chicken in a large roasting pan. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the thyme, reserving enough thyme to garnish the chicken dish, 1 lemon, halved, and 2 halves of the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Cut 2 of the lemons in quarters and scatter the quarters and remaining garlic around the chicken. Lay the bacon slices over the chicken to cover.

Roast the chicken for 1 hour. Remove the bacon slices from the top of the chicken and set aside. Continue roasting the chicken for an additional 1/2 hour, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove to a platter and cover with aluminum foil while you prepare the gravy.

Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the bottom of the pan. Add the wine and chicken stock and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes, or until reduced by half.

Slice the chicken on a platter. Garnish the chicken platter with the bacon slices, roasted garlic, reserved thyme and 1 lemon, sliced. Serve with the gravy.

Answer 2

Tough to say the best way but if you are doing a whole chicken then I like to mix salt, pepper, rosemary, paprika, chili powder, a bit of cinnamon, and one half stick softened butter together in a mixing bowl. Take mixture and work it under the skin of the chicken from front to back and massage well.You want to get it everywhere. The sprinkle the dry mixture (no butter) on top of the bird, stuff cavity of bird with quartered onion, apple, and any herbs you enjoy. cook at 400 degrees F for 25 min a pound basting every 15 min with a beer, and dry herb combination.
This comes out perfectly moist and tender. I highly reccomend.

Answer 3

Roast chicken - clean the whole chicken and massage olive oil or soft butter all over its skin. Sprinkle with salt pepper and garlic powder - stuff some halves of lemons and garlic cloves inside the chicken = bake on 300 uncovered for about 2 hours at least - bast about every 20 mins. When the leg pulls easily then it is done. I the internal temperature on a thermometer is 165 for chicken.

Answer 4

Pecan Chicken with Dijon Sauce

Ingredients:

4 boneless chicken breasts
1 1/2 sticks of butter
4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
6 ounce of pecans, finely ground
2 tablespoons canola oil
2/3 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste

Preparation:

Place chicken between 2 pieces of waxed paper and pound gently until about 1/4 inch thick.

In a microwavable bowl, melt 1 stick of butter and 3 tablespoons of the mustard until just melted. Whisk to incorporate. Place the pecans on a dinner plate.

One by one dip the pounded chicken breasts into the butter/mustard sauce then into the pecans, coating thoroughly.

Melt the half stick of butter in a skillet, add the oil and heat to medium. Sauté the chicken for a few minutes on each side to brown and transfer to a casserole dish. Place in a medium oven (300°F) for about 6 more minutes.

Drain the pan of oil and deglaze with the sour cream, stirring with a whisk over medium heat. Add the remaining tablespoon of mustard and season with salt and pepper.

Place a pool of the sauce on each of four plates and place the cooked chicken on top.

Answer 5

This is my absolute favorite and always impresses guests, it comes from Jamie Olivers book The Naked Chef this recipe always turns out perfect!

One whole chicken
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 small handfuls of fresh herbs (basil, parsley, marjoram), finely chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1 lemon, halved
4 bay leaves
1 sprig of fresh rosemary
3 cloves of garlic

1 Preheat oven and a roasting tray to 400°F. Wash chicken inside and out; pat it as dry with paper towels. Rub the cavity with salt. Carefully grab the skin at the tip of the chicken breast and pull up gently. With your other hand, gently separate the skin from the breast meat. Sprinkle a little salt in the gaps and push in as much of the chopped herbs and garlic as you can (I also put butter under the skin). Drizzle in a little olive oil. Stuff the chicken with lemon, bay leaf and rosemary and whatever may be left of the fresh herbs. Pull the skin of the chicken breast forward so that none of the actual flesh is exposed, tuck the little winglets under, and tie up as firmly as possible with kitchen twine.

2 Rub a little olive oil into the skin of the chicken and season generously with salt and pepper (you can substitute butter at this stage too). Remove the hot tray from the oven and 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.

Answer 6

Nothing like a good old Beer Can Chicken.......

Starts off with consuming some beer........Nice start......

add to the leftover beer in the can, garlic, rosemary,Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, liquid smoke.....or any other of your favorite herbs and spices.

rub the whole bird with oil and season with a good dry rub.
stuff bird vertically over and in the beer can and BBQ indirect heat for 2.5 hours @ 195 but not above 210 degrees. or 45 minutes in 275 oven......this is for a roasting size bird.................

Answer 7

Oven Fried Chicken

Make three "dipping stations"

Season the chicken with all purpose seasoning.
Cover in first bowl which you have filled with flour & a little extra seasonings

Dip in second bowl which contains two eggs beaten.

Cover in third bowl which has bread crumbs in it!... Italian or whatevr style you like.

Simply place it on a cookie sheet in the oven at 350degrees truning after 15 minutes for a total cooking time of 24-30 minutes.

Answer 8

One of my favourite ways to prepare chicken is..on a Rotisserie. either on a outdoor grill or one of those home Rotisseries'.....rub chicken with olive oil and your favorite spice rub/ grill seasoning and roast for aprox. 1 1/2 hrs...depending on the size of your chicken. I serve homemade BBQ sauce for dipping...Sherry N

Answer 9

there are tons of ways, I've got a few favorites though. I love a good brined chicken, and then roasting it at about 450. and there's a recipe, very very simple. chicken princess pojorski. where you take your chicken breasts. boneless, skinless, and mince them by hand, then add cream until you can't add any more cream, season with S&P and then make cutlets out of them, flour them and fry them up. damn, they're so good.

Answer 10

Assuming we are preparing the chicken for cooking and eating:

Start with plucking and move to eviseration, then cook as desired.