whole chicken\?

Question

ok. so if i am cooking a whole chicken i just put it in pan with seasonings and a lil water and cook..its on 350.. its 5lbs.. an hour or how long? also..what is the point of waiting 10 min after cooking to cut? why do ppl tie the legs together? is that only if you use stuffing?

Answer 1

Place it on a rack in a roasting pan. Cook for 2 hours to 2 hours and 15 minutes at 375F. The point of waiting 10 minutes is to allow the meat juices to reabsorb into the meat. If you were to cut immediately all the juices would run out all over your cutting board maikingo for a dry tasting chicken. Tying the legs together promotes equal cooking. If you were not to tie them up the legs would be done in about 15 minutes and burnt to a crisp by the time the rest of your chicken cooked. Tie them whether or not you are stuffing the bird or not.

Answer 2

A 5 lb chicken will take closer to 2 hours to cook on 350. It helps to shield it with a little foil for the first hour and then remove it to brown the last hour. You can tell the chicken is ready when the meat starts to pull away from the legs. I like to poke the thick part of the drumstick. If pink juice comes out I extend the cooking time for 10 minutes until the juices run clear. Letting the meat rest for 10 minutes before cutting allows the juices to reabsorb into the meat so that when you slice it, you won't loose all the good juices and flavor. Some people tie the legs together so the juices from the inside of the cavity stay there and so that the legs don't pull away from the carcass before the rest of the bird is done. Cooking a whole chicken may seem daunting the first time, but it is very easy and I like it because I can stick it in the oven and do other things while it is cooking. One of my favorite things to flavor the chicken with is any zesty flavored Italian salad dressing. I put about a 1/2 cup of the dressing in a small dish and get out my baster. I pull the dressing up into the baster and stick the baster in between the skin and the meat and then release so the flavor cooks next to the flesh of the bird. Adds great flavor and the dressing costs very little. I also will rub the inside of the carcass with salt and pepper. My whole family loves chicken this way.

Answer 3

I cooked a whole a couple of days ago, first time. I did it my usual way, by God and by guess. It was a young bird about 2 1/2 to 3 lbs. Also the quick and dirty way, didn't tie the legs, it didn't look like it was gonna get away. I took half an onion and quartered it and put it in the cavity. I put pepper and garlic salt on the chicken. Threw some quartered red potatoes and carrots in and the other half of the onion sliced. Spayed the whole thing with olive oil. Roasted it at 350 for about 1 1/4 hours until the potatoes and carrots were done. The chicken showed almost 180 in the thigh. I would guess yours at 5 lbs will take a bit longer. It came out really good for the first time.

Answer 4

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Answer 5

20 minutes per pound at 350. No water, no need to cover. Letting it "rest" for a few makes it easier to cut and serve. Usually you tie the legs together in bigger birds.

Make sure the legs are a little loose in the joint and just beginning to pull back from the end and that the juices run pretty clear. You also want an attracive color on the skin, which is achieved by cooking for the right amount of time or speeded up by broiling and butter. If you turn on the broiler, sit your butt down in front of the stove and don't move. Watch it.

It's time to take the chicken out.

Answer 6

It carves easier if you let it sit for 10-15 minutes. I usually cook it until I can pull a leg off without effort. If you have a thermometer you can cook it until the middle of the breast is 180 degrees. The legs are usually tied up to keep the stuffing in and to keep the bird from collapsing in the oven.

Answer 7

Usually 15 min per pound, but it's better if you have a meat thermometer it should be 180 Degrees in the meatiest part, you don't need water, the juice from the bird will be enough, they tie the legs when you put it on a rotisserie so it will hold together and not hit the burners. I hope this helped.

Answer 8

I always tie the chicken legs together when I'm cooking it, 'cause I wanna make sure the bird doesn't run off. You wait 10 minutes before cutting up the chicken to give an opportunity for the feathers to fall off.

Answer 9

Cook at 350F for about 30 minutes per lb.
Leaving it to rest lets the juices set and stay in the meat. If you cut into it straight away and cut and poke it when cooking all that moistness will ooze out, and you will have dry meat.
(this applies to all meat actually)
Trussing the bird keeps the legs tight to the body to stop them over cooking.