I tested four different methods to find the very best one.
This tip applies to turkey, too!
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Ive been wrist deep in the business end of chickens all week.
Simply Recipes / Getty Images
A well-roasted bird makes an undeniably beautiful presentation.
I tested four different techniques to evaluate their effectiveness.
First, all the chickens were between five to six pounds.
Summer Miller
Two were from the supermarket, and two were from a farmer down the street from my house.
However, I still wanted the chicken to taste good, so except for Chicken No.
The Rundown
Chicken No.
Summer Miller
1: The Quick Pat Down
This first chicken served as my control.
It required the least amount of effort and still provided some level of crisp skin.
The result after roasting was lightly golden, slightly crisp skin.
Summer Miller
You arent going to win any awards for this one, but it still gets the job done.
This attempt yielded a beautiful golden color and nice, crispy skin.
The flavor of this bird was the best of those I’d tested so far.
Summer Miller
More on that later.
4: Because Im All About that Baste, about that Baste.
To baste or not to baste, that is the question!
Summer Miller
I prepared Chicken Number 4 exactly as I prepared Chicken Number 3.
The only difference was that I basted the chicken during roasting using the pan drippings.
I basted the chicken every 20 minutes during the 1 1/2 hour roasting time, and it was gorgeous.
Summer Miller
This bird had a deep brown color, and the skin was nice and crisp.
It was the obvious winner.
5: Bonus Bird!
I took the time to test one more chicken, this time seasoning it before air-drying instead of after.
Then I left it uncovered in the fridge to dry for 24 hours.
Just before roasting, I rubbed the outside of the skin with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
I then basted it every 20 minutes as it cooked.
Visually, it looked exactly the same as Bird Number 4, but the flavor was much better.
Unfortunately, thats not exactly how this test turned out.
Roast and baste the chicken every 20 minutes.
Sometimes, a little bit of planning and extra effort is well worth the payout.
